I towed a trailer the other day for the first time with my Pathfinder (it was a 6x12 double axle U-Haul). Whenever I'd go over a bump, it sounded like something was loose on the hitch mechanism (never mind the fact that it felt like the god of thunder was jumping up and down on my rear bumper). I kept trying to tighten the ball lock but it was as tight as it would go.

When I disconnected the trailer, I noticed that the hitch was loose in the square receiving hole on my car. In other words, while the pin was secure, I could grab the ball end and move it around. Not a lot, but just enough to make noise. Also, the hitch doesn't go in very far before the holes line up--maybe 2" with a good 8" sticking out. I'm using a U-Haul-brand hitch (7500 lb. cap.) with a 2" ball.

Questions:
- How snug should the hitch be in the square receiving hole?
- How far in should it slide before the holes line up?
- Where do you guys go for your hitch accessories?

Thanks!

sounds about how my experience was.

i towed both that 5x10 single axle and 6x12 double axle uhaul trailer (over two trips) from GA to TX. the first time i had too much tongue weight but didn't notice alot of clunk.

the second time i loaded it better front to back so there wasn't as much weight on the tongue and the 'clunk' was way worse. i assume it was because the tongue could move around more since there wasn't as much weight to keep it down. i also didn't load side to side that well and got ALOT of trailer sway above 60mph. made for a LONG drive back.

that said i have probably a 1/8-1/4 in of play in the hitch and he hook i use in my receiver. not sure what it's supposed to be but it's never worried me. as long as that pin is solid it's good enough for me.

All very normal when towing with any vehicle. There is always a little play in the draw-bar which actually helps buffer the impacts from the trailer movements. But it makes noise. Those U-hauls are very light so they tend bounce a lot and make a helluva racket particularly when they're not loaded.

Tractors Supply usually has a decent collection of hitch accessories.

mine is the same way. i figured it was fine since i had no issues

As others have said... totally normal on all tow vehicles with interchangeable ball mounts. But very aggravating.

You can buy or try this:
http://roadmasterinc.com/products/acces ... quiet.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/4212185


Or you can just do like me, and put a few wraps of electrical tape around the ball mount, so it fits snug into the receiver. Two are three wraps will tighten and isolate all rattle, clunks, & vibrations. But ball mount still pulls out easy. Like a cork in a bottle.

BigEz wrote:

Nice looking Chevy. I'm contemplating my next project starting with a C10 and giving it a completely modern drivetrain to make it an ultra-reliable daily driver. I'll have to venture out west to pick one up...people here get top dollar for them if they're not rusty.

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I was wondering if I had a poorly-designed draw bar but it sounds like all is normal. I also think my loading was less-than-ideal.

BigEz: Thanks for those links... I'm actually going to order the Quiet Hitch and see how it does.

Had the same problem, when towing my boat, the tow arm would/could move. I bought an anti-rattle kit that holds the tow arm hard, in place, it does not budge. That helped a lot, no more big bang, when I would slow down or stop. You can probably pick one up at an hitch shop.