I’m building a new bicycle carrier that fits in a standard 2 inch receiver. I never like the way they wobble around in the receiver. There are some U bolt type that try to clamp it tight but i don’t like them. My solution is to drill a 1/2 inch hole through the receiver and hitch tube. I like for the hitch tube hole to be about 3 or 4 inches from the end. I weld a 1/2 nut inside the tube with a good semi-circle weld. When you put the hitch in the receiver and put the pin in and tighten the 1/2 bolt no more wiggle.
Trailer hitch anti-rattle
- Thread starter J-BELL
- Start date
Monza Harry
Well-known member
Depending on the hitch design (tube wall thickness) you may end up with the receiver wobbling about the pin and your solution is only working in one direction a second will be needed for side to side woble elimination. I have started the mount [receiver mounts] for my welding/fab table with the clamp screws on a 45° opposite the seam, and I'm using 0.236" wall tubing (flash removed) so little clearance to affect the pin. You could open the pin hole a few sizes to help with pin bindage issues. One point for something that will have that much leverage and dynamic loads may prove inadequate. These aren't insurmountable but something to be aware of and watch for excessive wear. I'm not being negative just sharing my own ..... uhm failures. Harry
Bodj Built
Well-known member
I agree with Harry.
Make something like this. If you made the cut for the wedge to be 45* from the way they did it, you'll reduce all wobble
Make something like this. If you made the cut for the wedge to be 45* from the way they did it, you'll reduce all wobble
There are lots of ways to do it. I’m trying not to over kill this project. It’s 3/16 tube and this simple way locks it down pretty tight. It’s just going to carry 1 bicycle. I have built much stronger versions some with solid 2 inch material and hard steel reinforcement around the pin hole. These were used when pulling heavy 20,000 pound trailers.
kerrynzl
Well-known member
I do it the dead opposite [but same principles and same results]
I drill a hole in the receiver and fully weld a nut on the outside. Then use a short bolt with a lock nut to stop the rattle .
This method allows you to swap hitches over to any other standard hitch [without the need for drilling them]
Also, by having a nut welded on, the bolt can be loosened enough to slide out the hitch without any interference [and the bolt doesn't fall out]
I can't stand rattling hitches
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isb cornbinder
Well-known member
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Find a welder, add some steel to the back and use a file to make it fit like a glove.
This has be done many times as all the stock stuff has slop.
Honch
Well-known member
Thats "quite" the hitch, although I thought it was supposed to be quiet....
I drill and tap the receiver at a 45° it keeps it from rocking in two directions. The bolts that long because I have about 200 of them to use up.
WoodsTruck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 1,025
Boy, I learn something new everyday.
Had a trip to central Cali with a buddy to pickup a snowmobile. Jeep Grand Cherokee (unibody) with an open 2-place trailer with the salt shield removed since it was June and we didn't need the drag. We hadn't made it 1/2 mile from his house at 5:30 am and realized the slop in the hitch resonated in the cab of the Jeep. That was going to be a loooong round trip until a solution was found, and fast. Walmart was the only place open (just hit 6:00 when we rolled by), so we ran in to see what we could find to shim the hitch. Paint stir sticks to the rescue, since they don't have a SKU they were free. Cut to length with my pocket knife and tapered the end we were able to back the hitch out and get one crammed in above the stinger and reinstall the pin. Worked great. Patent pending first ever trailer muffler. He keeps a spare under the seat in case he needs another one.
Had a trip to central Cali with a buddy to pickup a snowmobile. Jeep Grand Cherokee (unibody) with an open 2-place trailer with the salt shield removed since it was June and we didn't need the drag. We hadn't made it 1/2 mile from his house at 5:30 am and realized the slop in the hitch resonated in the cab of the Jeep. That was going to be a loooong round trip until a solution was found, and fast. Walmart was the only place open (just hit 6:00 when we rolled by), so we ran in to see what we could find to shim the hitch. Paint stir sticks to the rescue, since they don't have a SKU they were free. Cut to length with my pocket knife and tapered the end we were able to back the hitch out and get one crammed in above the stinger and reinstall the pin. Worked great. Patent pending first ever trailer muffler. He keeps a spare under the seat in case he needs another one.
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I use the u bolt style and like it alot. I keep a 19mm stubby wrench with my hitch pin in the trunk, so I never have to go hunting for the tool. Makes a huge difference in noise.
What about them don't you like?
What about them don't you like?
I liked WoodsTruck fix. That’s the simplest idea yet. Glad it worked for you.
I’m sure the U- bolt style works fine I just think the bolt style looks a little cleaner.
I have used the bolt idea most of my life (long time) and I am pretty sure that was way before someone came up the the U- bolt idea. I have also made my own receivers and hitches that fit like a glove. I have also welded spacers onto commercial hitches to make them fit right. Theres lots of way to fix the rattle, just pick what works for you.
I’m sure the U- bolt style works fine I just think the bolt style looks a little cleaner.
I have used the bolt idea most of my life (long time) and I am pretty sure that was way before someone came up the the U- bolt idea. I have also made my own receivers and hitches that fit like a glove. I have also welded spacers onto commercial hitches to make them fit right. Theres lots of way to fix the rattle, just pick what works for you.
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
This is a pretty similar method to how most bike racks are done. The difference is the "nut" is free floating and the pin usually threads into it, sucking the rack's sidewall into the side of the hitch.
As far as anything else goes, I just load the trailer more front heavy if it's flopping on the hitch.
As far as anything else goes, I just load the trailer more front heavy if it's flopping on the hitch.
kerrynzl
Well-known member
I have used Builder's wedges [Wood] before. Smack them in with a hammer and dead quiet.
It's a real ******* to remove the hitch later though. I once used a ratchet tie-down attached to a lamp post .
It is a good cheap semi-permanent solution if you don't change hitches too often
rockinacummins
Well-known member
One of the guys I used to work with drilled a hole through the top of his receiver and tapped it for about a 1/2” fine thread bolt. The bolt was right at the end of the tube on the thick “band.” Seemed to work fine, no hitch rattle with our HEAVY tool trailers.
bwringer
Well-known member
Same. The U-bolt widget is cheap, dead simple, strong, and effective.
I guess I don't care whether or not my hitch setup looks clean.
If you've been towing all this time with rattling hitches... it makes an amazing difference, especially when the trailer is empty. Get you one of these.
As to the OP's solution, that should work great for a bicycle carrier, and it's clean and fast, but I wonder whether it would be strong enough for towing.
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I can't stand the thought of steel smashing against steel causing wear and distortion, never mind noise. For critical towing I like to make things that BOLT on, rather than slide in, but in reality there are so many class IV and V drawbars around, I still end up using them. What REALLY bothers me is using an adapter sleeve to put a 2" drawbar into a 2 1/2" receiver. Slop beyond what I can tolerate.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Same here. I have had to repair the holes in a few of my hitches over the years that have become egg'd out from use. Once I have repaired them I use the simple U-bolt style of anti-rattle device and they have worked great to not only prevent the holes from becoming egg'd out again, but also they are quiet. I have the towbar on my coach secured using this style of clamp and it has worked fantastic for the past 8 or so years now and about 50k miles.
Paco Pena
Well-known member
I slip a large heavy duty zip tie in place then the hitch. Also keep the hitch off the bottom of the receiver and prevents it rusting in place.
Paco
Paco
Anti rattle devices for a receiver hitch are easy to make. I made one out of a section of scrap metal square thick wall tubing and it has worked flawlessly for over a decade. I use a square cornered trailer spring U bolt to hold it in place. The down side is that it takes longer to remove the hitch from the receiver, good anti theft device as well.
Mine looks like this commercially available part, easy to make or purchase.
Mine looks like this commercially available part, easy to make or purchase.
Attachments
mark-NJ
Well-known member
^^^
That's what I have...works great.
That's what I have...works great.
I know exactly what you are talking about! I rented a u-haul trailer to take some stuff to the dump with my Grand Cherokee and it was the most excruciating drive with a trailer I'd ever experienced. I was certain there was something wrong with the trailer. I had also purchased a hitch basket for an upcoming trip to Colorado, but hadn't used it yet. As soon as I got home from dropping off the trailer, I put the basket on with small dummy load and took it for a drive and it was just as bad. I was really thankful to find that u-bolt plate kit. One hour pulling the trailer to the dump and back was bad enough, I couldn't imagine eighteen hours listening to that basket bouncing around.
andyvh1959
Well-known member
My 5x10 tilt bed trailer was gawd awful when I 1st got it, rattle in the drawbar/receiver, rattle in the tilt bed pin socket. For the slop between the receiver and pocket for the tilt bed pin I glued in a rubber pad in the pocket, but it does require standing on the bed rail to slide the pin in. I may just weld a nut under the pocket and them make a T-handle bolt to pull it down tight. For the drawbar slop I did have a piece of L-shaped flat stock I could slide in along the drawbar to take up some slack. But I still plan to weld a nut onto the receiver socket so I can turn a large bolt down onto the drawbar.
PugetDude
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Thin half of a black plastic shim works pretty well… insert it as you’re pushing the hitch into the receiver.
ntsqd
Well-known member
I built something like that 10+ years ago for a fuel can carrier.
It was a fair amount of work and I discovered a simpler way to get there. Drill a second hitch pin hole 90° to the first one and spaced as far away from the first hole as the slider and socket will allow. I did that with the pintle slider that I used here and it never rattled:
rattle_snake
Well-known member
I have done it a few ways. If hitch is only used in same receiver/vehicle, just weld some appropraite thickness sheet metal to 2 sides of hitch to get a nice slip fit. No noise, no gadgets to fiddle with.
If it is shared, a single 2 sided angle piece is not welded and slips over. bend the end over and it can't go in to far and misalign with pin.
If it is shared, a single 2 sided angle piece is not welded and slips over. bend the end over and it can't go in to far and misalign with pin.