changing bulldog coupler to 2-5/16"

[Jitters]

Hi all...good morning.

 

Looking for input on changing the bulldog coupler to 2-5/16".

 

The 2" is rated for 7,000 lbs when installed welded.  It would seem that installing with two bolts would decrease this rating by some.  Even if it didn't, the 7K lbs = Ollie GVWR.  Is that really safe?  Seems like it should come standard with the larger coupler to provide some safety margin.

 

Is the center tube 3"?  I am looking at which coupler to get and they all seem to be for a 3" mounting location.  Looks like would have to remove the old one and use that as a template to drill the holes in the replacement?

 

Thanks

 

Greg

 

Retire Navy Chief

[ScubaRx]

You are correct.

 

Remove old hitch. Use tongue to take measurements from. Drill new hitch. Reinstall.

[WhatDa]

Anything rated for a weight should be fine at that weight. If I am within limits, then I feel fine.  If they are following engineering best practices, it should have a safety factor (for automotive/ground transport usually around 3).  Meaning it should be designed to support 3x the forces than those at the design load (7000lbs).  Note these included dynamic forces (ie going over bumps/acceleration/decelleration) and not just static forces of sitting in your driveway.  If it breaks and its loaded to less than 7000lbs, I'm not going to feel bad - it's a defective part.

[John E Davies]

The issue with the 2” ball and coupler is not so much that you are maxed out, there is indeed a huge safety margin. For those with the Andersen hitch, the small ball wears very badly where the coupler is pushed hard forward by the tension on the chains. A larger ball provides more surface area and should resist that effect better.

 

Also, for larger trailers that is the most common size and some folks like to have a single ball that will work on multiple trailers.

 

Lots of good Andersen reading here.... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/andersen-wd-hitch-faq/

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Jitters]

Thanks John....I didn't even think about ball wear.  But how does the 2" ball with a 7K limit have a huge safety margin with a maxed out 7K lb trailer?  Is the safety margin built into the rating of the coupler?

 

Either way....for the various reasons the larger ball just seems to make better sense, especially considering it's only a $12 price difference between the two (Amazon prices).

 

 

 

 

[DavePhelps]

You can also get 2" balls rated at 8000 lbs. Although you may need to replace your ball mount to accommodate the 1-1/4" shank.

It's the one I use. I don't use the Anderson WD hitch, so can't comment about John's comment about decreased wear with a larger ball. Makes sense though.

 

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Ball/Equal-i-zer/EQ91-00-6080.html

 

Dave

[Raspy]

As Dave pointed out, make sure you have the full rated 2" ball with the 1 1/4" shank.  Don't let the ball be the weak link.

 

I went to the 2 5/16" coupler because I wanted more safety margin and because I already use 2 5/16" couplers on some other trailers.  I can use the same drawbar with a number of trailers.   The real world difference between the two couplers is not much because of the way they are made and the way they are mounted to the Oliver tongue.

 

On mine, the mounting bolts had bottomed on the threads before they had fully pinched the coupler onto the tongue.  This meant the bolts were in shear only and were beginning to elongate the mounting holes.  The fix was simply to add some washers.

 

The excessive ball wear that John mentioned my be unavoidable because the coupler pocket is not a machined surface, but simply cast or forged to approximately round.  The closing gate piece doesn't make it exactly spherical either.

 

A small benefit is that the catch lever on the top of the 2" mechanism goes away with the larger one.  That thing always tripped me when stepping over the tongue.