Hitch receiver play...what's the pro cure?

I measured the difference between the receiver and the stinger and made shims from .030" steel, laid them the whole way along the stinger, drilled them to accept the pin and then once installed, I hose clamped them to the stinger so they always stay attached and aligned.

I also use a Hitch Rider for when I tow with just the aluminum ball mount and no WD hitch, like utility trailers. Pretty good product, though if I had known what it was built like beforehand, I could have made my own for a lot less.

I used two pieces of scrap aluminum "L" and made a shim for each side.
Had to bump it in with a hammer back to the pin. It does not move.

The main reason I swapped hitch for a tighter/harder hitch was I don't like the idea of anti rattle devices as they place a lot of pressure in a small area. To me it's like super springs or add-a-leafs, improper load placement as a bandaid. There are better ways to fix the issue.

My new hitch is a 2.5" receive with a 2" sleeve weeded into it. That gives me an additional 1/2" of pin contact on the hitch as well as a replaceable sleeve when it wears out and gets sloppy again. It's not the cheapest option but it isn't a bandaid either.

Many OEM hitches are softer metal than they should be. My dodge hitch was nearly 2.25"x2.25" by the time I replaced it. It only had 10-15K mikes towing on it with 5-7K trailers but lots of those miles were on gravel roads and the constant movement stretched the hitch out.

My Reese with a sleeve has more miles with a heavier trailer and less wear.

About the only bandaid that isn't going to stress components is a shim, as long as it's a long shim of the proper size. What you don't want is all the pressure on 1/4 or 1/8" of the receiver. The load needs to be spread as much as possible.

I have tried things like tape in the past and they don't last 20 miles on a dirt road before being worn thru.

proxim2020 wrote:
I've also seen people stretch a piece of bicycle inner tube over the stinger to keep it quiet.

Now that's the kind of low-tech solution I can appreciate! I might have to give that one a go.

One wrap of electrical tape works for me.

IMHO...

Properly tensioned WD Hitch should NOT rattle except for a rare occasion where
the setup has unweighted...but is RARE or should be

The receiver OEM design might have too much tolerance and a change in receiver
might help, but the main issue is the above

Now if the OP is talking about running unhooked and just the drawbar in the
receiver...that is another issue. I do NOT leave my draw bars in the receiver, but
take them out whenever not towing

If no WD Hitch and just dead weight towning, then yet another issue....but then
the weight on the reciver and that *WILL* rattle.

The various pre-tensioning systems will help in that case

Shims the thickness of the gap. One piece shims are preferred that stick out so they can be more easily inserted and retrieved.

FleaM35A2 wrote:
Drill and tap the top of the receiver hitch for a 3/8 or 1/2 bolt, then torque it down when you have your drawbar in. No more rattle.

I saw this on a truck in the parking lot just this past weekend. I thought it was an interesting solution. I've also seen people stretch a piece of bicycle inner tube over the stinger to keep it quiet.

My solution is a WDH. Lots of upward pressure from that. It doesn't rattle.

Beautiful...I hadn't seen the Hitch Vice model before. Thanks!!