Hitch Vise

[robert claus]

Worldinchaos-
That's essentially what I did. I bought a 99 cent plastic putty knife, about 1" wide at the hardware store. It's a wedge at one end, and I jammed it into the space between the receiver and the top of the installed ball carrier until the free play was gone. Then, I drilled a hole through the putty knife into the ball carrier and put in a small bolt to hold it in place. Oh yeah, I shortened the putty knife by cutting off most of the handle so that it doesn't just look like I have a putty knife screwed to the top of my ball carrier. Worked for years, now.

[RLS]

I also made one up from some thin aluminum I had around. I just lay it on top of the bar and slide it in Has worked for the past 4 yrs.

[MaxAB]

Good one, Bob - I'm going to try it...

[masseyfarm]

Working on mine today. U bolt available at any hardware store $1.25.
DYL65181 3/8 X 2 X 3".

This is a light duty bolt but should do the job I need it to do to help stabilize the bike carrier. Just have to find a scrap piece of Aluminium to complete the vise.

Dave

[ROBERT CROSS]

Tried an Au shim...too soft, squished flat in 200mi.
Now use steel sheet cut to size, still showing ware after one Season.

Bob

[ROBERT CROSS]

POI....add the Reese class V Tow Beast to the receiver's it won't fit.

The Hitch-Vise will not install properly because the vise side plates will not clear the plate for the safety chains. Thanks.

Hitch Rider
Hitch Rider Racks: Bike racks, trike carriers and no wobble tow carry racks
racks@hitchrider.com
Phone/Fax: (408) 736-2024

On 12/5/2012 1:40 PM,XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.com wrote:
Below is the result of your feedback form. It was submitted by
(XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX) on Wednesday, December 05, 2012 at 21:40:50
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Referrer:Hitch stabilizer: no wobble, anti rattle device for hitch accessories

Message: Will your vice work on a sleeved Reese class 5 Tow Beast?
Bob
__________________________________________________ _______________



Bob

[ventport]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Tried an Au shim...too soft, squished flat in 200mi.
Now use steel sheet cut to size, still showing ware after one Season.

Bob

Are you putting the shim on the top or bottom of the receiver?

[MaxAB]

GENERAL QUESTION FOR THE THREAD:

Can anyone actually "feel" the "slop" in the hitch when under towing conditions?

My sense is that I feel the "slop" at low speeds (forward and backing-up)...

[AtomicNo13]

I definately could feel the play... especially in my sway control. I use Reese WD with Dual Cam sway control, st the hutch was wobbling, I was ezperiencing a little sway in the rear end, and the hitch was always trying to center the trailer. After a test the other night, I feel fery straight, and no wiggling around now. For me it is a day and night difference.
I never had any play at the pin of the drawbar, everything was tight there, it was just super sloppy in the receiver box.

[SteveH]

This topic is really about the looseness of a drawbar in a receiver, and the issues that presents, and I have found the looseness reduces the effectiveness of your hitch's sway control system. And, this applies to any anti-sway hitch or devise, because in the end, the hitch cannot perform any better than the joint between it and the tow vehicle.

I have tried in the past making shims to reduce the play, and I've tried drilling holes, welding nuts and inserting set screws. They were both marginally successful. However, the shim was quickly beat thinner, and the set screws quickly loosened, not matter how tight, or how much Locktite I used on the screw, and I used first 1/4", and then 3/8" with the same results.

My latest and most successful work is welding a flat on both ends of the drawbar where it goes into the receiver, and then slowly grinding down the weld so the fit between the drawbar and receiver is snug. This has been working well for me for about a year now, but is a considerable amount of work, must be done on a "one of" basis, and I realise not everyone has the equipment, patience, and ability to do it.

Just my experiences.

[AtomicNo13]

I have the forged steel Reese drawbar; it is no tighter than the solid steel bars. I would have welded it, but you can't easily do that, and my welding skills don't include heating metals to white hot etc etc!

Whay can't the mfgrs. gust get this right? As I see it, these newer hitches are a real safety concern for us!

In the old days (10 years ago) stuff just fit! I had a Range Rover whose receiver fit any drawbar like a glove, and the Brits aren't known for close tolerances!

[crispyboy]

Originally Posted by SteveH

My latest and most successful work is welding a flat on both ends of the drawbar where it goes into the receiver, and then slowly grinding down the weld so the fit between the drawbar and receiver is snug. This has been working well for me for about a year now, but is a considerable amount of work, must be done on a "one of" basis, and I realise not everyone has the equipment, patience, and ability to do it.

Just my experiences.

I did the same thing and it works well. I have to use a spray lube on the drawbar because it fits so tight in the receiver. The only downside is that the drawbar doesn't work in other hitches since it has been customized. Before I fixed the drawbar I noticed that the pin hole in receiver was becoming wallowed out and there was wear on the hitch pin.
There must be a lot more slop built into current day receivers. I had a Drawtite receiver on my 86 Jeep pickup and every drawbar fit perfectly snug - never any slop.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

Whay can't the mfgrs. gust get this right? As I see it, these newer hitches are a real safety concern for us!

The one word that comes to my mind is cost, but I suspect they are afraid they'll get the tolerance too close and some won't fit at all.

Not sure if it's true or not, but I read somewhere the hitch receiver manufacturers are using imported steel which is made to metric standards?

If so, this would answer the "why" question.

[AtomicNo13]

I recently had a Reese HD WD ball mount fail (through a crack in the casting). I was on the phone with a Reese engineer and we were discussing this issue (sloppy fit). He told me it wasn't due to Chinese tolerances or the like, rather the auto manufacturers were specing the receiver tubes to be oversized... the mfgrs were finding as people left the drawbars installed long term, they would rust, and rust solid, then during the warranty, period, would have to be replaced. So they made them bigger, and the after market companies made their products undersized so nothing would fuse solid, hence our current epidemic of sloppy fitting tow gear.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by ventport

Are you putting the shim on the top or bottom of the receiver?

Top

Originally Posted by MaxAB

GENERAL QUESTION FOR THE THREAD:

Can anyone actually "feel" the "slop" in the hitch when under towing conditions?

My sense is that I feel the "slop" at low speeds (forward and backing-up)...

Not with the AS, 1200#TW, only get movement/noise when boat towing, 200#TW.


Bob

[MaxAB]

Atomic: Did you go thru these guys in Sunnyvale, CA?
Mailing Address:
Hitch Rider Racks
360 East Evelyn Ave #400
Sunnyvale, CA 94040

[AtomicNo13]

Yes that's them!

[MaxAB]

I'm going to try it... Thanks!

[AtomicNo13]

Be advised there are 2 different styles of the same vice... One has a provision to allow proper hook up of safety chains. It is simply a notch on the rear face which allows a little extra space to hook up the safety chains to the receiver hooks.
The other does not. If you look at my photos, you can see the notch. If you look at the factory installation video, you'll see theirs doesn't have the notches.

[MaxAB]

Hey Atomic:

I got the model for the GMC factory hitch. The package should arrive this week - will know then if they shipped the right one. Planning a trip to the "Q" and Death Valley this month - looking forward to trying out the vice...

OBTW: Did you get a nice dump last night in Telluride? We got a couple inches here...