Here is a partial answer to your question:

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92650

and some other options:

 

Yes, it is a problem. See my thread I just started showing how I remedy it.

 

Can you provide a link to your thread?

Thanks!

 

It appears that most people are concerned with the noise from the hitch rattling while driving around. Luckily, I have not noticed this once, but I know that the hitch does not fit tightly into the receiver.

So I am worried about trailering my boat (anywhere from 2500-3000 lbs including trailer and boat with gear) with the hitch being loose like this. Is this something that I should definitely fix before moving my boat? Can the play in the receiver/hitch damage anything when towing that much weight?

I feel like it would be safer to have it snug, but it sounds like most people are concerned with the noisy rattle than having any problems while towing.

Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

It appears that most people are concerned with the noise from the hitch rattling while driving around. Luckily, I have not noticed this once, but I know that the hitch does not fit tightly into the receiver.

So I am worried about trailering my boat (anywhere from 2500-3000 lbs including trailer and boat with gear) with the hitch being loose like this. Is this something that I should definitely fix before moving my boat? Can the play in the receiver/hitch damage anything when towing that much weight?

I feel like it would be safer to have it snug, but it sounds like most people are concerned with the noisy rattle than having any problems while towing.

Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.


Thanks!

I do a lot of towing and have owned 2006 and 2012 Ridge. The 2012 hitch is way looser. I attribute this to build quality. In 2006 the trailer hitch was a dealer installed option...about $500-600 bucks worth if memory serves. I think they built them better. Now they put the hitch on nearly every truck...so redesign with low bidder gets the contract.

You likely wont hear the rattle unless you drive unloaded on rougher roads. For what its worth I feel like my 2012 hitch was very loose yet I did not have any problems towing with it. You may experience "banging" (for lack of a better word) at the hitch as it shifts under load (braking and accel). This noise drove my wife nuts, but doesn't bother me. It should not impact your towing except over a very long time frame where the tolerances will get worse due to the movement of the hitch.

 

http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100922

 

My suggestion is to not worry about it.

If the insert was tight enough so it didn't bounce around, you wouldn't be able to get it in and out without a press. You can wrap the insert in some tape if it bothers you - it won't remove all the slop, but it will help.

Flymo

 

Thanks for your input everyone. It seems like that's just the way our hitches are made. I re-tightened the nut on the pin today and it is back to being snug, for now. It's nice to know that others tow often with their RL's and slack in their hitch recievers. Luckily my ramp is only about a mile away so I won't have to trailer it too long, but I feel better that even if I did, it would be okay.:act024:

I may end up adding some duct tape to it to reduce the play, and maybe painting it too.

 

If it really bugs you (like it did the wife on long 250 mile tows to the cottage with our 4,600 lb Glastron GXL205 boat and trailer), I got a Softride Quiet Hitch ball mount - the WHOLE bar and ball mount > not just the bolt/damper assembly 'quick fix'. This is expensive but completely works. Truth is, I don't care, so when the wife ISN'T with me, I just throw in my Reese 2" bar and let it rattle around...

SOFTRIDE ANTI-RATTLE ALUMINUM BALL MOUNT
http://www.softride.com/towing-products/specifications/tightening_aluminum_ball_mount

 

Good choice.

Old school.. Sand paint off draw bar and inside of receiver, add a mixture of sand and salt in to receiver. Give it a couple of years and you can not get the draw bar out, EVER !
Just a New York work truck solution..

 

You should have bought a Curt.

 

Hmmm, well when I bought mine I just went to Home Depot and all I saw were Reese..figured they all would fit a 2" receiver the same, albeit maybe other brands offered higher capacities for the money. At Under $30 for the kit, I thought the Reese was a No-Brainer. All in all, I think I'll be fine. But, are you saying your Curt hitch fits the RL's receiver better and has no play??

Just curious.

 

Valley makes a great anti rattle bracket.

 

Try the Stow Away Hitch 2 tightener from amazon for about 25$.

It has helped me a great deal. It is the factory made version of one pictured in the second answer, with a link to another reply.

It stops the vertical motion of the insert in the receiver and hold the ball down, in the position it sits when loaded.

In theory: For the side to side motion I have fabricated two small pieces of milk carton to go in the receiver. They are stiff enough to be shoved in the space ... Sort of, with great effort. I also cut a hole in each of these plastic spacers, and insert them before I do the pin, therefore the pin holds these in place, otherwise they just vibrate out with each tow. Actually it seems impossible to get two of these in place, generally one is all that will fit. If the plastic is thin enough for both to fit, they will bend before you can shove them into place. I need some metal of varying thickness, think old school feeler gauge type metal, so I can choose the tightest metal possible to fit on both sides.

After I had 95% of the noise and slop removed! I am still getting some noise. Driving me crazy!!!!!

THEN I took my Reese hitch assembly out of the ridgeline and clamped my camper tongue around this ...... This is also a source of slop and noise, which I am working to solve, without compromising what the ball and socket need to do. They cannot be rock solid tight, but there is a ton of slop in there too. (Yes I have the right size ball)

Mine seems to have a lot of vertical space between the ball and socket .... I was contemplating a piece of leather about 1/16" thick, the size of a quarter, to be placed on top of the ball, as the trailer is lowered onto the ball. I have reservations about this helping, and possibly causing some problems.

I even thought about a 2 and 1/16" ball, but not being an engineer, I have reservations about this.

See photo, note plastic side spacer which will have to be made of metal to really work. This shown is clear plastic. Tape was no help after first mile.

I even wondered about something like low expansion window seal foam from a bottle, to be put in the camper receiver before lowering it onto the ball, but it would have to be removed after each trip, or may not even work at all.

Hope this helps.

 

UPDATE:

First of all, thanks to you all for your advice. Today I finally pulled my boat out of the water using my Reese hitch and the locking pin I bought from Walmart..a couple extra turns of the locking nut with the ratchet and the hitch never came loose after trailering the boat. So SUCCESS!

Additionally, I was impressed with the RL's towing ability, keeping in mind that the boat/trailer combo doesn't weigh too much (probably around 3000# if that) and the trip from ramp to home is only about 1.5 miles. There was no tire slippage at all as I crawled up the ramp in D.

It's sooooo nice to finally have my own truck to pull my boat out with!

 

dril and tap a 5/16 in stainless steel 1 inch bolt under the receiver unit at 2 inches on the end. No movement at all after it as been thighten.

It serve as a thief lock at the same time because it does not show.

 

I did the same. Underneath, towards the back of the receiver. With weight on the hitch, it pushes up anyway. I also use a nut and lock washer to keep the bolt from loosening.

 

I just came across this novel solution on Amazon: