A couple weeks ago I bought a pop up trailer for camping. My brother towed it to my Dad's house for me. We set it up and cleaned it out. The next day I went to get my Dad to tow it to my house for me. That's when I really noticed the coupler on the trailer.

It is probably the original coupler from when the trailer was built (1976). It is a 2" and is rough looking. There is no spot to put a pin through so it can't open. Now, me being the type of person I am thought to myself 'this thing has got to go'. So, off I went.

I wasn't sure what size I needed to fit over the C-channel so I bought a 2.5" and a 3" in diameter coupler. It requires a 2" ball. I brought them home. The 2.5" will not fit over top but will fit inside the C-channel tongue. The 3" will not fit over or in the tongue.

So, here is my question: I know the couplers are supposed to go OVER top of the tongue. Is it possible or even wise to put them inside the C-Channel tongue? There are enough holes to bolt it in up to 6 locations. I would use at least 4 of those but possibly up to 6. Also, what grade bolt should I use? Is grade 5 enough? The trailer weighs about 1500 pounds.

Thanks for the info.

-Matt

P.S. All the hardware I bought was made in the U.S.A. None of that China junk.

 

Use a grade 8 bolt. Try calling a trailer place in your area to see about the hitch problem.

 

Is it a matter a just no place for a pin, or is it rusted out?

If it's not rusted out, take the internal guts out of the new coupler and out it in the old one. Just clean up the old.

Placing it on the inside should not be a problem. If you're worried about it being a on the inside, you could find box tubing to fit inside the coupler, pre-drill it, fit it inside the other tubing and bolt it up.

You would end uo with box tubing, coupler, box tubing and bolts thru all three.

 

I can't change the "parts" on the different couplers. They are designed differently...I already thought of that.

Hmmm...if I HAD to I could do what you said. Good idea. Is it REALLY necessary for a 1500 pound trailer though?

-Matt

 

It sounds like it should be ok but a call into your local trailer store wouldn't hurt either. If nothing else then for some "professional" reassurance. maybe even tow it down and have them look at it. IMO It is hard to say Yes it will or No it will not be safe without looking at it.

1500lbs loaded or unloaded?

Does it have saftey chains also?

You are gonna have fun camping when you get it all dialed in. Most fun my family and I have are when we cram ourselves in our trailer for a weekend or a week. Great memories.

 

It weighs around 1400 pounds plus there is a little bit of stuff in it. So it would be no more than 1500-1600 pounds. Safety chains? OF COURSE! I got to replace the crappy rusty ones on it that were bolted on with Grade 1 bolts!

-Matt

 

for somthing that small, i wouldnt think that it would matter at all.

 

"So, here is my question: I know the couplers are supposed to go OVER top of the tongue. Is it possible or even wise to put them inside the C-Channel tongue? There are enough holes to bolt it in up to 6 locations. I would use at least 4 of those but possibly up to 6. Also, what grade bolt should I use? Is grade 5 enough? The trailer weighs about 1500 pounds."

My question.... What makes you think the coupler is supposed to go over the tongue?
Yes you can put it in or under the C-Channel. It will work just fine.
What size bolts are you going to use? Two 1/2 inch ones or more from your local hardware would do fine. 4 3/8 would also work fine for that trailer. Don't need to go to grade 5 or anything above that.
Wish I could have seen a picture of the coupler you replaced.

 

Every single coupler I have seen have gone over the C-channel tongue. I just ASSUMED that was the proper way. I am working on getting it INSIDE the C-channel. I went out and bought 4 - grade 8 bolts. I would rather have overkill than underkill. Cost me less than 10 bucks anyways.

I still have the old coupler. I will see if I can take some pics and post them up. Might take me until tomorrow night to find the time. But I will do it. If I forget just post again...I'll remember.

-Matt

P.S. The old coupler wasn't that bad. I just figured for less than $40 I should just put a new one on. The bolts on the old one were rusty and broke off when I went to take them off. That tells you something.

 

I'm sure with 4 grade 8 bolts on a 1500 lb. trailer, you'll be fine. I don't know what diameter the bolts are, but I'm guessing 1/2". You won't even know that trailer is behind you.

If you think about it, step bumpers are often rated to tow 2 tons+ and they are only held on with four 9/16" bolts.

 

way to support your own country

I also have never sween then any other way.

 

pics?<filler>

 

I have been meaning to get them up but I can't find my digital camera. I got it all done. I am actually going camping today. We will see if it works.

-Matt

 

> What makes you think the coupler is supposed to go over the tongue

Because they are designed for that. If you put them on the inside of the channel, there is nothing to prevent them from pulling through the washer and collapsing when put under a twisting load. Unless of course you use thick alloy grade 8 washers like I do. Still, you might shrink and distort the coupler itself. Granted, not likely to happen with a 1500 pound trailer. Yes, I have seen people mount it under the tongue instead of properly setting up the trailer or truck.

You can buy the correct sized bolt on coupler from www.jcw.com. I have bouht a few from them. Some of them even come to fit a variety of sized tubes. Basically, they have indents and when you bolt it on, it closes up. I do a double thing and weld mine on too, even though they say not to. Mainly, I believe, because it flakes off the finish. I paint all mine when I am done welding and I use a MIG and kind of stitch it instead of going full tilt and one long bead to avoid excessive heat.

Grade 5 will be fine. The reason for not saying Grade 8 is because you have to torque it on (1/2" grade 8) at 90 pounds to get a proper load and at way under 90 pounds it will collapse a lightly built trailer tongue. If using grade 8, then tighten until you see the tongue start to move, put a second nut on tightly, then put a cotter pin/safety pin through the second nut/rest of bolt. A 1/16" pin will be fine.

If you need a 2" coupler to fit 2" channel (you did not say it, I assume this is the problem - small channel), JCW sells it. Costs about $15 on the last one I bought. It was good enough quality and bolts on fine.