Today, 900 miles in to a trip to Wyoming, driving hwy 26 near Palisades reservoir, 2 lane road with few turnouts, I heard a snap sound and soon felt as though truck had lost power. Drove another hundred yards or so before i found a pullout. Pin was gone and stinger held in by the chains. Well, the breakaway switch worked as it should. Ironic that i never carried a spare until just b4 this trip. Whew! that could have been ugly. Wondering about the cause. 1. 5 year old, 20k miles distressed pin? 2. #1 above due to excessive rattle? Its a 3" receiver with an adapter for 2" stinger. 3. I tried one of those u-bolt anti rattle devices for the first time on this trip. Could that have done it?It was one of those locking hitch pins btw. Truck is a '15 Silverado 2500 hd pulling an arctic fox 25r that weighs about 9k loaded. Thanks,Dave

"Locking hitch pin"Probably made in China :E

Key says "ccp" on one side. and "lb10" in the other side. Seems to indicate that it's a Reese product.

Whangler wrote:Key says "ccp" on one side. and "lb10" in the other side. Seems to indicate that it's a Reese product.It may be a designed product by Reese, but a quick look revealed Country of origin ?China Scroll down to the bottom.Hitch PinAre you sure the pin actually broke or did the lock fall off and the pin rattled out?

Since the 3" to 2" adapter places the load points 1/2" apart, that is asking for trouble. Also, 3" receivers require a 3/4" pin, but you probably used a 5/8" because that is what fits 2" shanks. Reese has sent much production to China and it would be a good idea to avoid those products.

Fisherman wrote:Whangler wrote:Key says "ccp" on one side. and "lb10" in the other side. Seems to indicate that it's a Reese product.It may be a designed product by Reese, but a quick look revealed Country of origin ?China Scroll down to the bottom.Hitch PinAre you sure the pin actually broke or did the lock fall off and the pin rattled out?Can't say for sure. but there sure was a loud metallic snap. I checked the pin lock before we hit the road and did a visual inspection this am

Broke my hitch pin today | Good Sam Community

Whangler
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2021
OK fellas,OP here, mea culpa. Its a 2.5" hitch receiver and I'm using a genuine GM reducer to 2". There's a bit of play between the reducer and the hitch receiver and lots of play between the 2" shank and receiving end of the adapter.

I should have known that all these HD trucks would have a standard equipment hitch receiver that fits available WD shanks. Now I see there are readily available 2.5" WD shanks that fit my equalizer system. Thats what I shall get after this trip.
Thanks for your help!
time2roll
Nomad
Sep 13, 2021
Perfect ;)
Grit_dog
Navigator
Sep 13, 2021
noteven wrote:
I has another question for the OP - why is there a "3 inch" receiver on a pickup truck?

Or does it have 3x3x .250 tubing reciever which = 2-1/2" inside which would be the 2-1/2" receiver hitch like my Ford F350?

Alot of newer Super Dutys have 3" receivers now as well.
Retired_JSO
Explorer
Sep 13, 2021
Just weld the adapter to the stinger and be done with it. You can buy extra adapters and a cheap hitch shank if needed for say a utility trailer etc.
Lynnmor
Explorer
Sep 13, 2021
Whangler wrote:

I should have known that all these HD trucks would have a standard equipment hitch receiver that fits available WD shanks. Now I see there are readily available 2.5" WD shanks that fit my equalizer system. Thats what I shall get after this trip.
Thanks for your help!

That's the right way to do it. Just so you know, there are many made with the 3" receivers and there is little that will fit.

There have been reports of pins being bent when using the adapters going from 2-1/2" to 2".
noteven
Explorer III
Sep 14, 2021
mkirsch wrote:
noteven wrote:
deltabravo wrote:
Whangler wrote:
I've never liked that 3"-2" adapter set up. Think I'll visit the welder when I get home for some mods to the receiver.

Replace the hitch shank with a 3" version.
"Modifying" a trailer hitch by welding on it is never a good idea.

Hi deltabravo - why do you question welding a hitch shank using proper workmanship?

How, exactly, do you ensure "proper workmanship?"

I'm not an expert in welding. Most people aren't.

I do not know what goes into the design of a hitch shank. Most people don't.

I don't know anyone who could tell me with certainty that something as critical as a hitch shank is constructed with "proper workmanship." Most people don't either.

How do I know that someone didn't just lay a pretty "stack of dimes" but got ZERO penetration in the weld? How do I know that the builder didn't put too much heat into the weld making it brittle? Short answer is I don't, until the trailer decides to part company with the truck. Then it's too late. Will the fabricator stand behind his work, or when you point at him and say, "His fault," will he claim to have never seen you before in his life?

At least something commercially made has a big nameless faceless corporation and a fat liability policy for the other guy's lawyers to go after.

If you do not know good welding workmanship from not good, why do you talk about stacks of dimes, heat control etc

How does a mild steel welded piece fail, generally?

Trust me - a trailer hitch shank is not a huge challenge for a professional welder anywhere there is a certification program for the trade.
noteven
Explorer III
Sep 14, 2021
Whangler wrote:
OK fellas,OP here, mea culpa. Its a 2.5" hitch receiver and I'm using a genuine GM reducer to 2". There's a bit of play between the reducer and the hitch receiver and lots of play between the 2" shank and receiving end of the adapter.

I should have known that all these HD trucks would have a standard equipment hitch receiver that fits available WD shanks. Now I see there are readily available 2.5" WD shanks that fit my equalizer system. Thats what I shall get after this trip.
Thanks for your help!

Ya had us going there fixing that 3" problem for ya! hahahaha

Anyways there is a whole herd of 2-1/2" receiver WD shanks available to choose from. You are away to the races.
deltabravo
Nomad
Sep 14, 2021
Retired JSO wrote:
Just weld the adapter to the stinger and be done with it.

It will still have a lot of slop and play in it.
Timmo_
Explorer II
Sep 14, 2021
Maybe I missed it, but did the OP ever locate the "broken hitch pin"?

Could the issue be "operator error"? And not "equipment failure"?
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 14, 2021
deltabravo wrote:
Retired JSO wrote:
Just weld the adapter to the stinger and be done with it.

It will still have a lot of slop and play in it.

How would there be more play than just the normal looseness of a ballmount in receiver?