I took a flat washer (about 1/2" in diameter) cut it in half, tack welded them on the face of the insert. This creates a lip on each side and works very well.

 

great idea as I've fought that line up drill too many times myself

 

Silicone. Cheap, quick, flexible, and easy.

 

I definately like the price tag on that fix. Great idea I never even thought of that.

 

If you tap the insert and use it like a "nut" to tighten the bolt against be careful. There is a little play in that insert and the bolt probably isn't going to last long holding the pieces together under a moving (how ever small) load. The bolt's hold will loosen up.

What you might consider doing is tapping the receiver (2.5" side) and putting a hole in the reducer. You can lock the bolt down to the receiver and not worry about any play (jam nut, lock washer, loc-tite, whatever method you want to use to ensure the bolt won't move). Have the bolt go most of the way through the reducer sleeve (BUT NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!). This will lock the reducer in place, still allow the drawbar to go in, and it will still keep the small amount of movement in the set up without worrying about the bolt working loose.

If you do tap the reducer and use it as a nut - do it on the side or bottom, not the top. If you do it on the top the bolt will be pulling the reducer (and everything in it/attached to it - trailer tongue) UP. As you drive down the road the weight and vibration will be constantly stressing that bond.

 

Exactly what i did. Stainless 1/4-20 bolt

 

What you might consider doing is tapping the receiver (2.5" side) and putting a hole in the reducer. You can lock the bolt down to the receiver and not worry about any play (jam nut, lock washer, loc-tite, whatever method you want to use to ensure the bolt won't move). Have the bolt go most of the way through the reducer sleeve (BUT NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH!). This will lock the reducer in place, still allow the drawbar to go in, and it will still keep the small amount of movement in the set up without worrying about the bolt working loose.

If you do tap the reducer and use it as a nut - do it on the side or bottom, not the top. If you do it on the top the bolt will be pulling the reducer (and everything in it/attached to it - trailer tongue) UP. As you drive down the road the weight and vibration will be constantly stressing that bond.

Exactly what I did. Stainless 1/4-20 bolt 3/4" long. There is a circular hole about the size of a quarter on the bottom of the trailer hitch, right in the middle of the receiver tube about three fourths of the way back. It made a perfect place to drill, and reduced the layers you need to drill through.
If anybody cares here is a step by step. (I hate uploading picts, so not gonna happen! I'll leave that to Epic. )
1. punch in the center of the quarter sized hold to keep your drill bit on target.
2. with the insert locked in by hitch pin, drill through the outside receiver, and when you feel it go through, let it keep cutting into the sleeve a bit to mark it for you and start a hole.
3. remove the sleeve, and tap out the hole in the outer receiver
4. Try your bolt and see how far into the the receiver it goes. Should be just a bit by the time you put a lock washer on the bolt.
5. use a 1/4" bit and drill into the hole you started on the sleeve. Don't need to go all the way through, fust enough to give your bolt some room to avoid the forces when towing. (If you accidentally go all the way through, it really wont hurt anything, just might dap some paint on the hole to avoid rusting.
6. back the bolt out a bit, slide the sleeve in and put the hitch pin through, turn the bolt in, check your work, and you should be good to go for the next 10 years. No more pin the tail on the receive hitch game for you,

In the unlikely event you ever want to pull a house, you can loosen the bolt, remove your insert, slide in a 2.5" hitch head and tow away that house.

 

even betta !!!! thanks !

 

Just so you guys know, That big hitch that is linked too is just a 2" hitch with a sleeve already attached.

If you zoom in around the pin what you see behind it is a countersunk screw holding the adapter on.

 

I plan to tack weld my 2.5" sleeve to the hitch. Everything I have is 2", and I have no need or plans to use a 2.5" drawbar, so I don't want to deal with the rattling and the annoyance of lining it up all the time. I can always grind it off if I need to.

 

This is basically what I did, only I taped the reducer and over-sized the hole on the receiver side. I wanted to field test this for awhile prior to posting. I have been towing few trailers for a while now, the largest a 10,000 lbs. Troy Hauler, I'm confident now here is what I did:


Insert reducer into receiver and pin into place.


Locate recess under receiver hitch.


Drill through receiver and reducer with 13/64” or #7 drill bit in center of recess.


Remove reducer and tap with ¼”-20NC tap.


Over drill the hole in the receiver (with reducer removed) with 1/4” or 17/64” drill bit (17/64” preferred).


Re-insert reducer into receiver ...


... pin reducer into place.


Note: treaded portion of reducer through over sized hole in receiver center of recess.


Note: ¼” x ½” bolt (20NC) and flat washer.


Install ¼” x ½” bolt (20NC) and flat washer at recess with thread lock, snug bolt don’t over tighten.

 

Nice pictures, Dos Monitos. What we have done is so simple it would be nice if Ford sent the thing out that way. Don't have to try to line it up and don't have to keep a pin in the receiver all the time. Thanks for sharing the pictures. I never got that far!

 

Nice job...I like that you chose the bottom for the bolt.

 

Yah, the hardest part of the whole project was posting the pictures! Still not happy with that part of it. I thought it was going to be the "click to make bigger type" but oh well.

 

Looks great Dos, I have not noticed mine yet, but then again I have had the truck for one day. I will follow your directions and pictures if I do decide to do anything. Nice work!