Pintle hitch on my Bullet?

Jonas · 03-16-2018, 05:59 AM

Anyone here running a pintle hitch setup?
I'm toying with the idea of doing this with my Bullet 1900RD but am not sure how easy it would be to convert (or to convert back).

Ductape · 03-16-2018, 06:37 AM

A pintle will pound your camper to death. Over every bump, the tongue will bounce up and down within the hitch, since there is all kinds of slop between the pintle and lunette ring. They are fine for heavy duty trailers, but I would never want one on a travel trailer.

**chuckster57** · 03-16-2018, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ductape

A pintle will pound your camper to death. Over every bump, the tongue will bounce up and down within the hitch, since there is all kinds of slop between the pintle and lunette ring. They are fine for heavy duty trailers, but I would never want one on a travel trailer.

I agree 100%

travelin texans · 03-16-2018, 07:37 AM

If you're hauling sand, gravel, or trash in it it should work great. Otherwise leave what's on it so you can use a recommended WDH & sway control.

goducks · 03-16-2018, 07:51 AM

You need a WDH per Ford.

Jonas · 03-16-2018, 07:53 AM

I don't use or need a weight distributing hitch or sway control. I'm mainly wanting greater articulation although I must admit that I haven't quite got it in a bind yet. I do have a 9500lb winch up front and carry a hi-lift jack just in case I get hung up in a precarious situation. Just don't want to damage the factory hitch and then be "stuck" out on the trail somewhere.

notanlines · 03-16-2018, 08:41 AM

"I don't use or need a weight distributing hitch or sway control" After a statement like that and you with a single axle RV, wanting to use a pintle hitch on a 19 foot bumper pull, how in the world could you expect us to take that seriously.

**JRTJH** · 03-16-2018, 08:46 AM

Inserting a 2" ball stinger into a 2.5" receiver induces enough "slop" to cause sway controllability issues in towing a travel trailer. There's significantly more "slop" in a pintle hitch than in a "mismatched receiver ball setup". I wouldn't spend the money trying to fix one problem with the likelihood of creating other, more serious problems.

The first thing I'd want to do is determine (from Ford) whether the receiver under my F150 is even rated for pintle hook use (in high speed environments such as towing on the open highway).

CaptnJohn · 03-16-2018, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notanlines

"I don't use or need a weight distributing hitch or sway control" After a statement like that and you with a single axle RV, wanting to use a pintle hitch on a 19 foot bumper pull, how in the world could you expect us to take that seriously.

Thank you.

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Jonas · 03-16-2018, 10:32 AM

I think we are on different pages here... maybe I should have posted this in the “modifications” section.

Let me re-phrase…
I simply do not need or want a WD hitch for the setup that I have. A WD hitch will compromise my trail capability. The reason that I have a single axle is so that it can be lifted and large tires can be added for off-road purposes. My trailer is light and so is my tongue weight. I can spin my trailer around by hand. I have logged at least 2 dozen excursions so far and it handles great with no complaints. That is not the issue here.
I do however agree that a pintle hitch will not be ideal on the highway so unless I can figure out a way to swap back and forth, I will probably not go this route. I have seen pintle hitches on popups but haven’t talked to any actual owners yet. I may need to pursue this in an off-road forum instead.
Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen.

linux3 · 03-16-2018, 10:37 AM

My TT is about 300 lbs heavier and 15 inches longer.
However, I have dual axles which is inherently more stable than a single axle rig and about 80 lbs LESS tongue weight from the factory.
I would not tow without a WDH and sway control.
I have seen more than a few single and double axle trailers swaying side to side on the interstates without a WD/ Sway hitch.

I strongly suggest you get a proper hitch for your setup.

Jonas · 03-16-2018, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linux3

My TT is about 300 lbs heavier and 15 inches longer.
However, I have dual axles which is inherently more stable than a single axle rig and about 80 lbs LESS tongue weight from the factory.
I would not tow without a WDH and sway control.
I have seen more than a few single and double axle trailers swaying side to side on the interstates without a WD/ Sway hitch.

I strongly suggest you get a proper hitch for your setup.

I'm starting to get the impression that maybe people do not actually read the content of threads before posting in them? This is not a WD thread nor was it intended to be.

A dual axle trailer just doesn't work for me. You can't mount 33" - 38" tall rubber on a dual axle setup without rubbing tires.
Once again... my setup handles with no issues without a WD hitch.
Unless someone here pulls their trailer off-road and has a pintle hitch, they probably cannot help me but thanks anyway.

jsmith948 · 03-16-2018, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonas

I'm starting to get the impression that maybe people do not actually read the content of threads before posting in them? This is not a WD thread nor was it intended to be.

A dual axle trailer just doesn't work for me. You can't mount 33" - 38" tall rubber on a dual axle setup without rubbing tires.
Once again... my setup handles with no issues without a WD hitch.
Unless someone here pulls their trailer off-road and has a pintle hitch, they probably cannot help me but thanks anyway.

The pintle hook on a heavy duty commercial truck is equipped with a diaphragm (like a brake pot) that exerts pressure on the ring whenever the spring brakes are released. This takes all of the slack out of the coupling. I don't know if the lighter duty pintle hooks have something similar that is manually applied. Without this locking device, their would be too much slack in the coupling for highway stability.
Changing from a ball to a pintle is easily done by switching stingers. If you can engineer a way to switch couplings in the trailer, your idea could work.

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vampress_me · 03-16-2018, 03:39 PM

So I have to be the nosy one to ask. For taking the camper off-road, do you already have the 33”-38” tires on the axle and tow it down the road like that? Or do you change out tires when you get to the off-road part, or does your trailer not go down the road and is only used off? Partially, I’m just curious how it handles on the road at speed if you have that tall of tire on it. No judgement, just curious. If you only use it off-road, how well has the rest of the camper stood up to the bumpy trails/ roads? I still remember my FIL showing us a couple of places out west in the mountains where they took their camper, and it shocked me that the camper survived! And honestly, if you only ever use it off-road, I think that would be a good excuse to use a pintle hitch since then there is no worry about road speed, etc. since you can’t quite usually do 60 mph off-roading. But, JMO.

Ductape · 03-16-2018, 03:48 PM

There are a couple articulating hitches on the market. Take a look at 'Lock N Roll' and the 'Max Coupler'. Perhaps something like that would be suitable for you ( I have never looked at the weight ratings on them), but I still recommend you not use a pintle on your camper.

**sourdough** · 03-16-2018, 04:07 PM

Good questions Lynette.

I've lifted trucks with 35-37" tires on them and they are no pleasure to drive at freeway speeds for long distances (35+). I can't imagine the instability of a short RV with that size tires, lift AND a pintle hitch. Jonas, not casting stones just curious like Lynette - I like offroading.

Off roading with an RV reminds me of my best friend many years ago (I was about 25 or so) and he invited me to go deer hunting with his family....who had gone for decades to the same places I went in very remote areas. BUT, they were taking a travel trailer!! Sounded great and I had to see it. Well, we took off down the mountain trail that would get us close to our hunting area; and these are trails that required a GOOD 4 wheel drive to get through with boulders, outcroppings etc. My buddy was with me and his dad was in front of us pulling the trailer. As we worked our way through the rocks you could hear the trailer dragging, screeching, clanking.....the skirting pulled away and I was worried....the buddy said "don't worry". We kept going until we got there. The skirting was pulled back; I thought the fenders had been torn off but they said they had previously been lost and not replaced. You could just flop the "bumper" on the back and there we creases down the sides.

I thought the trailer had been destroyed. My friend and his dad just grinned, got out a hammer and what looked like roofing nails and caulk and nailed down the tin..... I got the courage to ask about toilet....shower...things I thought about having a trailer??? They just laughed, all that "stuff" underneath had been torn out long ago. The trailer was just something to improve over a tent....it had a heater and stove and wouldn't collapse on us.

A long, probably unneeded, story but it just came to mind. Jonas, I'm not at all criticizing your efforts to off road with your trailer. Just curious/worried about the size of tires, lift combined with a pintle hitch if you are headed out on the freeways. Good luck and have fun. I don't think you'll have a lot of luck on a 4wheel forum for this kind of question; I belong to several but I've never seen your sort of question - maybe you can find the answer.

Bolo4u · 03-16-2018, 07:14 PM

Jonas, here are a couple of options. Have you considered having a fabricator modify your trailer frame and install a receiver style hitch to the front, so you can tow the trailer with a conventional attachment, then when you're at your trail, swap it out for the pintle style? This way you could just use a combo ball/pintle hitch on your TV, and only need to swap the stinger on the trailer from a regular hitch to a pintle ring.

Another option I discovered (while looking at one of the other options referenced above), is aMcHitch, from Australia. It looks kinds cool and like it might serve all of your needs https://www.mchitch.com.au and they ship worldwide. Video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RDJyJV1iXU

KSH · 03-16-2018, 08:00 PM

That's was amazing. I think that hitch is your answer.

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**sourdough** · 03-16-2018, 08:32 PM

This may be your answer for what you want to do although I would never use it for what I do. I'm also wondering about the tires being locked up as they slide over the rocks......not optimal.

Bolo4u · 03-16-2018, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

This may be your answer for what you want to do although I would never use it for what I do. I'm also wondering about the tires being locked up as they slide over the rocks......not optimal.

I wonder if they were purposely using the electric (or hydraulic surge brake on the hitch) to help keep the trailer from pushing the TV and helping control it's decent.

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