teotwaki
Excelsior!
I found this old thread on the coupler which adds to the timeline of the design changes http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/66963-Newest-Max-Coupler
Max Coupler Wearing Out
- Thread starter teotwaki
- Start date
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Note the area of the yoke's horizontal plate that has been machined out, about 1/2" ~ 3/4" deep towards the main bolt hole..
It was probably a design change to allow more downward movement of the trailer tongue to approach 90 degrees. The old design used to limit the downward angle like this:
It was probably a design change to allow more downward movement of the trailer tongue to approach 90 degrees. The old design used to limit the downward angle like this:
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The yolk part design doesn’t look durable. The MC i have seems to be the 2nd gen , according to the pics posted.
There’s no “bushing” that would take up the wear and no replaceable parts so it doesn’t wear into the hard metal part of the yolk. It’s easier to replace wearable bushing that are cheap vs replacing the expensive housing.
The metal yolk seems to be regular steel that would be dented if you hammered it vs heated steel that would stand up to wear a lot better, even with steel rubbing steel. I’ve seen aftermarket hitches with the pin hole elongated overtime due the rocking back / forth of the trailer pulling/ braking and I’ve seen Toyota hitches that’s heat treated it’s the perfectly snug pin hole regardless of the rocking /braking/pulling on the trailer.
From the gouging on the worn steel, looks like it’s soft steel as heat treated steel would grind the dust, etc into powder so it would not have those deep gouges in it, but a smooth worn area.
Luckily, I don’t tow my trailer as often as I hit the trail so it does not wear like yours but from the look of the design, I know it’s not going to last. Fortunately, I have friends with machine shop and welding shop so I could have them made Teflon or brass bushing to take the wear and possibly try to heat treated the yolk so it would stand of to grinding better.
There’s no “bushing” that would take up the wear and no replaceable parts so it doesn’t wear into the hard metal part of the yolk. It’s easier to replace wearable bushing that are cheap vs replacing the expensive housing.
The metal yolk seems to be regular steel that would be dented if you hammered it vs heated steel that would stand up to wear a lot better, even with steel rubbing steel. I’ve seen aftermarket hitches with the pin hole elongated overtime due the rocking back / forth of the trailer pulling/ braking and I’ve seen Toyota hitches that’s heat treated it’s the perfectly snug pin hole regardless of the rocking /braking/pulling on the trailer.
From the gouging on the worn steel, looks like it’s soft steel as heat treated steel would grind the dust, etc into powder so it would not have those deep gouges in it, but a smooth worn area.
Luckily, I don’t tow my trailer as often as I hit the trail so it does not wear like yours but from the look of the design, I know it’s not going to last. Fortunately, I have friends with machine shop and welding shop so I could have them made Teflon or brass bushing to take the wear and possibly try to heat treated the yolk so it would stand of to grinding better.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
That may be why some of the Aussie designs are a bit bigger and avoid dust mixing into the rotating surfaces
teotwaki
Excelsior!
I will probably dig into those Aussie hitches some more now that I know my new MaxCoupler yoke is going to wear out in short order.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Eaglefreek
Eagleless
You might want to consider replacing that made in Taiwan bolt with a made in USA or Canada bolt. It will probably do fine, but I have little faith in Chineseium.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
Based on the sour experience wth my first MaxCoupler yoke I fully expect the same areas to wear out before that bolt fails.
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teotwaki
Excelsior!
good way to crap in a thread.
Besides, you need to be a registered Expo vendor since you are planning to sell these things
Didn't take long to find the most unfriendly person!!! Hope I never meet up with YOU on trail. I always felt like overlanders are the nicest. Well you took care of that.
teotwaki
Excelsior!
00dan,
Observant "overlanders" would log into Expo, leave a post introducing themselves, join some discussions and maybe post some pictures of their nicely built white 2013 Rubicon and share some offroading adventures with us. We like pictures and good narratives. Maybe like the time you took your Jeep over the Rubicon?
If you have any actual experience with the Max Coupler you could post something on-topic and factual. As far as I know Texans are friendly folks. Why not prove that?
Observant "overlanders" would log into Expo, leave a post introducing themselves, join some discussions and maybe post some pictures of their nicely built white 2013 Rubicon and share some offroading adventures with us. We like pictures and good narratives. Maybe like the time you took your Jeep over the Rubicon?
If you have any actual experience with the Max Coupler you could post something on-topic and factual. As far as I know Texans are friendly folks. Why not prove that?
Now that's much more welcoming and informative. I'm very new at any kind of forums. I'm not terribly savvy on how it all works. I just thought that people looking for other options. Sorry for butting in.