As you know, Josh at Progress Mfg. is THE guru on the EQ hitches and has NEVER failed to come through with excellent customer service!
I recently stripped a shank bolt and asked Josh what type of bolts to use and he sent me some interesting info. His letter is as follows:
"If ever you cannot find the parts you need in our Online Store, you can purchase any part over the phone by calling our toll-free number (800-478-5578) and asking for Customer Support. I am no longer in the Customer Support Department and do not have access to our ordering software, but you can get Daniel Hicken in Customer Support to take care of you and to place your order (dhicken@progressmfg.com).
I should inform you that we recently upgraded these ¾” Shank Bolts. The bolts that you currently have are Grade-5 and 4-1/2” long, and they were accompanied by a low-grade nut (approx. Grade-2). The upgraded bolts for all hitch models are now Grade-8 (accompanied by Grade-5 nuts). These upgraded bolts are also 5” long. This extended length causes the threads (weak point) to start further out, so that they are not in the shear zone where the openings in the bolt channel meet the openings in the Shank.
We no longer stock the Grade-5 x 4-1/2” long bolts or the Grade-2 nuts, so if you purchase replacements from us they will be the upgraded versions. With that in mind, you may actually want to replace both bolts and nuts so that they match, rather than having two different-grade bolts with different torque requirements. Here are the part numbers and the prices for these items:
There are two more things that you should be aware of in relation to this change. The upgraded hardware has a higher torque requirement when doing the final tightening up of the assembly. Your current bolts required 220 ft. lbs. of torque, but the Grade-8 Shank Bolts will require more, specifically 320 ft. lbs. of torque. Also, because these bolts will stick out ½” longer past the nuts (once installed), they may require a deeper 1-1/8” socket, depending on how deep your current socket pieces are.
I hope that this information has been helpful. If you cannot find equivalent bolts and nuts at your local hardware stores, you can surely order the replacements from us over the phone."
Thanks,
Josh Jones
Progress Mfg Inc.
IP Assistant
jjones@progressmfg.com
I wasn't able to find grade-8 bolts, but I did get new grade-5 bolts, 5inch, with grade-8 nuts. Thanks Josh!
-Lab
2008 Nissan Titan LE Crew 4x4, DOHC 5.6 V8 w/VVT, Big Tow Pkg.
2006 Jayco JayFlight 29FBS
Equal-i-zer Hitch
Prodigy Brake Control
Member of clubtitan.org
"Hershey" my Chocolate Lab buddy!
"I asked God for a true friend: He sent me a Labrador Retriever."
When I found that one of my Grade 5 shank bolts was bent, I replaced both of them with 5" Grade 8 bolts and Grade 8 nuts. I got them from the local Tractor Supply Center.
2008 Nissan Titan SE, Crew Cab, 4x4
Long Bed, Big Tow
About bolts (which are actually cap screws)...note the typo in Grade 2--these are actually low strength steel, not titanium.
Grade 2 low strength cap screws have no markings on the head.
Grade 5 medium strength cap screws have three radial marks on the head.
Grade 8 high strength cap screws have six radial marks on the head.
I'm free of prostate cancer for 5 years now.
All men over age 50 should get an annual PSA blood test. Mine had a low reading, but the yearly jump was significant. The biopsy showed cancer just entering the aggressive stage. Dr. Hackenslash removed it.
Good info and take the opportunity to make a general comment on fastener
grades.
Just about everyone knows or has heard about grading for bolts, but next
to no one has ever heard of the same grading for nuts and even less for
washers.
There are grades for all aspects of fasteners. Bolts, screws, nuts,
washers, etc.
Trying to find them is another issue...
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
the best torque wrenches typically available, without going to really over-the-top stuff, are from here: http://www.torqwrench.com/
They make them for Snap-on, for example. My main wrench is a Snap-on Beam type click wrench, made by them. I also have one of these: http://www.srtorque.com/tabeam.html
that I got when an aircraft maintenance company was being liquidated. Harder to use, simpler, but more accurate and more expensive than the snap-on, when new.
I have other wrenches for engine assembly, that sort of thing. FWIW, a wrench that is accurate in the 400 - 600 lb range will cost in the $1000 and up range and will be about 6 feet long, 3/4" or 1" drive.
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
Now what about the bolts that hold the L brackets. The one on the left moves around no matter how tight the bolt is. What can be done to tighten the L bracket?
Subfan1 wrote: Now what about the bolts that hold the L brackets. The one on the left moves around no matter how tight the bolt is. What can be done to tighten the L bracket?
Is this the two long bolts around the frame holding the L Bracket Mounts, or is this the Single Set Bolt in the 5th hole (or whichever hole you use) ?
The L Bracket Set Bolt or Locking Bolt for the height adjustment allows for play. I think it even mentioned that in my setup papers.
Subfan1 wrote: Now what about the bolts that hold the L brackets. The one on the left moves around no matter how tight the bolt is. What can be done to tighten the L bracket?
Any chance you bent the link plates? Fellow camper and forum complained of the same to me while we camped together. I took a look and the link plates and the inside was bent such that the assembly pinched tight at the bolts but you could slip a nickle between the center of the plate and the A-frame tube. This was the obvious problem to me, and sure enough, we took it apart, flipped the link plate, and put it back together and he said it was fine the rest of last season.
The next time I go out to the storage place I'll look to see if they are bent. The last time I remember seeing them, they looked fine but, I will pay closer attention this time. Thanks for the quick feed back.
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