I need to add a pentle hitch to my truck. I'll be towing a 17,000 lb dozer on a tilt bed trailer. I read a thread on this where 3/4" plate was used. Do you think 1/2" plate is enough? Thanks Dan
I've been using 1/2 " plate for years, never a problem
hitch I have always been told to use 3/4" or 1", by the old timey welders. I never wanted to risk taking a chance on anything smaller. It is how you brace the plate, regardless what you use Remember to use the correct hitch, I always use a little bigger, it doesnt cost that much more Good Luck
I have a query that has been puzzling me for quite a while. I am wondering why you blokes in the US use pintle hitches on your trucks for towing medium and heavy duty trailers, instead of the Ring Feder type couplings. I have never heard of them mentioned, only the pintle hitches. The advantage with the Ring Feder type, is that the eye is lined up with the pin when the truck is backed into the trailer and the pin, being spring loaded, drops into the eye. They also come with different load ratings to allow for both horizontal and vertical loads. Just curious. http://www.bpwtranspec.com.au/ringfeder/ RnR.
I have never seen anything like that. looks similar to a pintle type though.
I looked at the site and they also make a pintle style. They call it a hook coupler. I think that the standard hitch you're used to seeing are all over Europe also. My understanding is they are designed for full trailers with little or no tongue load. If true that is why we don't see them hear, very few full trailers hauling equipment and large tongue load on our trailers. We have to carry 15,000 lbs. tongue load with our 150 to be legal in Illinois. Also that type of hitch depends on a standard trailer eye, very little in trailers is standard here. After re-reading your message, I see that they are designed for vertical load, curious to know how much.
I would have thought that 1/2" plate fabricated into the chassis would be plenty. I pulled a tandem pig trailer with a fixed drawbar, similar to your trailers, but a tipper, for years, using a VBG hitch, which is similar to the Ring Feder and that had a vertical load rating of 7 tonnes. The trailer would have been grossing 17 tonnes, around 34,000 lbs loaded. These hitches are easy to hook up, whereas I would imagine the driver would have to get out a couple of times, to line up and hook up the pintle hitch. RnR.
That hitch would have been just about right for what we do so I don't know why they're not here. I always liked the air brake couplers they use in Europe instead of gladhands. The gov. is trying to make trailers go to 9 pin connectors and even that will be tough as changing the whole industry and thousands of trailers and trucks is a big expense.