? for the Ford F-150 crowd

[KWN306]

I have a brand new 2016 F-150 with the max tow package and 3.5 Eco Boost and 3.55 locking rear.

I slide my 2" shank into the hitch and install the pin and I have a large amount of side to side and up and down movement.

I took a pair of calipers and measured the shank of the hitch and it is 2", I measured the inside of the hitch and it is 2-1/8", hence the movement.

I had this issue on another tow vehicle and because of the movement the hitch pin is harder than the steel on the hitch itself and it elongated the hitch pin hole making the movement worse.

I replaced the hitch with either a Reese or Drawtite (memory is fuzzy) and the hitch shank did not have any movement. It appears their tolerances are tighter than Ford's.

I brought the truck to my Ford dealer and he claims that is how the hitches are made, even showing me his personal F-250 with a ton of slop and Ford will not do anything to remedy the problem.

Now I know Ford outsources the hitch (probably China.)

Do you fellow Ford F-150 owners worry about this or do you go out and purchase something to stop the movement? After spending $40+K on this vehicle I am feeling screwed (sloppy hitch and pour fuel mileage and I drive like a Grandpa...........which I am.)

[Naper]

My 250 is the same. I have over 200,000 on it and it has not changed

[HiJoeSilver]

The shank on my BOSP has a little play, but not much in my F150 hitch. It has rubbed a little where the two meet but not much, just surface wear. I don't worry about the very little play. If it was tighter it'd probably make it more difficult to get in and out, and any corrosion down the road could make it very difficult.

[ShinyPete]

Our 2015 F150 is sloppy too until we apply the weight distribution. Once torque is applied to the shank it never moves.......... Nothing to worry about in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

[xrvr]

Buy an anti rattle device. Available at rv stores and online, I've used one for years, no more looseness.

[m.hony]

What he said^
The Stowaway Hitch Tightener from Amazon is the one I have.
It is about $20.
I assume an anti rattle device could be bought locally at an auto parts house or truck accessory shop.

[HCR]

I have no problem on my 2010, so I'm guessing it's a recent development.

[TruckerFritz]

Better a bit of play than the obverse. Our 2001 F350 was "tight" going in, and never came out, no matter how I beat it, WD40'd it, and almost pulled the receiver off the truck using a chain and tree. Of course if I attempted to tow a foot without the pin, then it would have come out..

[rmkrum]

Murphy's Law supersedes even gravity....

You were just seeing the effects of the selective friction corollary.

It's sorta like the one that states a dropped object lands where it can do the most damage.

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[m.hony]

Originally Posted by HCR

I have no problem on my 2010, so I'm guessing it's a recent development.

Maybe on a Ford, but Tundras have play/slack in the receiver in all years.


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[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by KWN306

I have a brand new 2016 F-150 with the max tow package and 3.5 Eco Boost and 3.55 locking rear.

I slide my 2" shank into the hitch and install the pin and I have a large amount of side to side and up and down movement.

I took a pair of calipers and measured the shank of the hitch and it is 2", I measured the inside of the hitch and it is 2-1/8", hence the movement.

I had this issue on another tow vehicle and because of the movement the hitch pin is harder than the steel on the hitch itself and it elongated the hitch pin hole making the movement worse.

I replaced the hitch with either a Reese or Drawtite (memory is fuzzy) and the hitch shank did not have any movement. It appears their tolerances are tighter than Ford's.

I brought the truck to my Ford dealer and he claims that is how the hitches are made, even showing me his personal F-250 with a ton of slop and Ford will not do anything to remedy the problem.

Now I know Ford outsources the hitch (probably China.)

Do you fellow Ford F-150 owners worry about this or do you go out and purchase something to stop the movement? After spending $40+K on this vehicle I am feeling screwed (sloppy hitch and pour fuel mileage and I drive like a Grandpa...........which I am.)

Oh, Boo-Hoo! Get over it.
I have exactly the same Ford, pulling a 30' 'Cloud, and the Ford handles it quite nicely.
I have had four trailers starting with a Starcraft, then a Hi-Lo,(pulled with a Toyota 6 cyl 4-Runner); then a 25' FC, traded back for a 30'FC. pulled with the Ford.
All the hitches, Husky, Reese, Esy-Lift, rattled in my receiver, and what I did about it was this:
On the 4-Runner I measured the distance between the Husky shank and receiver and found .064" clearance. So I made two shims out of .060" strapping, and the lubricated the shank when installing it. (Heavy Grease)
Worked beautifully.

With the Ford, my Reese hitch was kinda snug to install/remove, so I made two shims out of .035 stock. It rattles a modicum, but greasing it buffers it.
BTW.: Both shims had a 5/8" hole in them for the pin.

Why the grease? 'Cause my Air Force Sgt. would say: "If it moves, oil it, if it doesn't move, paint it. If it talks back, salute it!
And the Ford? Gives me pretty decent "Milage" considering that it's pulling a shiny 'tin can' that weighs an average of 7800 lbs. at 100KPH. (62.5 MPG.for you 'in the South'.)
If I knew how to do it, I would attach some photos of the set-up for your perusal.

[Jekerrville]

Nothing bugs me more than a rattling hitch hooked to a trailer, goose neck or conventional. I keep wondering when something is going to rattle loose and leave me.

We pull lots of various trailer configuration and been lots and lots of miles.

Attached is an image of the hitch on back of one of our F250's. Notice that the receiver will accept two different stingers. Look close and you will see two strips down the side.

The '15 28 ft. Cloud uses the smallest sleeve. Pull out the sleve and you can accommodate up to 2 7/8 inch ball hookups.

What I noticed with the 2015 vehicle is the smallest sleeve had some play, so when pulling the Cloud there was some wiggle. Drove me nuts.

So, I took the wire feed machine and ran a quick bead down one side of that sleeve and took the grinder and smooth it back down so it fit but with no play. I think the Cloud likes it better too.

It stopped that damn rattle and I am easier to live with, or so said the wife.

Hope this will help. The F-150 (KR '15) has a heavy duty hitch (trailer tow package) with the same sleeve but has not rattled like the larger pickup set up. Go figure.

All the best. Weather here is a balmy 67' at 8,700 ft.