Question About Receiver

[mgmidget72]

I installed a hitch receiver on my car a few years ago, but only now have a need to use it. I just bought the drawbar, hitch ball, and pin. My problem is that the holes for the pin in the receiver don?t line up with hole in the drawbar. There is a small bit of metal on the inside of the receiver preventing the drawbar from going back far enough (holes have about ? diameter overlap).

Is this bit of metal supposed to be there? I have no problem with simply grinding it off, but I just want to make sure that it?s not going to cause a problem.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Question About Receiver

That's odd. Normally you can actually push the drawbar in too far and then have to pull it back out a bit to get the pin in it. I'd say you can grind it. Perhaps it was designed for some kind of proprietary drawbar or something.

 

[mgmidget72]

Re: Question About Receiver

Great to hear that there normally isn't some sort of stop there.

The receiver didn't install to the car very smoothly in the first place(a corner interfered with the bumper and some mount holes had to be elongated), so I was suspicious of it from the beginning. What I wasn't sure about was what the problem was - maybe just some extra metal, maybe an intended bit of metal in the wrong place, maybe the pin holes are in the wrong place, etc...

Thanks!

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Question About Receiver

What size hitch? Technically hitches that are rated Class I only are supposed to have a little notch welded into them that prevents a heavier duty Class II 1 1/4 drawbar from going in because its [supposedly] slightly longer. Most don't have this, but you might have found the one that does. (more than likely OEM i'm guessing)

Personally I found that incredibly stupid... Why intentionally cripple the system by forcing a lighter receiver to be used. Yes, using the heavier duty receiver doesn't increase the capacity of the system in any way, but it certainly doesn't hurt either. As well as the fact that most receivers aren't any particular standard for length, so its relatively easy to find one slightly shorter. Its the same as using a 2" ball on a 500# jon boat. Its overkill as far as capacity, but certainly doesn't cause any harm.

(Class I hitches are always 1 1/4, Class II can be either 1 1/4 or 2", both rated at 3500#. Obviously 1 1/4 drawbars can be either Class I or Class II (2000# or 3500#), usually the Class II's are solid metal while the I's are hollow tubing)

 

[mgmidget72]

Re: Question About Receiver

smoking - thanks for the explanation!

The receiver (non-OEM) is a Class I 1-1/4". I got the only 1-1/4" draw bar that was available, but I'm not sure what class it was marked as. It is solid though. I figured that as long as it fit, it didn't matter what class it was because it's at least Class I. If it's Class II, all the better, but I'm still limited by the rating of the receiver and the car.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Question About Receiver

you also could shorten your draw bar slightly to fit in the receiver

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Question About Receiver

smoking - thanks for the explanation!

The receiver (non-OEM) is a Class I 1-1/4". ...
It is solid though.

So yep, you got a true class I hitch, and managed to find a class II drawbar that actually follows the spec. Luck of the draw!

I'd grind the notch off, it might cause issues if you try a lighter duty class I drawbar that just happens to be too long, like I mentioned, they don't really follow any particular spec.

 

[mgmidget72]

Re: Question About Receiver

Sounds like a plan. I think it'll be much easier to get rid of this little nub on the receiver, than to shorten the solid 1-1/4 drawbar.

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience!

 

[ChampionShip]

Re: Question About Receiver

Those smaller hitch draw bars are notorius for being just a hair too big to accept the hitch receiver that usually comes with them......giant pain in the butt. Plus most hitch companies' powder coat process isn't exactly a science as far as thickness.