tow hitch set-ups-hidden hitch

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by Beelzeburb

Since this is a hitch that is sold to the general public and is regularly bolted to roadgoing vehicles, it would have to meet some sort of Federal certification.

"it would have to meet some sort of Federal certification".... I don't think so, and that is the problem IMO.

I did some research on hitches today. I was unable to find any regulation, state or federal, that require hitches be built to any “standard”. There are state regulations for trailers, but I couldn’t find any for hitches.

Standards for Hitches

There are numerous standards for hitches. Here are a couple I found:

Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission Regulation VESC-5: Minimum Requirements for motor vehicles connecting devices and towing methods.

http://vesc.org/Media/VESC%20V-5%20M...g%20Method.pdf

Society of Automotive Engineers J684: This SAE Standard includes couplings, hitches, and safety chains used in conjunction with all types of trailers or towed vehicles whose Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) does not exceed 4540 kg (10 000 lb).

http://www.sae.org/servlets/works/do...age=dOcDeTaIlS

Based on my research, both of the above standards requires actual mechanical testing and a certification document.

I did notice that companies like Draw-Tite have statements such as “Meets V5 & SAE J684 certifications”.

So if I were buying a hitch, I would ask:

Does your hitch have certification documents that are available that shows it meets SAE J684 and VESC-5 specifications?

If they can’t provide you with these certifications, which include mechanical test reports from an independent testing lab, I believe I would keep looking. Otherwise you don’t really know what you are getting.

Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware. A hitch design that has not been actually tested to it’s rated capacity really isn’t worth much, is it?

I don't have a hitch on my truck so therefore I don't have a dog in this hunt. If you have a hitch and are concerned or curious, call the manufacturer and ask them the above question. Better yet email them the question and follow up with a phone call. We would all like to know what you find out.

John

[jeremiah king]

So everyone knows this was in a really bad wreak. i did not expect the hitch to hold up. BUT i did get to see how this guy welds and he even told me when i sent it back that his welds looked light (no pentration) I got another ec hitch and fixed all the welds. Just so everyone knows I did not have any problems with this hitch just know after welding for 11 years that I did not like this guys work!!!!This is what hit my truck and trailer. everyone was ok just sore ps asaa sucks!!!!!!!!

[whitesswj]

That hitch broke not because of faulty welds but because of the shear force being put upon it. I bet there were a few TONS of force in play here. Way more than the hitch was designed for. That car pushed on your trailer in such a way that the hitch did fail.
I see no fault to the hitch folks - but to the idiot who it you.

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Just a suggestion, since I'm only a member:

Is it possible to move on from this? There are bound to be gory stories abounding. But when it comes to hammering each other, it seems that we fans of the same wonderful
trucks should not get after each other. I don't know about anybody else, but there's plenty of that around in other areas of my life.

Good data is one thing. But smacking each other, or the good folks that supply us with wonderful parts, without all the data,
just seems futile and counter to everything good about our sport.

That's just where I'm coming from.

Rant: OFF

[CH3VY1972]

i have one let me know if you would like to purchase it.

[flashed]

After seeing what hit your truck I think the hitch done a good enough job .I dont know anything that could stand up to that and be in one piece. I will be getting one soon I hope. Glad nobody was hurt in the wreck as it could have been much worse.

[lakeroadster]

Originally Posted by magwakeenercew2jh

Just a suggestion, since I'm only a member:

Is it possible to move on from this? There are bound to be gory stories abounding. But when it comes to hammering each other, it seems that we fans of the same wonderful
trucks should not get after each other. I don't know about anybody else, but there's plenty of that around in other areas of my life.

Good data is one thing. But smacking each other, or the good folks that supply us with wonderful parts, without all the data,
just seems futile and counter to everything good about our sport.

That's just where I'm coming from.

Rant: OFF

We can all learn from Jeremiah King's experience, and that's really what most of us are really after here.

I can only speak for myself, but I see this thread as people merely communicating. I don't see the bashing and smacking you are referring to as being excessive, this is just dialogue. But that's just me. I am a firm believer in the words of General Colin Powell: "Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off".

We can all agree that the hitch saw very high loading based on what happened. But as a Certified Welding Inspector and a Mechanical Engineer I have been involved in metal fabrication and the review of components after failure for a little over 30 years. Based on what I can see in the photos I see "cold" mig welds with very little penetration. This is confirmed based on the fact that you have multiple pieces lying around that all appear to have failed at the welds. It is also confirmed by Jeremiah King's comments: "BUT I did get to see how this guy welds and he even told me when I sent it back that his welds looked light (no penetration)".

That's not to say the welds weren't sufficient for the "rated" capacity. Everything will break if it is loaded with enough force.... everything. I for one am not saying the hitch did not meet the design intent. We don't know and will never know at this point. What we do know is the hitch, specifically the welds, were the weak link in the system.

I was taught to design a weldment such that the welds were of sufficient size that the base metals, not the welds, were the weak link. The size and thickness of welds and base metals were based on the amount of testing that would be done. Designs that had no testing were as much as 1.5 times heavier than designs that had 100% inspection.

Even the best design will fail if the welds are not adequate, and even the best welds will fail if the design isn't adequate. That's why there are standards written, QA to inspect welds and testing to ensure the final product works based on design intent. The testing is the real proof of the physical design.

The best you can do is arm yourself with the right data, ask the right questions and get certification documents.

[jeremiah king]

Thanks lakeroadster. Thats all I was trying to get across. I was not trying to slam anyone! I just want every one to see what I saw. Thanks everyone.I wont chim in anymore on this post that I kinda hijacked.

[BLACK AND BLUE 67-72]

Yes after seeing what hit your truck, I don't really see any type of hitch holding up to that, if it did your truck would probably look like the one that hit you!!! lol Even with seeing that hitch broken like that, I still am interested in getting a couple for my own trucks!!!

[steelscout]

Imo whether the welds were faulty or not, it looks like it could have been a lot worse if the welds held, human life is more valuable than a hitch, trailer, etc.. Unless of course they are aiming at you or a buddy.....
Posted via Mobile Device

['70_402]

#1 those first pics that were posted made it seem like the hitch just broke going down the road, when in fact that was one hell of a wreck... #2 if you don't like the hitch or have any question on it's quality don't buy one..

Originally Posted by lakeroadster

We can all agree that the hitch saw very high loading based on what happened. But as a Certified Welding Inspector and a Mechanical Engineer I have been involved in metal fabrication and the review of components after failure for a little over 30 years.

Hello from a fellow Mechanical Engineer, I to have alot of experience with FEA, and i'm not at all suprised to see this... with all things considered, you've got three components here, frame rails, hitch, and tounge of trailer... i would expect the weak link to be the hitch.. i'm sure it would have been at least been designed like this... the cheapest part to replace should be the breaking point.. as i see it this hitch did exactly what it was supposed to do in a situation like this... not a question of weld quality or build strength but just shear brute force... i think it's safe to say that you could load this hitch with as much stuff as you wanted to and it wouldn't break, UNTIL you were in a wreck like this one was.... but there again that's just my opinion...

[swamp rat]

Great information and glad its been kept civil as well..

I would like to add that welds are suppost to be stronger than the surrounding metal so there should be no seperation at the weld at all, no matter how bad the crash, if anything the tube should have bent and possibly torn adjacent to the weld. I agree with lakeroadster.

If i'm gonna pull a trailer i feel i should bear full responsibility for my trailer and cargo, i would not want my hitch to go to pieces and have my trailer go flying away from my tow vehicle possibly causing a secondary vehicle to be involved, i have seen the end result of this and it was an innocent fatality for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, pretty sad. That said i'll allways go for a class 4 or bigger.

[Frkypunk70]

If people are so concerned with a companys hitch buy a u-haul and fab up your own hidden hitch. Hot rodders have been doing it for years. Plus you can brag you fabbed it up.

[71gmcburb]

Originally Posted by jeremiah king

ec hitch

that hitch failed becouse of bad welding. the accident just brought out the problem. look at the first pic and note the way it sheared from the tube and also note the lack of penetration on the other 3 sides then look at the last pic and how the only weld left is the one on the BOTTOM of the tube if the accident caused the failure the intact weld would be on the back side not the bottom. no dought in my mind it was a bad hitch from the factory personaly i would prefer my trailer stayed connected to the truck becouse then i would be able to keep it outta oncoming lanes

just my 2 cents

[original-71]

i know this is old thread but was wondering if there are any more pictures out there on the install, i plan to my kit on friday looks fairly easy but dont want to mess up

[big_al_71]

Originally Posted by original-71

i know this is old thread but was wondering if there are any more pictures out there on the install, i plan to my kit on friday looks fairly easy but dont want to mess up

Hector it is super easy to install. You have to drill I believe either four or six holes as some of the holes in the frame match that hitch..

Make sure that you have a good drill and good drill bit and dale que tu puedes!!!!

[original-71]

thank you albert pictures always help

[original-71]

did mine today just some more pictures for future people wanting to do this the front bolt and nut are a pain cause the nut hits the bumper rail but other than that pretty easy