Weigh Safe 180 Aluminum hitch with 3” shank, 10” drop

[Patriot]

Our Beast of Burden gets a new tail hook ha!

After doing a bit of a deep dive I decided to order up a new weigh safe aluminum 10” drop hitch with a 3” shank. I have been using 2 reducers and have never been a fan of them as they are a bit sloppy and noisy or simply too many moving parts.

I have to say out of the box I am really impressed with how solid this hitch is engineered. Really well done.  I opted to not go with the tongue hitch weight dial. According to quite a few user reviews, these dials use a rubber seal/oring and at times can fail and then require maintenance by replacing the seal. When the O ring fails you will notice fluid leaking from the hitch 👎🏻. Just not something I ever want to think about….ever especially on a long trip.

I did opt in for the stainless steel 2” and 2 5/16 balls vs chrome plated hitch balls and locking hitch pic all keyed alike . B&W tow and stow is also a good hitch which I was also considering. My  preference has always been aluminum as rust and corrosion will eventually take its toll on steel powder coats so I passed.

There is very little play with the new Weigh Safe 180 3” shank. That said, I did order this 3” anti rattle hitch clamp to keep everything buttoned up with zero play.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081D8Z6LG?ref_=ppx_hzod_title_dt_b_fed_asin_title_0_0

 

 

 

My reducers will no longer be used when towing XPLOR. 

 

Edited November 11 by Patriot

[jd1923]

@Patriot questions…

Link for hitch, weight rating?

Also, what are the safety chain connectors we see in your last picture? Link! I need these. it’s difficult getting under there on our TV.

Thank you, JD

[Patriot]

47 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

@Patriot questions…

Link for hitch, weight rating?

Also, what are the safety chain connectors we see in your last picture? Link! I need these. it’s difficult getting under there on our TV.

Thank you, JD

You bet JD, these are called 1/2” hammer locks and are rated for 12000 lbs ea. To your point they make it much easier to attach safety chains.
My Weigh Safe hitch is rated for 21,000 lbs. 

link -https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-drop-hitch/?srsltid=AfmBOoolgTCwKhll9w1HP7E1phPvIgecdRRK__EUlWP7DPInx6CUJx0T

Edited November 12 by Patriot

[Geronimo John]

16 minutes ago, Patriot said:

Also, what are the safety chain connectors we see in your last picture? Link! I need these. it’s difficult getting under there on our TV.

Thank you, JD

This was a JD discussion several years ago.  Below are what was recommended for our OE2's.  It is not likely, but should these bit the dust I would get the 12,000  pounders vs. the 7100's.  It sure solved the getting under the TV on our F-150.

 

 

[ScubaRx]

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

Our Beast of Burden gets a new tail hook ha!

...I opted to not go with the tongue hitch weight dial. According to quite a few user reviews, these dials use a rubber seal/oring and at times can fail and then require maintenance by replacing the seal. When the O ring fails you will notice fluid leaking from the hitch 👎🏻. Just not something I ever want to think about….ever especially on a long trip...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081D8Z6LG?ref_=ppx_hzod_title_dt_b_fed_asin_title_0_0

You have chosen wisely to go with the Weigh Safe Hitch sans dial. I went through three of these (with the dial) and they all failed. I finally bought a Curt 45902 for our Silverado HD trucks. I moved the Weigh Safe Hitch to Tali's Canyon Diesel. All of our other trailers are pulled with that truck anyway and I don't have to swap from the Oliver's 2-5/16" ball to the 2" ball for the smaller trailers.

In my opinion, the use of a Weigh Safe Hitch with the dial in towing an Oliver is a WOT after the first use. Unless you are constantly loading the Oliver in different configurations, it's going to register approximately the same weight every time.

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

In my opinion, the use of a Weigh Safe Hitch with the dial in towing an Oliver is a WOT after the first use. Unless you are constantly loading the Oliver in different configurations, it's going to register approximately the same weight every time.

Agreed, and I had the same thoughts. 👍🏻 

[topgun2]

I'll chime in on the hammer locks:

Patriot put me on to these a couple of years back and they are everything they are supposed to be as both Patriot and GJ state above.

Perhaps the only downside I can think of with these is that they could be a bit of a problem to remove.  But, why remove them?

Bill

[Patriot]

A vid in the event you need to remove the hammerlocks. (No plans to here).😎
While attached to the receiver as @topgun2 said it could be a little bit of a challenge. 

 

Edited November 13 by Patriot

[Geronimo John]

On 11/12/2024 at 3:52 AM, topgun2 said:

Perhaps the only downside I can think of with these is that they could be a bit of a problem to remove.  But, why remove them?

Bill:  You hit the nail square on the head.  

I found it a PITA to install, and will find a cutting torch or cut-off grinder to remove them if I ever need to.  

Problem is getting the shackle on something under the truck, in a way to allow for pounding a moving target to install the pin, especially if doing this solo.  Would be a PITA for sure.  Like you, mine stay on our TV 24/7.

Edited November 14 by Geronimo John
typo

[Ronbrink]

11 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

I found it a PITA to install, and will find a cutting torch or cut-off grinder to remove the if I ever need to.

Found a brand that uses a cotter pin to secure the connecting rod, any thoughts?

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Found a brand that uses a cotter pin to secure the connecting rod, any thoughts?

The cotter pin just keeps the connecting rod in place. This model should work fine.

Also wondering on these. Most are rated at 2500#. This one at 11,000# wondering how? Stronger steel. Others are stainless steel which is certainly a weaker steel.

https://a.co/d/aeiJN3k

[Ronbrink]

39 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

The cotter pin just keeps the connecting rod in place. This model should work fine.

Also wondering on these. Most are rated at 2500#. This one at 11,000# wondering how? Stronger steel. Others are stainless steel which is certainly a weaker steel.

https://a.co/d/aeiJN3k

12,000# working capacity, 46,000# breaking capacity per Amazon’s description. Good enough for me!

[rideandfly]

When Patriot told me about how he was connecting Ollie's chains, I did not use them at the time because Ollie's chains were easy to connect/disconnect on the Tundra hitch.

When I purchased the F-150, first thing I noticed the chain hooks were not as easy to connect/disconnect as they were on the Tundra, then I remembered what Patriot had said before. I thought Patriot was using lifting shackles (my mistake), so started using screw-pin lifting shackles (using blue Loctite on the threads) that also exceed federal guidance that makes it easy to connect/disconnect Ollie's chains.

Thanks David!

Hammer Locks:

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/hammer-locks/

Screw-Pin Lifting Shackles:

https://www.mcmaster.com/products/lifting-shackles/

Federal Guidance:

"If the ultimate combined breaking strength of the two chains is equal to the gross weight of the towed vehicle(s), the requirements of § 393.70(d) are satisfied. It should be noted that some States may have more stringent requirements for safety chains".

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/when-two-safety-chains-are-used-must-ultimate-combined-breaking-strength-each-chain-be-equal

[John Dorrer]

1/2", 12,000 lb Hammer Locks installed. Great addition. Thanks Patriot.

[topgun2]

Great addition, John.

Now, grab a can of Krylon semi-gloss black spray paint and give that hitch a shot.  All will look new again.

Bill

[Patriot]

7 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

1/2", 12,000 lb Hammer Locks installed. Great addition. Thanks Patriot.

Awesome! I prefer the black color over the red. Looking great John! 🤩👍🏻🇺🇸 

Edited Sunday at 09:15 PM by Patriot