Everyone talking about "just change the hooks on your trailer" - what happens when you borrow a trailer? Pull a friend's boat? Rent a trailer? Do you plan to carry around a toolbox full of spare safety hooks to change hooks on every trailer you ever encounter?

I've pulled five different trailers with my truck so far and four of them would not work with the factory hitch. One of the five had hooks large enough to not need the hammerlocks. I'll take the solution that solves the problem for every trailer.

 

No problem in having a backup plan if you borrow trailers often, but I think the majority of people mainly drive their own. Most of these threads start with "my new camper".... or "my new truck won't fit my existing camper". A good chunk of the time it's user error, you have to insert the hooks at an angle, they won't fit straight on like other trucks I've used to tow with. That's when people cry "my hooks don't fit", when a good percentage of the time they do, it just takes a different approach in installing them. I have two things I tow, my camper and my 5x10 trailer, both of the hooks fit without issue. I have to put my camper hooks in at a slight angle and my 5x10 trailer fits either way I try. It also takes me all of 3 seconds to hook up one side, go to the other side, 3 more seconds and the other is on.

 

You should mention if you have a 2.5 or 3 inch hitch when posting.

 

duplicate post...

 

Doesn't matter, the hole where the hooks secure are the same from my understanding. No I've not looked myself but that's what I've read here on a few posts. I have a 2.5 inch hitch.

 

The 3 inch is different. Have had both. The 3 inch no issues on my trailers. 2.5 had to run the Dring things as mentioned in this thread.

 

Interesting, I've definitely read where they were the same, apparently that was incorrect information.. Anyway I have 2.5, you have 3, I have no issues with mine, you claim no issues with yours so I stand by my statements. Either way I'm done with this post it's really going no where at this point, just like every other safety hook thread here

 

In my experience, the hooks that came on my camper wouldn’t fit a 2020 with the 2.5” hitch or my 2022 with the 3” hitch receiver. Both hitches were the same, and my hooks didn’t fit either of them. I have the larger D Ring shackles on my 22 with the 3” receiver now, and for the heck of it I cut those small hooks off the chains and put some much large clevis hooks on. Everything is as it should be now.

It shouldn’t be such a problem to simply snap hooks to a hitch, but the 20+ Fords have obviously created some problems. Many folks are reporting the same… and I don’t believe that this many people are just doing it wrong. It’s a hook and a hole… It either works or it doesn’t. Sure, some people’s hooks will fit fine, and some can twist their hooks around until they fit, but this doesn’t mean all of these hooks will fit.

And for the record, I’m fine with these big beefy hitches because all I had to do to make it work was add a D Ring, or a hammerlock.

 

'22 F350 SRW with the 2.5" hitch here. I bought larger 3/8 hooks for my trailers as a solution and they work fine for my hitch. I tried the 1/2" hooks but they were too big to fit. I don't borrow trailers and I damn sure don't lend out my trailers, so that solution works for me and my three trailers.

 

Everyone's situation is different; I have 9 different trailers and 8 trucks so the logical solution for me is to add something (large shackles in my case) to my truck rather than mess with everything else.

Dave

 

Can you post a pic of how you put those hooks in? I’d really like to learn how to hook them.

 

I have 3 trailers and they all work but but the the heavy duty shackle looks easier. I have to mess with hooks to get them to work.

 

Did anyone notice the new trailer hitch on the 2023 reveal yesterday? It has larger chain hook holes.

 

Don't go cheap on a solution. Last weekend, a friend of mine used cheap carabiners on a trailer that required a 2 5/16" ball when he mistakenly used a 2" ball. The trailer coupler came off the ball and both chains broke the carabiners. Body damage to the truck and trailer but nobody was hurt and he drove away after reconnecting the trailer. I've seen pictures of the damage but I'm not going to post them to spare him from the embarrassment.

 

Your friend should've splurged a bit and bought good carabiners. Cheap carabiners are only good enough to hang your key ring.