Troubleshooting Excess Play with Trailer Coupler and Hitch Ball Connection

Question

Question:

There seems to be slop in the coupler/ball department. On rougher roads there is quite a bit of clunking going on. There is no play in the receiver. There seems to be no adjustment to tighten that ball some. Using a 2in ball. Is there anything that can be done short of replacing the coupler?

asked by: Heinz W

0

Expert Reply:

There will be a little bit of play with any hitch ball and coupler combination just because there needs to be some room for the trailer coupler to rotate, however it sounds like you might be getting a bit more than normal. I recommend first just making sure that you are using a compatible hitch ball size for the coupler on the trailer. Usually the size ball a coupler works with will be stamped underneath the coupler itself. Make sure it is compatible with a 2 inch hitch ball like what you are using and not a larger 2-5/16 inch ball like # 19286.

There are multi-fit couplers available like the Titan # T2343400183 that can be used with multiple ball sizes. These will usually feature a knob style mechanism that is used to tighten the coupler around the ball. If you don't have anything like this on your coupler then there's not much else you can do to tighten the fit with your existing components.

What you might want to do just to test the safety of your current fit is use a jack to lift the nose of your trailer while the coupler is hitched to your tow vehicle. As long as the coupler remains locked to the hitch ball when the jack is raised then you can at least be confident in the security of the attachment.

If you find that a new coupler is needed I have attached a couple links that will take you to our available selection that you can look through. You can filter through the different capacities and styles by using the facets on the page.

expert reply by: Chris R

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Answer 1

I took a look at our yoke-style coupler #CA-5210-B and there doesn't seem to be any type of adjustments that can be made for the coupler to sit more snug on the hitch ball. I would check to make sure that your coupler is cleaned out and free from…

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Answer 2

Correct, there will need to be a small amount of wiggle room or play between the trailer coupler and hitch ball which is to allow the trailer to track and turn smoothly. If the connection point between the trailer coupler and hitch ball was too tight…

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Answer 3

If you feel the connection point between your trailer coupler and hitch ball is too loose then the trailer coupler will need to be replaced because there is no way to tighten this. The connection point does need to be loose enough for the coupler to…

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Answer 4

Bulldog Collar-Lok Coupler #BD028287 and similar couplers have a sleeve that constantly puts pressure on the front of the coupler, the part that goes around the ball, so that it cannot come loose. There is also more surface area of the coupler making…

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Answer 5

If you have a lot of excess slop in your coupler then you will likely need to replace the coupler latch. A coupler latch like the one in the Repair Kit for Titan Couplers #T1848700 will wear down over time and will need replaced when it wears down.…

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Answer 6

Some couplers can be adjusted so that the wedge will grab the trailer ball more tightly, but since the coupler you're using has no adjustment available, I'd first confirm that you are using the correct trailer ball size for your coupler. The…

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Answer 7

When you mention locking collar, I am led to believe that you might be describing a hammer blow-type coupler, like our part #BD028288. This type of coupler has a collar that would slide up, securing the jaws of the coupler in place over the trailer…

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Answer 8

If you're referring to the Fulton #F44314R0303 you looked at then you can use the Repair Kit for Fulton A-Frame Coupler #F640801. If you have the Buyers Products #3370091595, a replacement latch is not available which means you would need to…

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Answer 9

The only differences between the Demco Trailer Coupler #DM14976-52 and #DM88XR are the colors and the mounting bracket design. The part DM14976-52 is silver and has a straight, or no-drop, design with the bottom of the coupler being towards the top…

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Answer 10

I spoke with my contact at Tekonsha regarding the PS Brake Controller, #90195. He stated that while descending or ascending an incline the self-leveling on the brake controller will calculate at what percent incline the vehicle is at, and apply a…

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Answer 11

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 12

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Troubleshooting Excess Play with Trailer Coupler and Hitch Ball Connection

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