Pintle VS Ball
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Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Southern California
Pintle VS Ball
A pintle hook can draw much more weight than a pickup can handle. So for most trailers that we pull with pickups such as travel trailers, horse trailers, car haulers, utility trailers, ect..a ball is sufficient up to 10,000# with the proper hitch.
Trailers for construction/farm equipment have a pintle hitch because they are usually towed behind a bobtail or dumptruck. If the trailer gross weight is within what a pickup can handle, then a pintle hook can be used in the receiver in place of a ball.
Some pintle hitches will incorporate a ball into the hook for extra versatility.
So it depends on the weight class of the truck you are using and the type of trailer you intended pull. For most pickups, a ball with a class III hitch gets the job done.
Trailers for construction/farm equipment have a pintle hitch because they are usually towed behind a bobtail or dumptruck. If the trailer gross weight is within what a pickup can handle, then a pintle hook can be used in the receiver in place of a ball.
Some pintle hitches will incorporate a ball into the hook for extra versatility.
So it depends on the weight class of the truck you are using and the type of trailer you intended pull. For most pickups, a ball with a class III hitch gets the job done.
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Pintle VS Ball
A pintle hitch is needed if you pull the trailer off road as it gives you extra movement with out snapping the hitch off the trailer or the truck. They are kinda sloppy for street use they hammer and slam quite a bit so get used to alot of jarring if the trailer is fairly heavy and you got a light truck ie 1/2 ton it can push you around.
The reason why most construction trailers are equiped with pintles is they are easier to hook up and more user friendly when your working around dirt. A ball and coupler set up wears out fast if the parts get ground into the dirt and they also rust so that makes them wear faster. The trailers are taken off pavement so they so see alot of twisting which puts extra stress on a standard hitch and imposible to disconect when the trailer is twisting on the ball.
I use the combination Pintle Ball hitch on my trucks it allows me to tow both without changing hitches as I don't have a reciever hitch I just have a apron on the back with the hitch bolted to it. The combination pintle hitch also works good for a place to hook onto if your stuck or pulling someone else. You put the rope over the ball and the pintle toggle keeps the rope from slipping off and sling shotting through a window.
The reason why most construction trailers are equiped with pintles is they are easier to hook up and more user friendly when your working around dirt. A ball and coupler set up wears out fast if the parts get ground into the dirt and they also rust so that makes them wear faster. The trailers are taken off pavement so they so see alot of twisting which puts extra stress on a standard hitch and imposible to disconect when the trailer is twisting on the ball.
I use the combination Pintle Ball hitch on my trucks it allows me to tow both without changing hitches as I don't have a reciever hitch I just have a apron on the back with the hitch bolted to it. The combination pintle hitch also works good for a place to hook onto if your stuck or pulling someone else. You put the rope over the ball and the pintle toggle keeps the rope from slipping off and sling shotting through a window.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 120
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From: Collin County, Texas, USA
Pintle VS Ball
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 08-Dec-02 AT 05:18 PM (EST)]>They are kinda sloppy for street
>use they hammer and slam quite a bit so get used to alot of
>jarring if the trailer is fairly heavy and you got a light
>truck ie 1/2 ton it can push you around.
Not that it would be practical for light duty trucks, but is mentioned only as a point of information. The tractor trailer units, 18 wheelers (class 8) that pull doubles and triples use pintle hooks between the lead trailer and the con-gear (dolly, jeep, converter) that hooks to the front of the rear trailer. To eliminate the slack and stop the jarring (as mentioned above) they use a air brake biscuit that pushes a plunger against the front of the pintle hook when air is applied thus eliminating the slack and stopping the jarring effect. The problem here is that our light duty trucks do not have an air compressor or at least most of us do not.
>use they hammer and slam quite a bit so get used to alot of
>jarring if the trailer is fairly heavy and you got a light
>truck ie 1/2 ton it can push you around.
Not that it would be practical for light duty trucks, but is mentioned only as a point of information. The tractor trailer units, 18 wheelers (class 8) that pull doubles and triples use pintle hooks between the lead trailer and the con-gear (dolly, jeep, converter) that hooks to the front of the rear trailer. To eliminate the slack and stop the jarring (as mentioned above) they use a air brake biscuit that pushes a plunger against the front of the pintle hook when air is applied thus eliminating the slack and stopping the jarring effect. The problem here is that our light duty trucks do not have an air compressor or at least most of us do not.
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