flrvman
Texas
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Joined: 01/29/2006
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Hitch looks WAY to light. Never seen one like that on a motor home. Looks like one you would find on a mini pick up or van, maybe 2000lb capacity. Buy a bigger 10K hitch and have it professionally installed.
2007 B+ Lexington GTS 300SS Blue & Grey Ford V-10
2005 Malibu LT V6 toad
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hhornig
Eagle, NE
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Joined: 09/04/2006
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The hitch looks too light for 6000 lbs. Never the less all bolts and nuts should be cheched frequently. Nuts should be put on with Loc-Tite Red which usually needs to be heated if you want to remove the nuts.
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rob_engineer
brick, nj
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Joined: 06/12/2005
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I also had a hitch nearly breakaway. In my case, the brackets suffered from metal fatigue from years of the spare tire vibrations. I was towing a trailer with atv's on it. Luckily it did not break away completely, as you stated the safety chains would have broken away along with the hitch.
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BIGRED1
Marietta, GA
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Joined: 02/12/2007
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Just a word of caution for anyone that is planning on trying to increase the carrying capacity of their hitch. There are other compents that go into the carrying capacity of your truck or motorhome like the transmission, brakes and tires. There is also the GCCC rating to consider. Just because you've increased the strength of the hitch doesn't mean that the rest of your tow vehicle is up to the task.
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Deen
Vancouver, WA
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Norm Payne wrote:I have heard of the same thing happening with those tublar Hidden Hitches that Newmar and others used for a couple of years. Several people on the Newmar Yahoo Group have reported that problem and I met two owners who lost their hitches AND their toads. Yep, had it happen to me too. The Spartan factory found it while installeing the new front axle. Luckily only one bolt was missing but the others were loose. This was after a 5 day 2,600+ mile tow to get there. Towing a Jeep GC that weighed 4,400 and the hitch rating was 6,000.
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Deen
Vancouver, WA
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Yellowboat wrote:Thanks for the post.
I'm taking my MH in tonight to have my receiver hitch strengthened from 5,000 pounds to 7,500 pounds. I've been planning this for about a year and my wife told me it was time to get it done. My MH is rated to tow 8,000 pounds and my toy hauler trailer is rated for 7,000 pounds. I've been keeping the total weight of the trailer and load to less than 5,000 pounds and the tongue weight to 350 pounds as 350 pounds is the vertical load limit on my rig.
TorkLift, a local company, that sells and engineers RV hitch equipment will strengthen the MH frame and either add a new receiver hitch or strengthen the 5,000 pound hitch that is already installed. I've asked them to increase the tongue weight limit but I don't know what they can do yet. I'll talk to them tonight.
Hopefully I will be able to avoid a problem similar to yours. Well, at least you'll feel better! The ONLY one that can change the legal weight rating is the MH manufacturer. Unless you can get it certified by them you don't really have the increased rating, just a strength increase.
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427435
Rochester, Mn
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mexfishguide wrote:
I use a methoid on installation as this, have the installer tack weld all the nuts to the framework, I do not mean weld all the way around but just a tack. This will give you the confidence you will need, takes a minute and helps a lifetime. Good luck on the next one.
Take care
Mexfishguide
This is NOT a good idea. This hardware (including the nuts) should be at least grade 5. Welding to either the nut or bolt will heat them up and cause them to lose strength.
What should have been done is to use red Loctite on CLEAN nuts and bolts. Even then, the hitch looks light for a 6000 lb rating and you're right at that with your toad (and over it if you're carrying anything in the toad).
Also, do you have good proportioning toad brakes that come on every time you use the motorhome brakes? If not, the hitch takes a double pounding---first when it has to slow a 5700 lb vehicle and then another when the toad brakes hit hard and jerk the 5700 lb vehicle back against the hitch. Or do you have any toad brakes at all  ??
Mark
2000 Itasca Suncruiser 35U on a Ford chassis
2003 Ford Explorer toad with US Gear brakes,
ReadyBrute tow bar, and Demco base plate.
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Galvanizd
Las Vegas
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Might be a good commercial for for Brake Buddy or roadmaster braking systems. Brake buddy has a break away system on it. So if your hitch breaks or fails and your towed becomes a 60 mph missile traveling, driverless down the highway, the breakwaway system will at least apply brakes and help stop the vehicle.
I've seen people scoff at these but why would a person not take every possible safety precaution?
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Takereasy
South Texas near Victoria
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Joined: 04/26/2005
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I checked my hitch bolts awhile ago and although they were not loose as a goose, I was still able to make 1/2 to 1 turn on each one. Glad I checked them.
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427435
Rochester, Mn
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Hmmmmmmmmmm. Flyman hasn't responded to my questions about whether he had brakes on his heavy toad.
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