WD hitch play?

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by Hansel

OK measured the shank which is 2" then measured the inside of the head assembly that fits over the shank and it's 2 1/8", so I have a 1/8" worth of space for play. So you are saying its assembled incorrectly??? Are there suppose too be some washers or slims that the dealer never installed over 7 years ago???? I don't see how I could have it assembled incorrectly unless some parts are missing that I never had.

I don't think it's assembled incorrectly. It looks fine in the pic that you posted earlier.

As sagebel said, his head came with some thin shims which I suspect were there specifically for this purpose. If it was my hitch, I'd go to the hardware store and find four 1/16" thick fender washers, pull the bolts, slip the fender washers in there, reassemble and torque up the whole thing. That would remove the slop and then it would behave as a single unit without the wiggle.

Like I said earlier, mine requires a rubber mallet to "encourage" the ball platform into place on the shank. I think the shims should make yours the same way.

[audio1der]

Our head is 2" on the money so the shank must be a little smaller.
The dealer assembled & installed ours so I never saw if there were shims.

[audio1der]

Alright- got this figured out. While at a Keystone dealer to de-winterize I asked the tech about the hitch play. He suggested they had special plate spacers from Reese. We took the hitch apart and stuck one in one side between the shank drop and hitch head (couldn't fit one in each side). BAM! The hitch head is as tight as a knot in wood on the shank now.
Sorry- I didn't get the part# but here is a pic of it in place over the bolts so you get an idea of size and positioning.
(I actually found one of these in the WD hitch box in our storage when cleaning it out later, so I have a spare)
The tech said the play in the shank/receiver is normal so I guess I'm done.
Hope this helps someone else out in the future.