I need to lower the WD hitch a bit, switching it from a conversion van set-up to a truck. I can't get the bolts/nuts off, so these are torqued on? So what's considered a 'big truck place' to have them re-torqued? Thank you
I use the old Good in tight method on mine. I have been using a wrench to do it with bar. Now...what size socket to use on the nuts? My next project is going to Harbor Freight.
surgtech56 wrote: I need to lower the WD hitch a bit, switching it from a conversion van set-up to a truck. I can't get the bolts/nuts off, so these are torqued on? So what's considered a 'big truck place' to have them re-torqued? Thank you
That is what happened to me. I had a socket and breaker bar and a 3' cheater pipe. I stood at the end of the pipe and that gave me about 600 ft-lbs and nuts would not move. I had to hacksaw the bolt off. The Equalizer manual states that the torque should be 320 ft-lbs for the nuts.
My husky said 260 ft# on the shank bolts. My wrench only went to 250 ft-#, so I torqued to 250 and used my ceater bar for an additonal 1/4 turn of the nut.
As a side note most autoparts stores have free loaners (AutoZone for sure), you just have to give a good faith deposit and you get a full refund when you return it.
2012 Toyota Tundra Crew max 5.7 Limited
2005 F150 Lariat 4x 5.4L, 3.73 (80K mi 4sale cheap needs.......work)
2003 Nissan Pathfinder
Here is a trick. You can loosen something that is torqued to 800 pounds as long as your wrenches and sockets don't break. Put the shank in the receiver either right side up or upside down, depending on which way the bolts are inserted. What you want to do is be able to put a wrench on the nut so it is horizontal and sticking straight out the back. Place a jack under the end of the wrench and start jacking it up (the nut needs to be on the driver's side). To keep the bolt from turning, you put another wrench on it and hook a chain or ratchet strap from the end of it to something in your undercarraige.
I actually used this method to torque the nut on my ball to 450 pounds using a Sherline tongue weight scale to determine the proper force on the end of the wrench. There is a thread somewhere here on RV.NET about it.
Oh...just realized that the OP might be talking about the bolts (plural) holding
the hitch head to the shank...not the ball's threaded stud
Example is that a 5/8" grade 5 bolt recommended torque is 150 ft/lbs
and the hundreds of ft/lbs of a ball stud would snap that 5/8" in an
instant
Anyway, here is a chart covering the various grades and sizes of bolts
Check the bolt head for the markings, which tell what grade they are. Then find
their thread dia to look up the recommended torque. There are other factors
that the designers accounted for (proof load, yield, loading, etc), but these
charts get you into the ball park (normally they are in the 80% of proof range)
-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?...
Quote from DrawTite installation instructions regarding hitch head bolts. "TIGHTEN HEAD FASTENERS
1. Tighten 3/4 bolts and locknuts to 250 lb - ft. Tighten setscrew to 50 lb - ft."
Equal-i-zer says on P.22 of their installation manual: "Use the torque wrench to tighten both 3/4” shank bolts to 320 Ft-lbs."
Reese Round Bar installation instructions on P.2 says: "Torque the 3/4 nuts (K) to 300 ft-lbs (If large enough torque wrench is not available,
torque nuts to 150 ft-lbs, then turn nuts an additional 1/4 turn - DO NOT lubricate the threads)."
Reese Trunnion Bar installation instructions on bottom of P.2 says: "Torque the
two nuts (K) to 300 ft/lbs. If proper torque wrench is not available, torque nuts to 150 ft/lbs then turn nuts an additional
1/4 turn. Do not lubricate the threads"
All of these hitch head attachment bolts are 3/4 inch bolts.
If anyone needs the PDF from which these various quotes are taken, I will be glad to e-mail a copy. You can get my e-mail from my profile at the left of this post or by going to my website link in signature at bottom.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
2002 Ford F250 Super Duty, 7.3L PSD Visit our website here
I called the RV dealer where we bought the TT and asked if they would lower the WD hitch, they said yes for "$55.00" - thought they'd do it cheaper since we bought it there. Going to check with a couple of big truck places. We used it this weekend, just had to put a bigger board/block under the tongue.
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