Hitch and receiver rattle

Excella CM · 03-15-2008, 09:08 AM

If you have room, you can have a nut welded onto the receiver tube and use a bolt to jam the hitch bar once it is inplace. This wont affect the integrity of the hitch.

SteveH · 03-15-2008, 04:11 PM

Just wondering here....what if you replaced the hitch pin with a 5/8" grade 8 bolt and lock nut, and torqued it down tight when you installed the hitch. I realize it would be an additional step in hooking up, but I'd bet it would eliminate any movement, side to side anyway, of the hitch in the reciever.

SilverToy · 05-06-2008, 12:54 PM

Hello all -

Here is my little addition to the reciever tube "slop" saga....

Had an OEM hitch (the kind that has had numerous failures) on my 01 2500 Burb, and since I have a BIG AS I figured safe is better than sorry....

Had a Curt Class V installed. Happy as a pig in slop....until....

Went to put the bike rack in so I could take the kids bikes to a LL game and the rack/bikes wobbled like English Pub Crawlers at 3am (not that I have ANYTHING against the english, OR pub crawlers!). NOT OK!!!!

Checked all the other recievers in the Curt and they all wobble just as bad. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS AOK in the OEM. This is not because of a loose pin as I tried 3 different ones.

Likely the worst was the Equalizer hitch head. Side to side (1/2 inch) + up and down (3/8 inch) wobble. That has to play havoc with the WD properties, or?? It can't be good regardless.

Called the install/dealer location, and their answer was that all the recievers are now made in China and that they all have lousy fit quality. They suggested I use 'cardboard' to firm up the connection. Thinking that I will go back and tell they to take the 'new' off and put the old back on.

Is this a Curt problem, industry wide, what???

Saw a few comments about 'shims', another about a bead of weld, etc.... Is this really the best that I can expect?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Axel
SilverToy

ROBERT CROSS · 05-06-2008, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverToy

Hello all -

Here is my little addition to the receiver tube "slop" saga....

Had an OEM hitch (the kind that has had numerous failures) on my 01 2500 Burb, and since I have a BIG AS I figured safe is better than sorry....

Had a Curt Class V installed. Happy as a pig in slop....until....

Went to put the bike rack in so I could take the kids bikes to a LL game and the rack/bikes wobbled like English Pub Crawlers at 3am (not that I have ANYTHING against the English, OR pub crawlers!). NOT OK!!!!
Checked all the other receivers in the Curt and they all wobble just as bad. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS AOK in the OEM. This is not because of a loose pin as I tried 3 different ones.

Likely the worst was the Equalizer hitch head. Side to side (1/2 inch) + up and down (3/8 inch) wobble. That has to play havoc with the WD properties, or?? It can't be good regardless.

Called the install/dealer location, and their answer was that all the receivers are now made in China and that they all have lousy fit quality. They suggested I use 'cardboard' to firm up the connection. Thinking that I will go back and tell they to take the 'new' off and put the old back on.

Is this a Curt problem, industry wide, what???

Saw a few comments about 'shims', another about a bead of weld, etc.... Is this really the best that I can expect?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Axel
SilverToy

I know of what you speak. FWIW This was my solution to the OEM

receiver problem. Replaced it with a Reese class V. Had the 2" sleeve welded

in, then the whole thing was re-powder coated. Both my original

Reese head and the HAHA head fit perfectly. Are you sure you don't have

a 2 1/2" opening on your new receiver?

I think you can tell from the photos why I replaced the OEM unit.

bake315 · 05-06-2008, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverToy

Hello all -

Here is my little addition to the reciever tube "slop" saga....

Had an OEM hitch (the kind that has had numerous failures) on my 01 2500 Burb, and since I have a BIG AS I figured safe is better than sorry....

Had a Curt Class V installed. Happy as a pig in slop....until....

Went to put the bike rack in so I could take the kids bikes to a LL game and the rack/bikes wobbled like English Pub Crawlers at 3am (not that I have ANYTHING against the english, OR pub crawlers!). NOT OK!!!!

Checked all the other recievers in the Curt and they all wobble just as bad. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS AOK in the OEM. This is not because of a loose pin as I tried 3 different ones.

Likely the worst was the Equalizer hitch head. Side to side (1/2 inch) + up and down (3/8 inch) wobble. That has to play havoc with the WD properties, or?? It can't be good regardless.

Called the install/dealer location, and their answer was that all the recievers are now made in China and that they all have lousy fit quality. They suggested I use 'cardboard' to firm up the connection. Thinking that I will go back and tell they to take the 'new' off and put the old back on.

Is this a Curt problem, industry wide, what???

Saw a few comments about 'shims', another about a bead of weld, etc.... Is this really the best that I can expect?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Axel
SilverToy

Cardboard?! You're kidding!

Anyone that tells you that cardboard is going to fix an issue that has to do with towing anything - let alone a 34' travel trailer - is a taco or two shy of a combination plate, I'm thinking. I'd be cutting my losses and seeking a different dealer and a different hitch manufacturer.

Silverwanabe · 05-06-2008, 07:09 PM

"Called the install/dealer location, and their answer was that all the recievers are now made in China and that they all have lousy fit quality."

Dont' tell me the rv industry suffers from the made in China blues too.

I am suprised some business has not start building RV's in Mexico.

jayray5 · 05-06-2008, 07:44 PM

2 1/2 " receiver size?

jbond · 05-06-2008, 07:47 PM

Devoman

I have been using a device similar to what you first asked about and it will stop the rattle. Bought mine at Camping world and its a little different. Because of the way the new Suburban hitch is set into the bumper I had to grind on the device a little to make it fit.

Uwe
This also stops all the side to side movement so far. I towed several thousand miles with the new hitch & device. If this hadn''t worked I was going to have a welder adapt an older Reese hitch to mount underneath the current hitch at a more normal height. I contacted (reese)Cequent and they said they had no plans to make a receiver since all Suburbans come with the hitch aka known as the bumper.

ROBERT CROSS · 05-07-2008, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayray5

2 1/2 " receiver size?

Quite a few companies use a 2 1/2" reciever opening on their class V hitches.

You can see the welded sleeve in this photo.

clancy_boy · 05-07-2008, 03:10 PM

I have a friend who hated this issue with his hitch - he had a 2nd hitch pin hole drilled through the hitch and bar and used a non-locking pin in addition to his lock pin to hold the bar in place - all noise was stopped. Seemed like overkill and the hitch alignment for this option was vehicle specific but it works. No way could it make the hitch or tow bar weaker - I have seen tow bars with up to 3 holes in them to get the correct extension under the bumper length. The two holes were only an inch apart. I'll see if I can get a photo. Drilling the hitch was no issue but the hitch bar required a serious drill press for proper alignment.