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Rotating Pintle Hook Question....

Cook4794

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North Dakota
I've been having contemplation of keeping my pintle hook hitch. I love the pintle hitch and I've been using it frequently with my m101a3. I'm starting my build of my trailer and i'm debating 3 different options..

1. Keep the pintle hook design, but delete the surge brakes.
2. Put a standard 2 5/8 ball hitch on the trailer.
3. Keep the pintle hitch and design and create a rotating loop, or pintle hitch for my truck.

It seems they were designed to have a rotating pitle hitch to avoid the truck being flipped with the trailer incase something baaaaaad happened. Has anyone on the forum have any issues with the trailer flipping, breaking a hitch, or even worse taking the towing vehicle with it?

I do drive it offroad, but i've been timid because I don't want to destroy my hitch. Has anyone created a rotating style like what it was designed for? All the truck Hitches I see are stationary unless you get into the standalone 30 ton to 60 ton style hitches.
 

Cook4794

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North Dakota
I'm pretty sure mine doesn't work. I've towed it a few times and it feels nothing like my 1101 felt. I've attempted to "test" it by pushing in the loop into the surge section and, nothing.
 

BadRobot

Member
153
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Location
Raleigh, NC
I had to pick up an electric lift in PA today. I rented a U-Haul open trailer with ramp since I had to unload it to the ground. U-Haul would be my best option but it was heavy. I got only 13MPG on my Ford Raptor with U-Haul trailer. I can get 15-16MPG when it tows M1101. However, I can get only 10MPG when it tows M1101 with Amtech hardtop.

You can test your trailer brake via back it up. Uphill would be better. If you feel the resistant, it works.
 

Cook4794

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North Dakota
I'll have to test that. Maybe I don't have enough weight in the trailer, or i'm not using a steep enough hill. My father's fishing boat uses a nice surge brake system and it can be a bitch backing into his garage thats on a steep hill.


I'm more curious about a pintle hook, OR a lunette ring that can swivel axially. Much like big rig trucks have, or 5ton/deuce and a half uses. Has anyone made, or is their a place one could buy one that works with the standard 2 or 2.5 receiver hitch?

examples

pintle hitch
https://www.google.com/search?q=swivle+pintle+hook&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=swivel+pintle+hook&tbm=shop


lunette ring

https://www.google.com/search?q=swivle+pintle+hook&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#tbm=shop&q=swivel+lunette+ring


 
Last edited:

Cook4794

New member
40
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Location
North Dakota
I think what I'm going to end up doing is fabing up my own receiver hitch using something like this. ( https://www.grainger.com/product/BUYERS-PRODUCTS-Pintle-Hook-30PD52?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/30PD52_AS01?$smthumb$ )

I'll then use a adjustable lunette on my trailer to get my height I desire. I'm pretty confident I'll be able to weld a plate around a 2 inch receiver tube, to suit that pintle, then i'll be able to slide the receiver tube into my 2.5 inch receiver. Should work perfectly. I'm pretty confident in my fathers welding so maybe i'll learn a thing or two.
 

rustystud

Well-known member
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Location
Woodinville, Washington
I've been having contemplation of keeping my pintle hook hitch. I love the pintle hitch and I've been using it frequently with my m101a3. I'm starting my build of my trailer and i'm debating 3 different options..

1. Keep the pintle hook design, but delete the surge brakes.
2. Put a standard 2 5/8 ball hitch on the trailer.
3. Keep the pintle hitch and design and create a rotating loop, or pintle hitch for my truck.

It seems they were designed to have a rotating pitle hitch to avoid the truck being flipped with the trailer incase something baaaaaad happened. Has anyone on the forum have any issues with the trailer flipping, breaking a hitch, or even worse taking the towing vehicle with it?

I do drive it offroad, but i've been timid because I don't want to destroy my hitch. Has anyone created a rotating style like what it was designed for? All the truck Hitches I see are stationary unless you get into the standalone 30 ton to 60 ton style hitches.
I was involved in a terrible accident in Montana when the trailer I was towing down a long grade lost traction and swung around and threw my truck over. We rolled over three times that I can remember. The guys in another truck behind us stopped to help and said, his words now " that was so assume !!! " . I was barely conscious and thought this guy is an idiot !
If I had had a pintle hitch with a rotating ability my truck would not have gotten destroyed.
Just my 2cents .
 

Cook4794

New member
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Location
North Dakota
I was involved in a terrible accident in Montana when the trailer I was towing down a long grade lost traction and swung around and threw my truck over. We rolled over three times that I can remember. The guys in another truck behind us stopped to help and said, his words now " that was so assume !!! " . I was barely conscious and thought this guy is an idiot !
If I had had a pintle hitch with a rotating ability my truck would not have gotten destroyed.
Just my 2cents .




I'm no expert, and I have 0 CAD style experience. But from my knowledge with angles and how things are made to be strong and stable. It's strange nobody has designed a easy to install rotating pintle hitch... I see many lunette rings but that requires a little more work than just plug and play. You see many pintles for heavy industrial and flat bed style installs on vehicles..

Maybe I can design something awesome and provide it to this great community. My guess is in your case, if you had a rotating pintle, something on the trailer or truck would have gived. Weather your trailer landed on its roof or the connection broke under sheer stress. I would think that you would have made it out better, and not had a totaled truck and trailer.

I'll post back in this thread after I get a rough design and update my progress. My first draft won't be pretty. But eventually I think it'll be a great idea and safer design than the standard non rotating options we currently have.
 

Evil Dr. Porkchop

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Colchester, VT
The pintle hooks from CUCVs (except most m1031s), HMMWVs, m37b1s and more rotate and use the same 4 bolt pattern as the small non rotating hooks like you find at tractor supply.
 

rosco

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Delta Junction, Alaska
Over the years, I made up several hitches for various occasions & trailers. One is a swivel that I use almost universally, especially with my M101A2.
(Unfortunately, at this time, I can't upload the pictures of it). At times you can buy a swivel pintle from the bay. Its the same one they used on the M37. Its a fine hitch, made by Holland Hitch. I have posted that picture elsewhere.
 

BadRobot

Member
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Location
Raleigh, NC
Based on from what I see, swivel pintle hook is quite big and it usually mounts to the frame of the truck. It would not be as small as static pintle hook.
 

rustystud

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Woodinville, Washington
Based on from what I see, swivel pintle hook is quite big and it usually mounts to the frame of the truck. It would not be as small as static pintle hook.
Actually I've seen the M37 swivel pintle hook and it's not that big. About a 5 ton rating if I remember right. The only problem with any swivel pintle is the length, since there is the spring to deal with.
 

dougco1

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I thought that some of the early CUCVs came with mounted "swivel style" hitches? Correct me if I'm wrong.
 

BadRobot

Member
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18
Location
Raleigh, NC
Actually I've seen the M37 swivel pintle hook and it's not that big. About a 5 ton rating if I remember right. The only problem with any swivel pintle is the length, since there is the spring to deal with.
Yes, that was I meant. It is quite hard to adapt it to 1/2 -1 ton pickup, like F150. I saw a couple HMMWV has swivel pintle hook.
 
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