Anyone ditched a Max Coupler in favor of a pintle?

[NatersXJ6]

So I love my max coupler for a few characteristics. It is tight, quiet, follows nicely, and articulates like a mad dog. However, it is such a pain to align for connection, and to unload the pin for disconnection (I have no other driver, so it is all solo), that I am thinking I need something that can be lined up closely and then kicked to drop it in place. I also have a really tough time backing this up, which may not be the fault of the coupler, but more the loose nut behind the wheel, although I suspect the absolute lack of rigidity in the coupler is contributing.

Has anyone dropped that setup in favor of a pintle receiver and ring? Will I have the same issues? I would probably stick with a rotating lunette ring, although I suspect I really don’t need that much rotation, so maybe the first build is rigid.

I know this is a frequent topic, but I haven’t seen any definitive “yes, I love it” or “no, I hate it” comments.

After spraining my back on this weeks trip trying to align the trailer on rough ground, then having to hammer out the pin to disconnect, I’m in need of change.

 

[co4wheel]

Aren't the new versions easier to align. Maybe compare the one on the website to the one you have now and see if it's changed.

 

[Rovertrader]

Farmers and military use pintles over some pretty tough terrain…

 

[Louisd75]

The newer versions are much easier to deal with than the older versions. Backing up is probably on you and your trailer more so than the hitch

I always connect/disconnect by myself and I've taught my wife my methods and she can do it as well. FWIW, we have a tongue jack with a wheel and the Max Coupler is inserted into a 2" receiver hitch on the tongue of the trailer. I came up with my methods using the earlier versions of the couplers but they work really well on the newer ones too. The wheel is a heavy duty caster that I welded to the foot of the jack. I use a hitch pin like this: https://www.curtmfg.com/part/45805

Here's how we disconnect: Park and hop out of the tow vehicle. Chock the trailer wheels, both sides front and back. Crank the tongue jack down until the wheel touches the ground, then slowly continue cranking while watching the Max Coupler at the trailer receiver (not the tow vehicle receiver). You'll be able to see when it is unloaded as there will be slight downward movement of the Max Coupler in relation to the receiver. You should be able to easily rotate the pin for the coupler at this point. Sometimes I have to move the trailer back and forth a little by pushing/pulling on the tongue jack, but this isn't common when disconnecting. Once the pin is pulled, crank down a bit more on the tongue jack to clear the vehicle side of the coupler. Disconnect the chains and electrical, then drive the tow vehicle away.

Here's how we connect: Stow all stabilizers for the trailer, you want the trailer on its wheels and tongue jack only. Crank the tongue jack to raise the tongue a bit higher than the vehicle side of the coupler. Back the vehicle up to get the vehicle side under the coupler. Backup cameras help immensely with this, so does marking where the rear wheels were when you disconnected. It's helpful if you can get the vehicle side directly under the trailer side but within a few inches works too. For me, it's easier to compensate for side/side and too close than it is for too far away. I lower the trailer side of the hitch until it's juuuuust above the vehicle side, then make any side/side adjustments. Once I've got things lined up side/side, I lower a little bit more to get the trailer side to slide into the vehicle side. At this point, don't worry too much about fore/aft alignment, focus on the getting the red bushings into the vehicle side yoke. I move things side/side by pushing or pulling on the tongue jack as I don't have to lean over like I would to push on the trailer tongue. Once you've got the red bushing started into the you can continue lowering down until you are able to line up the hitch pin holes vertically. You may still be slightly forward or aft, but that's ok at this point, just try to get lined up vertically. Once your height is right, take a look to see if the trailer needs to go forward or aft. I prefer to have the trailer slightly too close as I can more easily push the trailer while trying to slide the pin in vs trying to pull the trailer. I'll push using the tongue jack. It also helps if you can rotate the pin (hence the style that I linked to above). Once the pin is through and you've got your safety in (clip or pin), stow the tongue jack, hook up the chains and electrical and pull your trailer wheel chocks.

Tips:
* if using a backup camera, paint the forward facing part of the coupler on the trailer end a bright, unnatural color to help see it.
* Before disconnecting the tow vehicle, it can be helpful to put something on the ground under the back wheels of the tow vehicle to act as a marker for where the wheels were.
* Most trailers are easier to push than they are to pull, so backing up slightly too close might be easier than slightly too far

 

[Awkragt]

Pintle hitch will be worse in just about every way except for making the connection. My experience was with construction equipment like light towers and stuff. The play in the pintle means you'll feel it every time you brake and I've found the backing up to be worse. It's just a rough loose connection.

I recommend greasing your max coupler on a more regular basis, get a better jockey wheel for the trailer, and if you can adjust things, lower the tongue weight. I similarly tweaked my back messing with the trailer and realized I needed to not be in such a hurry.

 

[DRAX]

I haven't experienced any of the issues you're talking about with my Max Coupler (latest version) and I do all the hitching and unhitching myself. As for difficulty backing up, that is more of a physics issue more than likely, nothing to do with the hitch. Shorter trailers where the distance between the trailer axle and hitch is less than the wheelbase of the tow vehicle are much more difficult to reverse than longer trailers. The Max Coupler isn't doing anything different than a ball hitch when backing up, ball hitches articulate in the same ways, the difference is the Max Coupler has more articulation range. It's not like the Max Coupler is a wet noodle that just bends and flexes as you reverse.

Inserting and removing the pin does require that not all of the tongue weight is on the coupler with the pin removed. Gotta raise the tongue just a hair with the tongue jack to get the pin to slide in easily, then retract the tongue jack. Lining up the truck and trailer hasn't been a problem for me, having a backup cam really helps here. I was out camping a few weeks ago, truck had to come in an at angle and nose high where I parked the trailer. Piece of cake unhitching and hitching back up. The trick is to practice and play with it to find what it likes. I couldn't imaging switching to a pintle from a Max Coupler, that would drive me nuts.

 

[rnArmy]

Saying up front: I've never used a max coupler or a Lock N Roll. I've seen the Lock N Roll up close. Lots of folks love them. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with the Lock N Roll (that's just me). Both seem to be more difficult to connect than a pintle hitch.

I use a pintle hitch, and have been very happy with it. I know there are folks out there that don't care for the pintle, and I'm not going to discredit or discount their experience (their experience, not something someone else told them) with a pintle hitch. To each their own. That's why you've got choices.

I haven't experienced the noise and issues others seem to have. Yes there is slop in the connection - that's what allows it to twist (or rotate) side-to-side. My favorite part is that it is very easy to connect - just gotta get it close and you're done. Noise is minimized if you've got adequate tongue weight on the hitch.

Check out this thread: To pintle or not to pintle? | Expedition Portal

 

[mep1811]

I've been using a pintle for over 20 years with no issues. All the talk of noise is just exaggeration. The pintle is simple and basically no fail system. The largest advantage is you can hook up at any angle like at 90 degrees. As long as you can get the ring in the pintle you are hooked up.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I've been using a pintle for over 20 years with no issues. All the talk of noise is just exaggeration. The pintle is simple and basically no fail system. The largest advantage is you can hook up at any angle like at 90 degrees. As long as you can get the ring in the pintle you are hooked up.

Agreed. I am in the process of getting the parts to swap over. I’ll deal with a few bumps in exchange for the pain I’ve had for a couple of weeks now.

My only towing experience with a pintle is a 5-ton dump truck with a tractor behind about 25 years ago. It was hard to tell what noise was the trailer and what was the truck!

I will see how it goes. I’ve already made a custom coupler half for the trailer, now I’ll have to do some work to a lunette ring in order to make it function on the trailer. By the end of the weekend… I hope to be test driving!

 

[wADVr]

Late here but I went from the pintle w/ surge brakes on my m101a3 to a Max Coupler.

I did not hate the original pintle/lunette by itself. The surge brakes on the other hand were terrible on technical trails. i had decided dump that set up and try swapping it to a fixed ring lunette using the typical 2” receiver tube on the trailer tongue. I ordered a lunette ring (Curt I think) and that was where that method stopped and I decided to pony up for the Max Coupler. The thickness of the original ring was much larger than the Curt version. I looked around for some time and never found a lunette with the same dimensions as the original. The original almost filled out the pintle so here was very little slop nor noise. occasionally it would shift when backing up but not terrible to deal with every so often. The curt version was so thin I figured here was no way I’d keep my sanity listening and feeling every shift on a rocky trail.
The Max Coupler is very nice, tight and quiet but yes it is certainly not as easy to hook up as the get it within a few inches and it will drop on and fall into place of the pintle.

 

[mobydick 11]

I really like my Max coupler . But my trailer is light and I have a wheel on the jack . A lot of time I pull the pin in the receiver hitch and slide the hole coupler out . The only thing I don't like is getting greasy when around it . If you get a Pintle try the one that has a ball for the bottom part . I find they don't slop around as much ,and the ball saves changing hitches as often .

 

[rnArmy]

But the pintles with the ball don't allow for as much movement with the lunette ring. You want movement; the "slop" is what allows for the twisting movement.

I have separate hitches for the ball mounts and the pintle mounts. No big deal to swap them out.

 

[plh]

I've had both a Max and a Pintle on various trailers, much prefer the Max. A bit of a bugger to get it in the receiver sometimes, but with some practice, it can slide it in without visual assistance. Pintles are a sloppy fit and bang around too much for my liking.

 

[NatersXJ6]

I ended up with a pintle. It can rotate around the long axis same as the max coupler it replaced. I haven’t actually towed with it yet, maybe this weekend. Gas is too spendy to just be randomly towing stuff for fun right now.

 

[MOAK]

Great choice. I’ve been using pintle hooks for every trailer I have ever owned including my expo trailer that scales out at 1400lbs loaded. With only 150lbs of tongue weight I do not experience the banging around that some describe as bothersome. It tracks nicely and with the brakes set up properly does not jerk at all. Another reason is longevity. I’ve had the same 5 ton pintle on 3 different vehicles going back over 25 years. They do not wear out, they need zero maintenance. The ring on my current expo trailer is only 13 years old. I look at it this way, the US military nor the entire transportation industry can’t be wrong, or they would have been using something different a long time ago.