etrailer Hitch Pin Alignment Collar for 2" Hitch Accessories - Yellow

Video Transcript for etrailer Hitch Pin Alignment Collar Review

Hi everyone. Aiden here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at the etrailer Hitch Pin Alignment Collar, available in a black color or a yellow color. They're both gonna perform the exact same function, and these ones are gonna work for your two inch by two inch shanks on your various accessories. So whether you need to hook up a ball mount, a bike rack, a cargo carrier, or any other two inch receiver accessory, like maybe a tow bar, and you want it to be easier to align that pinhole whenever you're putting that accessory into your hitch, this is gonna be really helpful. So the way this works is really simple.

You'll loosen up these hand knobs on top to open up the clamp, and this just clamps around the shank of your accessory. So we'll show it on this ball mount today. And once it's in, it'll hit up against the collar of your hitch and make sure the hitch pin hole is aligned. So the only thing we need to worry about is the first time set up. I've got it loose right now and I've got my ball mount here.

I'll slide it over that shank, put the accessory into my hitch and manually line up that hitch pin hole, pass the hitch pin through. (metal clanking) There we go. And you don't need to clip it in if you don't want to. Really, all you gotta do is then just push this up against the collar of your hitch, tighten it up as much as you can. You'll feel those lock washers begin to flatten out.

And once it's tight, this can just stay on your accessory full-time. So now let's get this pin removed and we'll show this stays in place. It's not coming off, it'll go back in, hit that, and now, boom. It aligns on the first try every time. So it's gonna really speed up the process for those heavier ball mounts, those bulkier cargo carriers and you don't have to spend so much time looking around and making sure it's aligned.

It's important to know that this will work with most two inch accessories. And the reason I say most is because most commonly it has issues with ball mounts and weight distribution heads. And the reason for that is a lot of them will have these gusset reinforcement plates here. So once it's pinned into your hitch, it leaves only so much room exposed on the outside of the hitch. You're gonna need room for this to clamp on, an inch and a half, up to like probably two inches for I'd say just the ease of use and the safety of room to have. But if you don't have enough space left over just sitting out. So this one didn't fit. Once it's all lined up, we only have about an inch of space, maybe less before this gusset reinforcement plate becomes an obstruction, meaning we can't get the alignment collar on there. And like I said, this is really common for ball mounts, but I've seen it happen a lot with weight distribution heads too, maybe even some tow bars. So just watch out for it. Measure your accessory when it's in your hitch and make sure that the closest obstacle is no closer than an inch and a half. Give yourself two inches just to be safe. So whether you end up using this for your cargo carrier or your ball mount, I think it's gonna be a really helpful tool to have in your arsenal because it can just live on that accessory and help you align the hitch pin hole on the first try every time. Because let's face it, if you've ever tried to wrestle with a really heavy steel cargo carrier, or heck, even some of the e-bike racks, they weigh almost as much as your e-bike, if not more sometimes. It's a pain, I don't wanna deal with it. I don't want to have to try to reach around and see what that hole's aligned. This tool takes the guesswork out of it. And again, it's just a really simple thing to leave on the accessory and you don't have to think about it for the rest of the use. But this has just been our look at the etrailer Hitch Pin Alignment Collar in yellow and in black. Thanks for watching.