What multi axis hitch do you prefer?

[R_Lefebvre]

Perhaps a Prevailing Torque type nut might hold better. That's where the metal is punched in a bit after the thread is formed, and they really hold the bolt hard. But, one that size might be hard to assemble with hand tools.

Or, if the joint NEVER has to come apart, use a Locktite Bearing Compound, used for gluing bearings into bores. That's even more permanent than Red Loctite, they warn you that if used on bolts, you'll NEVER get it apart.

 

[spressomon]

Perhaps a Prevailing Torque type nut might hold better. That's where the metal is punched in a bit after the thread is formed, and they really hold the bolt hard. But, one that size might be hard to assemble with hand tools.

Or, if the joint NEVER has to come apart, use a Locktite Bearing Compound, used for gluing bearings into bores. That's even more permanent than Red Loctite, they warn you that if used on bolts, you'll NEVER get it apart.

Won't heat (300F) allow you to take a green loctite'd thread apart?

 

[jbs]

Very unusual.

I have over 7000 miles on mine without it loosening up at all.

Sound like the nylock isn't holding, it may be defective and needs replacing.

I'll talk to the manufacturer and get answers for you. Call me on Monday and we'll have a solution.

For 1 1/2 wrenches go to Harbor Freight and pick one up they are less than $7.00

Thanks Martyn. I was planning on calling you (just got back last week). I'll give you a call this week.

 

[jbs]

We did about 6000 miles this trip; maybe 1500 off pavement. The looseness became evident the first time on whoops due to the clanking sound it started making, but I have no idea if that specific motion contributed to the loosening.

Its good to know that others have not seen this with some off-road miles, so it is probably an anomaly and M&M will get it sorted out. Because otherwise I really like the coupler.

My nylock was incredibly tight; I'm going to tow with it for the first time today.
I also used some red threadlock.

Had you removed the nylock nut previously?

I never removed it after first install and it looked new to me at that time. Mine was also VERY tight when I first put it on.

 

[atavuss]

just how tight is that nut and bolt supposed to be? I tightened it till it had some resistance when moving the ball mount but would have preferred a torque spec.
tried the Max Coupler today, towed the Bantam with two Hobie pedal Kayaks on it, the coupler was quiet, no noises like before with the original Fulton hitch. the trailer tracked true and did not wobble all over like the original hitch did, the original hitch had too much play in it from being worn and not being able to tighten it enough on the ball mount.

 

[ntsqd]

IME a split type lock washer is a waste of time and effort. Especially on a bolt that big. Ive seen and had some spectacular failures that were solely the blame of the split washer splitting further and leaving the scene.

Perhaps a Prevailing Torque type nut might hold better. That's where the metal is punched in a bit after the thread is formed, and they really hold the bolt hard. But, one that size might be hard to assemble with hand tools.

Exactly what I would supply with that bolt from the start.

Or, if the joint NEVER has to come apart, use a Locktite Bearing Compound, used for gluing bearings into bores. That's even more permanent than Red Loctite, they warn you that if used on bolts, you'll NEVER get it apart.

Won't heat (300F) allow you to take a green loctite'd thread apart?

Either the 620 or the 680 (Lock-tite's two Bearing Retaining compounds) will come loose if you use a propane torch on it. Don't have to burn the bolt/nut, just get them something this side of smoking and the 620/680 will let go. I've found that loosening, then slightly tightening, then loosening, and possibly repeating a couple times seems make for the least overall work.

just how tight is that nut and bolt supposed to be? I tightened it till it had some resistance when moving the ball mount but would have preferred a torque spec.
tried the Max Coupler today, towed the Bantam with two Hobie pedal Kayaks on it, the coupler was quiet, no noises like before with the original Fulton hitch. the trailer tracked true and did not wobble all over like the original hitch did, the original hitch had too much play in it from being worn and not being able to tighten it enough on the ball mount.

I've not had one in hand to look at, but It would appear that there is an upside down "top hat" shaped flanged bushing that the bolt goes through rather than pivoting directly on the bolt's shoulder. If this is the case then the bolt should be able to be torqued to the recommended maximum torque for that bolt size, though the bushing's wall thickness may require a reduction to avoid collapsing it.



If the bolt's losening continues to be a problem I would suggest a proper job of safety wiring the nut and the bolt to the slider.

 

[Hilldweller]

We took our Max out in the woods today for the first time; very impressive.
A little youtube vid is uploading.

 

[Errant]

I've got an M100 that had been modified by the PO to a standard ball coupler. I'd like to change it and am wondering if the Max Coupler (seems pricey) is still the way to go, or if there are any other options out there now.

 

[Titanpat57]

We took our Max out in the woods today for the first time; very impressive.
A little youtube vid is uploading.

Bill,

how are holding the Max to the truck?...pin or bolt up?

also...what was the best way to install it...connect to the truck side or camper side first?...just curious

Thanks,

Pat

 

[Hilldweller]

Bill,

how are holding the Max to the truck?...pin or bolt up?

also...what was the best way to install it...connect to the truck side or camper side first?...just curious

Thanks,

Pat

I'm using three locking pins now, two of them are anti-rattle.
I keep the Max attached to the trailer full-time and just remove it from the Jeep at the campsite.
I've also lifted the Jeep since the last photos and flipped the mount entirely.
It pulled out to Overland Expo smoothly, quietly, and without any worries.
Just a little less than 7,000 miles on the Max right now.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7XqK6OYDaI[/ame]

 

[Borrego60]

Love my Max Axe coupler also no noise or slop.

 

[cnynrat]

Whoops!

Looks like I'll be trying out the Max Coupler, my new favorite multi-axis coupler. :victory:

This happened on a recent trip to the Maze. Pretty sure this happened in Teapot canyon where there is a very tight turn that few vehicles can make without backing. At the same time you are also dealing with some 10-12" rocks, and you are sort of turning through the bottom of a small wash. Pretty sure this happened when we backed up, jackknifing the trailer to make the turn. It was all done at a snail's pace, so speed was definitely not a factor.

We didn't notice the damage until we got to camp that night. We took the hitch off and tried to straighten the bent ear with a 5# sledge hammer - we could not make it budge. So, we put the hitch back on, and pulled the trailer about 55 miles to the pavement, back through the same obstacle where the damage occurred BTW, and then 500+ miles home to SoCal without incident.

My biggest concern was having the nut spin off as it was loose and we didn't have the right tools to really tighten it well (lesson #2 there). We wrapped a zip tie under the nut, and then wrapped the rest of the threads on the bolt with a few layers of duct tape to prevent the nut from loosening any further and just spinning off.

Honestly, it didn't really have a significant effect on the way the trailer handled, which I found remarkable. BTW, I don't intend for this to be interpreted as being negative about the Lock-N-Roll. While I really enjoyed the challenges presented by this trip, it's definitely towards the outer limits of what I'd want to do with a trailer.

 

[jeeepguy]

Use a pintle and be done with it. When is the last time you saw or heard of a failed pintle?I've dragged my M416 fully loaded over some of the toughest trails in the country with ZERO issues, even in extraordinary situations. Won't trade it for any of these fancy hookups for anything. :wavey:

 

[TacoDell]

The Cuamco Max Coupler...

IMO... is the best thing going... hands down.

I'll offer you all a few reasons for my opinion and personal choice:

1). Because the Max Coupler is engineered better then all the others.

2). Because Chris Ulloa (owner/designer of the Max C) is a stand up guy and is customer service orientated, friendly, informative, helpful etc...
Chris's is proud of his design... and I frankly can't blame him...
Tho' near anything can be improved upon...
the Cuamco Max Coupler is 99. % perfect.

3). Because Chris drove miles out of his way coming to my house, to offer an replacement coupler, in consideration of helping me meet a trail run deadline. This all happened because I'm a stickler for perfection and wondered if these couplers could be just a little more perfect.


4). Because the folk over at Lock n Roll need to do better with their customer relations/communication skills. Their coupler design would rate a close 2nd. choice for me... but only because of the lower appeal of cost.

5). Because I intend to use the crap outta it... and failure is unacceptable.

6). Because I felt purdy darn good after seeing how well an 6000 lb rated Cuamco coupler gets the job done !

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pibS4xWF19M"]YouTube - Pinyon Trail, Frank, Snuffy, Cathy, Dell[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YXqv08F04A"]YouTube - The Squeeze[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkPNmaq1r8"]YouTube - Heart Attack Hill, Pinyon Trail 2010[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6BjCnI511I"]YouTube - Pinyon Trail's final challenge, a lil' step up.[/ame]

 

[TacoDell]

a lil' long winded.

I ran my original lunette/pintle combo on some trails up in Moab...
It did ok... but the tongue/drawbars were too short for clearing my junk's bed sides, when backed into a 90* angle.
It still made excessive noise... even with a properly fitted lunette/pintle combo. On the street it was fine tho'... heavy trail work... was a different story.
A little grease applied to the lunette/pintle combo helped ease up with the rarely noticed, but commonly known lunette/pintle bind.
But that's a mess when you accidentally rub up against those.
(^ this bind comes from the lunette's ring turning inside of the pintle's saddle when the trailer is shifting 90*(right to left) to that of the towing vehicle when in an off camber situations. The grease will solve most of that bind issue by removing drag or friction between the lunette's ring and the pintle's saddle)

But, in my case... rather then just fubaring something together using the original lunette/pintle combo... I went with the Cuamco and a home fab designed draw bar extension.

I will have to say this...

anyone that thinks a lunette/pintle combo could be superior to a Max Coupler...
has never really wheeled their trailer on a moderate trail, nor have they used or seen a Max Coupler in action.
Or likely... they just can't justify the price of admission for their intended use.

In receiving my new Max Coupler... I initially was taken back with the run out/end play of the 360* rotational shaft... and so... I called Chris Ulloa @ Cuamco to inquire as to whether this play/tolerance was the norm.
Chris wasn't 100% sure, and so he called up his engineers to inquire if there was a possibility of tightening up(minimizing) that end play tolerance even more, and assured me that the minuscule amount of end play would not be critical to the strength of the Max Coupler...
And Chris also said... if it were ever to be of issue or failure down the road...
He'd back and correct the situation... if that unlikely scenario were to come to head.

Would seem, that due to the heat from the welding of that nut to the rotational shaft during assembly... It is somewhat difficult to engineer in and compensate for expansion/contraction during the welding process.
But Chris is all about making his stuff... the better mouse trap...
So he's having some words with his engineers in respect to even tighter tolerances with his coupler design.

This Cuamco coupler is far superior to my previous pintle/lunette hands down...


As far as making a lunette/pintle combo fit well and roll with less slack/bang...
It's simply a matter of getting the proper fit of the lunette's ring diameter (thickness) to mate with an equally and proper sized pintle... and a little grease to those.

If the lunette does not have the capability of 360* rotation in itself...
Then a pintle with that rotation capability would nearly be mandatory for any rig towing their trailer off road... on a moderate trail.


So in my conclusion...

Even tho' the Max Coupler's end play tolerance allows for a very slight amount of play in that particular conjoining... It is not offending, nor does it cause any real noise that would be noticeable to anyone... except maybe the most anal dweeb out there...