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Old 07-29-2021, 01:32 PM   #1
dwayne564
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Curt Q20 Hitch Ram Puck system.

Hello,

Just wondering the bolts and nuts that are held by a codder pin, are those nuts suppose to be tight or is there a bit of lag due to the codder pin, had a codder pin come out, and noticed all the nuts were loose on the other 3, codder pin is still all on those. that would be the bottom assembly i'm talking about that goes into the Ram puck.

Thanks
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Old 07-29-2021, 02:08 PM   #2
roadglide
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Are you talking about the rail adapter? Turn the handle and it locks in under the bed. I think you could snag the nut down and still turn the Handel . I had the same system for my Duramax rail and Reese hitch talk about one heavy sob. I removed all that garbage and went with a Anderson hitch .
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Old 07-29-2021, 03:53 PM   #3
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Some pictires might help us figure this out.
FYI it's called "Cotter" pin.
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Old 07-29-2021, 04:54 PM   #4
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I have a CURT A16 hitch on the Ford in bed puck system. According to the CURT installation instructions, adjust the castellated nuts on the swing arms tighter until the swing arms can be moved to the locked position without excessive force. To me, that means so I can lock the hitch in place without having to use a hammer to beat the swing arms into position. So, I use a wrench to adjust the castellated nuts are snug, then back them off to the first hole and insert the locking pins. I do not use cotter pins. I replaced them long ago with spring pin clips. They're much easier to remove and reinstall and they are significantly stronger than cotter pins, so they don't "twist off" like you experienced.

The locking pawls on my pucks will slip under heavy loads such as rapid acceleration or heavy braking. when that happens, there is a "chunk" that is both felt and heard. Tightening the locking pawls will help, but there is a caution in the installation manual stating that can damage the locking pawls. I've been in contact with CURT several times over the years and they simply have not got a satisfactory answer on how to eliminate the "chunk" when starting and stopping.

Anyway, I'd suggest tightening them "reasonably tight" then loosen them until you can move the swing arms to the lock position by hand, pin them in place with spring pin clips and see if there's any hitch movement with acceleration or braking. If not, your adjustment is appropriate. Looking at the CURT instructions for your hitch base, it says essentially the same thing as mine. If the locking arms won't lock in place, loosen the castellated nut 1/4 turn and try to lock it in place. Keep loosening the nut until it does lock in place (presumably by hand pressure), then replace the cotter pin.

I'd recommend the spring pin clips.
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Old 07-29-2021, 07:11 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
I have a CURT A16 hitch on the Ford in bed puck system. According to the CURT installation instructions, adjust the castellated nuts on the swing arms tighter until the swing arms can be moved to the locked position without excessive force. To me, that means so I can lock the hitch in place without having to use a hammer to beat the swing arms into position. So, I use a wrench to adjust the castellated nuts are snug, then back them off to the first hole and insert the locking pins. I do not use cotter pins. I replaced them long ago with spring pin clips. They're much easier to remove and reinstall and they are significantly stronger than cotter pins, so they don't "twist off" like you experienced.

The locking pawls on my pucks will slip under heavy loads such as rapid acceleration or heavy braking. when that happens, there is a "chunk" that is both felt and heard. Tightening the locking pawls will help, but there is a caution in the installation manual stating that can damage the locking pawls. I've been in contact with CURT several times over the years and they simply have not got a satisfactory answer on how to eliminate the "chunk" when starting and stopping.

Anyway, I'd suggest tightening them "reasonably tight" then loosen them until you can move the swing arms to the lock position by hand, pin them in place with spring pin clips and see if there's any hitch movement with acceleration or braking. If not, your adjustment is appropriate. Looking at the CURT instructions for your hitch base, it says essentially the same thing as mine. If the locking arms won't lock in place, loosen the castellated nut 1/4 turn and try to lock it in place. Keep loosening the nut until it does lock in place (presumably by hand pressure), then replace the cotter pin.

I'd recommend the spring pin clips.
Don’t understand the spring clip, cotter pin far better installed correctly.
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Old 07-30-2021, 04:03 AM   #6
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Don’t understand the spring clip, cotter pin far better installed correctly.
I agree. A cotter pin cannot be accidentally knocked out like a spring clip can. Once the castle nuts are properly tightened they should not need any further adjustments. They should be as tight as possible that still allows you to turn the handles by hand. I find if one is hard to turn, just giving the hitch a slight kick will realign it and make it able to turn. I do not experience any clunking at all with the one in my F-250.
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Old 07-30-2021, 04:12 AM   #7
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Partial quote from JRTJJH:
"The locking pawls on my pucks will slip under heavy loads such as rapid acceleration or heavy braking. when that happens, there is a "chunk" that is both felt and heard. Tightening the locking pawls will help, but there is a caution in the installation manual stating that can damage the locking pawls. I've been in contact with CURT several times over the years and they simply have not got a satisfactory answer on how to eliminate the "chunk" when starting and stopping."

John it's good to hear I am not the only one that notices this noise with that brand of hitch. My slider hitch (E16) does the same thing. I had a few techs from a CW in NM (while traveling) come out in the parking lot to check for what I thought was a problem. They said they felt the shift of the pin slightly but that (after inspection) they said they could find nothing wrong. I just live with the "chunk". I do find I occasionally have to grind the locking plate pin contact edges. That "chunk" contact with the pin creates expanded edges that will not let the plate slide freely, making release of the hitch more difficult.
Just another item on the ever growing maintenance list.
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Old 07-30-2021, 04:22 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
The locking pawls on my pucks will slip under heavy loads such as rapid acceleration or heavy braking. when that happens, there is a "chunk" that is both felt and heard. Tightening the locking pawls will help, but there is a caution in the installation manual stating that can damage the locking pawls. I've been in contact with CURT several times over the years and they simply have not got a satisfactory answer on how to eliminate the "chunk" when starting and stopping.
That doesn’t sound normal to me. The bolts or locking pawls only hold the hitch down in the pucks. The pins on the bottom of the hitch should fit smoothly into the oblong holes in the bed pucks. Those pins take all the loads from the trailer, not the bolts.
Edit: My hitch is not a slider, so maybe the clunk you folks experience is not coming from the bed mounting system?
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Old 07-30-2021, 06:36 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by GMH View Post
That doesn’t sound normal to me. The bolts or locking pawls only hold the hitch down in the pucks. The pins on the bottom of the hitch should fit smoothly into the oblong holes in the bed pucks. Those pins take all the loads from the trailer, not the bolts.
Edit: My hitch is not a slider, so maybe the clunk you folks experience is not coming from the bed mounting system?
If you have your CURT installation manual handy, I'm talking about item #7 (puck) and item #2 (locking bolt) Go to your hitch and remove one of the cotter pins, nut and pull the locking bolt and puck from the hitch. Turn the puck upside down and you'll see that they have an "oval shoulder" that slips into the oval hole in your truck fittings. That oval shoulder (on the puck) is about 1/8" smaller than the oval hole (on the truck). If you "adjust the hitch locking bolts properly" (so the locking arms can be moved to the locked position by hand) there is not enough "downward force on the puck" between the locking surface on the locking bolt and the shoulder on the puck to prevent the hitch from shifting that 1/8" with acceleration or braking. The shoulder will, with the weight of the fifth wheel, push the pucks that 1/8" causing the "chunk".

Here's the installation instructions in case you might not have them handy: https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlib.../16017_INS.pdf

I can't tell you with certainty, that the locking bolts and the pucks are the same configuration on the sliding base hitch platform, but I would assume that the issues that Laredo Tugger has with his sliding hitch in his Ford factory system are either the same or very similar and his "puck shoulders" are sliding that same 1/8" causing the "chunk".

Curt is aware of the problem, I contacted them initially in 2013 with the issue. They have yet to devise a means to stop the "chunk". It's my "individual opinion" that the system is built to allow for variances in "truck component installation" and that 1/8" shoulder was incorporated so the CURT legs would fit vehicles over the "manufacturing design variance measurements". What it means (to me) is a "CHUNK" when the hitch is properly adjusted.

So, to eliminate carrying (and throwing away) cotter pin remnants in the campground, potentially that might end up in someone's tire and causing damage "down the road', I have come to adjust my hitch locking bolts (#7) tighter than hand tight, as often as necessary. That means, sometimes, adjusting them in a rest area if the "chunk" becomes noticeable in the middle of a trip. With the spring pin clips, I don't have to deal with cotter pins on a "regular basis".....
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Old 07-30-2021, 07:54 AM   #10
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Curt is aware of the problem, I contacted them initially in 2013 with the issue. They have yet to devise a means to stop the "chunk". It's my "individual opinion" that the system is built to allow for variances in "truck component installation" and that 1/8" shoulder was incorporated so the CURT legs would fit vehicles over the "manufacturing design variance measurements". What it means (to me) is a "CHUNK" when the hitch is properly adjusted.
Ok. Maybe that variance worked in my favor.
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Old 07-30-2021, 08:05 AM   #11
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Ok. Maybe that variance worked in my favor.
Consider yourself fortunate. The next time you have your hitch out of the truck, take one of the "swing arm, locking bolt, puck" assemblies apart and fit the puck into the oval hole in your bed. You'll see that it slides fore/aft about 1/8". That "SLOP" is what is causing my "chunk".... CURT has yet to give me any information on how to fix it or how to adjust it out of the hitch "play".

I've replaced the entire locking bolt/puck parts 3 times now, all with exactly the same results: "CHUNK" with acceleration and "CHUNK" with braking. The only way I've found to eliminate it is to install the hitch, pull the spring pin, tighten the nuts with a wrench, reinsert the spring pin and hitch the trailer. If I leave the swing arms loose enough to lock them by hand, "CHUNK".....
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Old 07-30-2021, 09:50 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Consider yourself fortunate. The next time you have your hitch out of the truck, take one of the "swing arm, locking bolt, puck" assemblies apart and fit the puck into the oval hole in your bed. You'll see that it slides fore/aft about 1/8". That "SLOP" is what is causing my "chunk".... CURT has yet to give me any information on how to fix it or how to adjust it out of the hitch "play".

I've replaced the entire locking bolt/puck parts 3 times now, all with exactly the same results: "CHUNK" with acceleration and "CHUNK" with braking. The only way I've found to eliminate it is to install the hitch, pull the spring pin, tighten the nuts with a wrench, reinsert the spring pin and hitch the trailer. If I leave the swing arms loose enough to lock them by hand, "CHUNK".....
The Reese / FORD OEM hitch I had would do the same thing... Over the 6 or so years I used it it progressively worsened and so this year I bought a B&W... no more thump... not even a little... I think it has a lot to do with the design of the base... the B&W is one solid piece and the Reese is multi-piece, the legs left and right mount to a body.. Isn't the Curt also multi-pieced
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:08 AM   #13
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Well I got an picture frame adapter for the Reese we already had. We had the clunking before with rails in the old truck. Now the cams for the picture frame lock tight in the sockets, and the because the hitch is also Reese, it attaches snugly to the frame, no clunking.
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Old 07-30-2021, 10:30 AM   #14
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Consider yourself fortunate.
I should have specified that I have a BW Companion hitch, not a Curt (sorry, brain fart on my part). However, you are correct, the pins are about 1/8” smaller in each dimension than the holes in the pucks.(I just measured them) But, as Javi said, no clunking with the BW that I have noticed.
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