Types of Couplers for Trailing Hitches
Trucks and SUVs are among the strongest vehicles nowadays. Moreover, they have some of the largest storage spaces among modern vehicle models. But sometimes, the cargo you want to haul might not fit into your vehicle. Thankfully, this should not lead you to hire a new car or part with expensive shipping costs. Your truck is well-equipped to handle trailing of different cargo. All you need is to hitch your trailer to the receiver on the truck.
For most people in Utah and other states, installing the hitch seems like a straightforward task of attaching a trailer and truck. There are nonetheless several accessories involved to guarantee the safety and optimal attachment of the trailer to your truck’s hitch. One of the essential ones is a coupler. Hitch couplers are meant to secure your trailer to the mount located on the receiver. All couplers feature a mechanism that locks the mount’s tongue.
The following are the coupler options used for trailing.
Pintle Loop Couplers
These are also called lunette ring or lunette eye couplers. They are loop-shaped couplers that are easy to hook. You will basically lower the pintle loop over a hook and close a clamp found on the top of your hitch. The closing of the clamp holds the loop in place. These couplers are made of solid steel and are thick with weights of about 50 tons. If you will be towing very heavy materials, the pintle loop coupler is your best choice.
2 5/16’’ Ball Couplers
These are meant to be used with hitch balls of the same size. A 2 5/16’’ ball coupler handles heavy-duty towing of 6000-36000 lbs that are slightly lower compared to the pintle loop coupler. This is the most popular choice for trailing since it is more comfortable and safer. These properties arise from the minimal jarring of a 2 5/16’’ ball coupler during towing. You only need to lower the coupler into a ball on the trailer’s hitch, and then clamp the top latch down to attach it.
2’’ Ball Couplers
These are used with hitch balls of the same size for light to medium tows of about 2000-12000 lbs. Most truck and SUV trailer weights fall in this weight category. The coupler is attached by lowering it to the ball on the trailer hitch and then clamping the top latch down on it to make a secure and strong attachment.
1 7/8’’ Ball Couplers
These are designed for light towing of items such as small utility trailers and jetski trailers with hitch balls of the same size. The couplers can hold 3500 lbs of trailer weight at most. They are ordinarily used for crossovers, minivans, and ordinary passenger vehicles. Nowadays, 1 7/8’’ ball couplers have been primarily replaced by the 2’’ coupler.
When choosing a coupler for your hitch, you should first ensure that the tongue and gross trailer weights of both accessories match to guarantee safe towing. Moreover, you should ensure that your vehicle’s maximum towing capacity can accommodate the weight you want to trail along with the accessories. There are several accessories and modifications a repair shop can suggest to distribute the trailing weight of your truck and boost its safety when towing.
