I found and bought a hitch that measures tongue weight wanted to share.

[MrBig1]

I've been searching the internet looking for a hitch to tow my soon to be Oliver. I wanted something tough, adjustable and I only wanted to buy one. My TV has a 2 1/2" hitch receiver so I also wanted one that size. My thinking on that was, I had really never seen a 2 1/2" hitch system so I figured that may keep down theft, I don't know. I've read about and experienced the hassles of properly weighing my rig and determining tongue weight of a RV. Well I stumbled across a unit made by a company called Weigh-Safe and was intrigued. It turns out that they sell a heavy-duty hitch with a built in hitch scale. I bought my unit from e-trailer it arrived in just a few days and I am very pleased with its construction. I'll post a few pictures cause I think its cool. I also bought the keyed alike hitch positioner and lock.

[ScubaRx]

For your build, you should specify the bulldog coupler #028462. This one is exactly like the standard Oliver hitch except it is made for a 2 5/16” ball.

 

I’m going to buy this same ball mount and swap my hitch out.

 

It appears you got the 6” drop?  Did your truck need that much?

[John E Davies]

What are the warranty terms for the scale part, and can you buy that part separately (or the orings) when it starts to leak hydraulic fluid? I would be really worried that having the coupler come down with a bang could wreck it. The ones that are not built-in like yours are known to be a little fragile (the gage itself, not the plunger and housing), and sometimes sticky operating after storage.

 

Do you tow other heavy trailers? If so your hitch should be a very useful addition. For an Ollie, not so much. Do they offer a smaller version with a 1000 pound scale?

 

I really like the appearance of a forged and polished aluminum hitch, like yours and my Anderson, but I don’t expect them to look very pretty after years of use (especially in winter), and you can’t just recoat them with spray paint.

 

There are a lot of specialty hitches and couplers that appear with claims of revolutionizing towing, and many of the makers fold after a few years. It is really hard to tell when a new design is going to be a success.... please post a towing report and a few long term followups.

 

You are rightfully concerned to be wary of theft. That is a gorgeous  hitch, and you should always remove it from the truck when not in use!

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

Found the warrant terms. One year on the gage (“accurate to 50 pounds”), lifetime for the rest. They do not mention ball wear, but I bet it is not covered.

 

https://www.weigh-safe.com/warranty/

 

Like the Anderson, they require you to pay shipping and send it in for evaluarion. If you are mid-journey and have an issue, you are screwed for a week or more.

 

If you have a HD truck, it would be smart to have a standby steel hitch and ball in case your super duper one fails. Otherwise you might be parked for a while while it gets resolved by the maker.

 

Just saying....

 

FYI a 1000 hitch scale is accurate to 20 pounds.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Try2Relax]

They do make a nice hitch, I didn't need the scale, but they were one of the only ones I found that make a 3"

[MrBig1]

For your build, you should specify the bulldog coupler #028462. This one is exactly like the standard Oliver hitch except it is made for a 2 5/16” ball. I’m going to buy this same ball mount and swap my hitch out. It appears you got the 6” drop? Did your truck need that much?

Steve,

 

First, I don't really know how much drop I need on this hitch for my Oliver but I know that I have some smaller trailers I still need a hitch for. The way I see it and based on a PM I got that I may use 2 or 3 inches for the Oliver. I'm also gonna buy the 1 7/8" ball and the tumbler dust cover.

[MrBig1]

What are the warranty terms for the scale part, and can you buy that part separately (or the orings) when it starts to leak hydraulic fluid? I would be really worried that having the coupler come down with a bang could wreck it. The ones that are not built-in like yours are known to be a little fragile (the gage itself, not the plunger and housing), and sometimes sticky operating after storage. Do you tow other heavy trailers? If so your hitch should be a very useful addition. For an Ollie, not so much. Do they offer a smaller version with a 1000 pound scale? I really like the appearance of a forged and polished aluminum hitch, like yours and my Anderson, but I don’t expect them to look very pretty after years of use (especially in winter), and you can’t just recoat them with spray paint. There are a lot of specialty hitches and couplers that appear with claims of revolutionizing towing, and many of the makers fold after a few years. It is really hard to tell when a new design is going to be a success…. please post a towing report and a few long term followups. You are rightfully concerned to be wary of theft. That is a gorgeous hitch, and you should always remove it from the truck when not in use! John Davies Spokane WA

Found the warrant terms. One year on the gage (“accurate to 50 pounds”), lifetime for the rest. They do not mention ball wear, but I bet it is not covered. https://www.weigh-safe.com/warranty/ Like the Anderson, they require you to pay shipping and send it in for evaluarion. If you are mid-journey and have an issue, you are screwed for a week or more. If you have a HD truck, it would be smart to have a standby steel hitch and ball in case your super duper one fails. Otherwise you might be parked for a while while it gets resolved by the maker. Just saying…. FYI a 1000 hitch scale is accurate to 20 pounds. John Davies Spokane WA

 

Jim,

 

You bring up some great points. The reason I went with the heavier unit with the higher scale gauge was to prevent damage from shock load. I have a 25yr career as Industrial Electrician working for a major wood products and a major steel products producer. Prior to that I was a heavy equipment mechanic working for one of the electrical utility companies in our area. Experience has taught me that gauges with a higher range have a higher tolerance to shock load distortion. It's simply a percentage thing in a mechanical gauge like this. Accuracy, true when selecting a gauge for a process you should use one that operates at 50% of scale. In this instance I decided to give up a little accuracy for durability. As I understand tongue weight  it is a range of 10-15% based on trailer axle weight. Even at the low dry weight of 4k lbs that gives us a range of 4-6 hundred lbs. The scale on this unit is more than capable of indicating this fairly accurately. You brought up a very valid point concerning spares and a long trip in the woods, lol. I will be packing a spare head and ball just in case the BLM roads kill the scale or the Bull Dog coupler eats the ball. It's your fault and I thank you. This will also mitigate the "Send Me Back" warranty claims issue and for some where north of 100 bucks it's worth the peace of mind. Finally, I agree that is a pretty thing ain't it. It's a rare thing to find beauty of design and structural strength in a unit like this. Thanks Jim keep the feedback coming I really appreciate the extra set of eyes and interest.

 

 

 

 

[MrBig1]

For your build, you should specify the bulldog coupler #028462. This one is exactly like the standard Oliver hitch except it is made for a 2 5/16” ball. I’m going to buy this same ball mount and swap my hitch out. It appears you got the 6” drop? Did your truck need that much?

Sorry Steve, I missed something. Thanks for the coupler suggestion. I would rather use the 2 5/16" ball and had no idea that this was available. Having excess capability of load gives me peace of mind. My Oliver is still in the concept mode and ideas like this and experience shared from this forum can only make it better.

[MrBig1]

They do make a nice hitch, I didn’t need the scale, but they were one of the only ones I found that make a 3″

Randy,

 

I saw the 3" option and wondered who has a receiver that big, lol. Now I know. You have the expensive parts bought all you have to do is purchase the scale unit if you so desire. And they do look good.

[ScubaRx]

Today I received the 2 5/16" Bulldog Coupler (their item #028462) that I had ordered thru WalMart.  GTW rating for this coupler is 12,500 lbs vs 7000 lbs on the OEM one. Though many would say that is overkill, The Outlaw Oliver II weighs over 7200 lbs so this upgrade is warranted and anyway, I'm all about overkill.  It was about $66.00 and change including shipping.  This will allow me to take full advantage of the Weigh-Safe hitch mount that I've also ordered.  Going from the 2" to the 2 5/16" ball will increase Max GTW from 7500 lbs to 14,500 lbs. This setup now also fully optimizes the capability of the new Silverado 2500 HD truck.

 

If you are buying a new Oliver Elite II and your plan is to tow with a HD pickup, consider specifying the larger coupler for your build.

 

 

[KarenLukens]

Hi Steve, I had a friend break a Spring, he had the 3500lbs axles but apparently not the right springs on his trailer, not an Ollie... You've got the 5200lb axles but do you know for sure that they upgraded your springs to the 5200lb springs also? I'd never thought about the springs having a lower rating until his broke last month and we ended up changing his out at a Rally. It was an eye opener and he was a lucky dog as usual :)

 

On another note, I was surprised to see that our Ollie's come with a 2" ball and a 7000lb hitch, they should have an upgrade option on the order sheet to the 2-5/16" Bulldog coupler being that the 7000lb coupler isn't enough of a cushion for me. I've got a 10,000lb 2" ball, but I'm really wondering if the Bulldog Hitch will hold up if there's an impact. Personally, I think all of the trailers should have the 2-5/16" set up.

 

Reed

[ScubaRx]

Hi Steve, I had a friend break a Spring, he had the 3500lbs axles but apparently not the right springs on his trailer, not an Ollie… You’ve got the 5200lb axles but do you know for sure that they upgraded your springs to the 5200lb springs also? I’d never thought about the springs having a lower rating until his broke last month and we ended up changing his out at a Rally. It was an eye opener and he was a lucky dog as usual On another note, I was surprised to see that our Ollie’s come with a 2″ ball and a 7000lb hitch, they should have an upgrade option on the order sheet to the 2-5/16″ Bulldog coupler being that the 7000lb coupler isn’t enough of a cushion for me. I’ve got a 10,000lb 2″ ball, but I’m really wondering if the Bulldog Hitch will hold up if there’s an impact. Personally, I think all of the trailers should have the 2-5/16″ set up. Reed

 

These are the springs for the 5200 pound axles.

 

These are the springs for the 3500 pound axles.

 

The GVWR of the trailer is apparently derived from the spring ratings.

 

I agree about the higher rated coupler.  I have moved up to the 2-5/16" size due to the higher weight of our trailer.

[Rumline]

Springs should be matched to the load the axles are nominally carrying, not necessarily the capacity of the axle.  Having 4x 2900 lb springs will ensure your Ollie has a rougher ride than is necessary.

[ScubaRx]

Springs should be matched to the load the axles are nominally carrying, not necessarily the capacity of the axle. Having 4x 2900 lb springs will ensure your Ollie has a rougher ride than is necessary.

 

Since we don't actually ride in the trailer under tow, what should I look for to determine if the OOII has been having a "rougher ride than is necessary."

[Raspy]

Rumline wrote:

Springs should be matched to the load the axles are nominally carrying, not necessarily the capacity of the axle. Having 4x 2900 lb springs will ensure your Ollie has a rougher ride than is necessary.

Since we don’t actually ride in the trailer under tow, what should I look for to determine if the OOII has been having a “rougher ride than is necessary.”

 

Just watch the trailer over uneven surfaces and along rough roads.  Olivers are softly sprung and quite compliant.

 

I've also noticed witness marks on the frame where the axle is coming in contact with the frame.  Unfortunately, the travel is somewhat limited and there are no rubber stops, just metal to metal.  It would be nice if we could find  some springs with a bit more arc, that were not stiffer.   Stiffer springs are available and will also help because they will have less initial set and hold more weight. Of course, that means a rougher ride.

 

For now, I'm going to stay with the stock setup, but if I decide to upgrade to the 5200 lb axles, I'll definitely get the springs with one more leaf too.

[Rumline]

Shocks from the road will be transferred more harshly to the trailer body, so look for damage from things shaking.  I'd check on anything loose like plates or cookware to see if they're wearing on each other more.  Not that dishes are critical to your trailer, but that they'd be the canary in the coal mine.   You may also feel it in the TV under certain road/driving conditions.  You could also consider switching out the shock absorbers since the heavier springs have a higher spring rate.  Any time you change one suspension component the rest of the system should be evaluated as well.

 

Maybe there will be no ill effects.  All I'm suggesting is to be aware of possibilities and keep an eye out.

[Corcomi]

I bought one and had Richie @Oliver set it up to my TV a 2017 F150 8 cylinders. Towed the Oliver from Hohenwald to Lake Guntersville in Alabama and back to Northern Georgia. Tows nice and was going 65 to 70 on the interstate without any issues.

 

Here is a picture of what the ball looks like

[JMSpoff]

Steve, with the upgraded bulldog, did you get the bolt on or weld on version?  I'm not able to do a weld on.  From the product documentation it appears you need to drill them yourself as I don't see any holes in their drawings...I appreciate any feedback you may have on these solutions.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

John

 

 

[Raspy]

Steve, with the upgraded bulldog, did you get the bolt on or weld on version? I’m not able to do a weld on. From the product documentation it appears you need to drill them yourself as I don’t see any holes in their drawings…I appreciate any feedback you may have on these solutions. Thanks, John

 

John,

 

The coupler Steve listed is a weld on design that must be drilled and bolted to the aluminum Oliver tongue.  It is exactly the same as the stock Oliver coupler, except in 2  5/16" ball size.

 

For anyone doing this mod, I recommend not getting the aluminum ball mount unless you are getting the 2 1/2" size for class 5 hitches.   And only then if you are using it with an Oliver and not a heavier trailer.  I saw a picture of an aluminum mount snapped off and it started a big discussion with a number of people saying they knew of failures too.  Aluminum mounts will snap off if overloaded where steel will deform and hold on.   I think aluminum is a poor choice for a drop hitch with their extreme leverage.

[ScubaRx]

As John said, it is a bolt on model. I will have to drill the holes to install it. Oliver tells me that they have theirs delivered with the holes already drilled.

[JMSpoff]

Thanks John, The weigh-safe hitch I got has the three inch bar, i.e. fits into the 3" receiver on my truck.  Any insights on this from you would be appreciated, it looks strong to me, but I'm new to the trailer towing environment and don't want to mess up.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

John

 

 

[JMSpoff]

Thanks Steve, I know you have the gear to drill the holes, I'll need to find someone...I appreciate the response and am considering the upgrade for all the reasons this thread has identified.

[Bruce W]

I have a Ford F250 Limited. From the ground to the top of the receiver is 24". Per Oliver, from the ground to the top of the coupler is 22.5". I think that all I need is 1.5" of drop. I'm planning on getting a Weigh Safe with a 4" drop. Can anyone confirm that this is what is needed?

[underdug]

Has anyone have any experience with the weigh safe hitch and installing Rock tamers? Purchased the 6 inch drop without the scale and when looking at a buddies truck with rock tamers on it, and it appears there is not enough room for the mount between the 90 degree bend and the receiver. I do not really want to drill a new hole in the hitch. It appears that I need another 1/2 inch.

 

Everyone I have talked to loves the rock tamers for their boats and trailers.

 

 

 

Any suggestions.

 

Doug

 

 

[topgun2]

Doug -

 

I'd contact Rock Tamers directly with pictures of your hitch setup and ask this question since it is fairly unlikely that many other people have the exact setup that you do with the same truck, hitch, etc.

 

Bill