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Towing with commercial hitch


GlennWest

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Commercial hitches do not have lateral articulation.  On an uneven site where the trailer is twisting, that puts a lot of stress on the gooseneck and can cause the pin to bind in the hitch plate and not be able to come out.

Save money on the hitch and pay it back repairing the trailer.

 

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Yep, seen that. Coming around a cloverleaf with a loaded flatbed the trailer tires were in a different plane than the rears on the truck. Lifted one side of the truck and the tires off the ground. It stopped, I thought the driveshaft had broken. When I saw what happened I locked the rear axles and went on

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How would one have commercial hitch and RV hitch? Looks to me one would get in the way of the other. Tempting to strick up conversation with them and bring this up. But with no solution...

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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I'll probably get flamed for this, but here goes.....

i have a 1992 Freightliner FLD 120, it still has the commercial hitch. It came off the road as a Ryder fleet truck in 2000 with 320,000 miles on it. I bought it in 2011 from a great guy named John in Crossville, TN. Since 2000 it's traveled over 90,000 miles, towing only fifth wheel travel trailers, with zero issues. I just completed a 3,000 mile round trip from Houston to upper Michigan, and yes, my toy hauler also sees unimproved parking areas as I work on an NHRA nitro funny car in my spare time and it gets parked in the unimproved camp grounds at race tracks across the country. 

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As long as you are on highway it likely doesn't stress the camper. It is those roads that we take our units that is the problem. Too much side to side rocking and none in the hitch. 

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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I too have to date 11,000 miles on towing with a commercial hitch with no issues,  a choice i have to make because of the dual use nature of the truck. What is more interesting is the number of class 8 trucks I see leased to carriers who deliver bigger and heavier 5th wheel RV's originating In the Elkhart IN area and who then backhaul conventional commercial trailers. Clearly the manufacturers do not share the inevitable destruction of their brand new trailers, nor do the dealers apparently object.

Carefully used, paying particular attention to uneven operational circumstances I think any damage can be avoided. Cheaper less robust 5th wheel RV's are going to have problems no matter what you haul them with.  

Jeff Beyer temporarily retired from Trailer Transit
2000 Freightliner Argosy Cabover
2008 Work and Play 34FK
Homebase NW Indiana, no longer full time

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Does anyone make a hitch with lateral movement that is capable of hauling a heavy trailer? Our toy hauler is based off a commercial dry van trailer. I don't know what the pin weight is, so not sure if the air ride hitches would be big enough, but I am also concerned with the surface area of the smaller 5er hitches. Not sure if the commercial trailer would be subject to added stress being attached to a smaller footprint hitch. If I could find a commercial sized air hitch that articulates on both planes, I would change mine.

Chris & Tonya

'99 Freightliner FLD120, '01 Wabash Toyhauler (32' garage, 20' LQ)

27b.jpg.d0423223324307d7b8525a90ffe5746e.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

We have towed our 12K 5th wheel over 23K miles with no issues, Our truck rear axle has air ride which is a must for any shock transition, Spring suspension truck I would not do it. Side to side flexing, well the hitch does do some but I am not doing any side flexing that much to jst do it. I have done a Simplex II hitch video overhaul on my You Tube Channel of Max1Chase1 if you wish to do it. be cautious of other brands which may have springs and clips that can hurt you.

Grayling & Shirley

2000 Volvo 420, single Axle, 370 ISM, 10 speed

2001 Holiday Rambler Presidential 37' SKT

US Army MSG (Ret) Transportation Corps

(see You Tube Channel Max1Chase1)

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