Hello

I bought an '86 F250 Dually TDI last year, and for the first time, I started looking into what I need to be able to tow things....

The good news is, I've got options. The truck was owned by a towing company at one point, so it came with a 5th wheel, gooseneck, ball hitch, and pintle hitch.

The bad news is, the ball hitch is 1 1/2 shank. Or, at least, the hole is 1 1/2". And it doesn't have a receiver style hookup. It's just a 1.5" thick chunk of solid steel with a hole in it XD

Sooo... I'm trying to figure out what my options are... I'm not tearing out the ridiculously overbuilt hitch, I've got to work with what I've got.

Right now, I'm focusing on the ball hitch. I've seen those pintle hitches that also have ball hitches built into them, and that's certainly a possibility, but I'd prefer to use the regular ball mount if at all possible....

My internet search has only turned up 2-3 different 1 1/2" Shank *****, and they're all 2 5/16" *****.

Are there any options out there I'm just not seeing? I just want to get a 2" ball on the damned thing XD I love those convert-a-ball setups, but.... somehow I don't see that happening with my wonky setup...

Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks.

 

got any pics of what you are describing? I think what you are saying is someone welded and thick piece of steel on the bumper and then put the ball in it?

 

Looks like the largest shank sizes are 1 1/4 and 2"
Can you use a 1" or 1 1/4 and use a sleeve to fill the gap?
Not something I would be comfortable with but maybe a possibility if pulling light?

 

Well... it's quite a bit more elaborate than that... It's a proper hitch for the most part, looks like a class 5 hitch strapped to the bottom, but it's setup for the pintle hitch. They added a 1 1/2" shank hole for a ball hitch to still be usable.... I don't have a picture at the moment, but I'll try to get one tomorrow.

Yeah, I've seen only 2-3 1 1/2 shanked *****, and they are all 2 5/16 :/ (I.E. http://www.etrailer.com/*****/Redline/2516-112-2.html )

I've seen sleeves available to convert from 1 1/4 to 1, and 1 to 3/4... and 1 3/8 to 1 1/4 (Who ever heard of 1 3/8 shank? O_o) But, nothing from 1 1/2 to 1 1/4... not that it would be difficult to make... Anyway, point is it's a viable option...

I'm not looking to pull light though ^^; I'm hoping to pull a car on a trailer... maybe I'll just have to break down and put on one of those pintle hitches with a ball... But, I think that will be too high...

I wonder if there's anything like this... but in reverse:
Where you'd bolt the plate to the truck, and have a receiver for standard ball hitches at the other end... that could get around the height issue, with the drop-down tongues...

 

If your going to be pulling a heavy load at some point you will likely want a weight distribution hitch and will need a 2 (2.5 now) inch receiver tube. I would do it right the first time and add a proper receiver hitch.

 

Go to Catalog Download - Tekonsha and download section 4, then go to page B-15. There are drawbars, and regular pintle hooks, or ball mount type. I have the mount similar (8 holes) to your link, but mounted plate downward, then with a bolted on pintle hook.

 

I'm probably confused, but you are going to tow heavy, but want to use a 2" rather than a 2 5/16" ball?

I agree with Scott's earlier comment that a picture would be helpful.

Steve

 

Well, those are for trucks that have a receiver hitch, and want to use a pintle.... I have a pintle hitch, and want to make it a receiver... At least, that's what I would do if such an option existed....

I dunno on that one :P The trailers U-Haul rents for car haulers have a 2" ball, as does the car hauler my friend has that I could borrow... If I had the scratch to buy my own trailer at the moment, I'd get a 5th wheel, and just remove all of the problems :P

Anywho, here are some pictures!

Here's the hole in question, and up on the vertical piece, are the holes where the pintle hitch was mounted before I took it off... You can also see the 6 round electrical connector on the left. The truck has everything installed for electric brakes on the trailer.



Drivers side Under-truck. The entire thing is made out of half-inch plate steel....




Passenger side:



Under the middle... Don't mind the license plate door I made :P The pintle hitch made the plate mount in a bad place, so I made a sprint loaded door to move it up when actually towing :P



And, lastly, when I brought the truck home, this 5-ton Pintle hitch was mounted on it.

 

It seems curious to me to have such a small ball for a heavy pull, but maybe I am missing something. I would, however check the ball rating against what you are towing as every piece on a tow system has a weight rating including the ball.

That hitch is not subtle, but does look pretty darn stout!

Steve

 

Hitch..even though home made seems pretty good. Better than I imagined.

 

Of course. I know enough to know that much :P Always check weight limits...

Haha, exactly! I really don't want to remove it... aside from the fact that it's welded to the frame, I think I could pull a tank with this thing :P (Okay, not literally I'm sure, but you know what I mean)

 

The reason I touched in the ball thing is a number of folks follow this forum who are new to towing and may not know there is a rating for everything on a hitch.

A tank? A tank? Well maybe a small tank!

Steve

 

Mounting the ball in that cavity between the gussets isn't going to give you any kind of turning ability without the trailer coupler hitting the gussests. Are the pintle bolts attached to part of the hitch frame or just the bumper itself? I'd be concerned about the 2 bolts that hold that plate to the "hitch" if the back of the pintle isn't tied into the hitch also. Your best bet as is would be a pintle with a 2" ball, but then you still have the lack of adjustability.

Personally, I think I'd cut it all off and do a proper reciever, they are still easily had in both class 3 and 5 for those model trucks. Also, as said before, watch hitch ball ratings....................I've seen 2 5/16 ***** only rated for 6K.........................

 

If it were my rig I would opt for removing the current setup in favor of a class V platform hitch. This would allow for a lot more options and adjustability. I agree that the ball's location inside of the gussets and also inside the bumper recess can limit cramp angles when backing. I also see that open channel at the rear of the ball's hole possibly being an issue as the rear side of the ball would not have any support while under a pulling load, that could lead to integrity issues with the ball's shank and or the ball's base flange.

 

Reading back to the OP original post, he stated he was not going to remove his present set-up.

Steve