New reciever hitch not compatible with old ball mount... - Diesel Forum

olddieseldude · 12-29-2006, 09:10 AM

For Christmas I bought the truck a new Putnam class V reciever hitch, 1500/15000 lbs w/o WD. It looks great and installed easily, replacing the stock Ford hitch. The one problem that I had was that my Buyers forged ball mounts, 2000/20000 lbs(I have two, 2" & 4" drops), did not fit, they lacked about half a hole of sliding deep enough into the reciever to allow the reciever hitch pin to be installed. I had to cut 1/2" off the end of the ball mount to allow installation. Also, the fit of the ball mount is a little sloppy once installed so I fashioned some shims out of aluminum flashing to place inside the reciever before inserting the ball mount.

I don't know if there are industry standards for the manufacture of these components but somebody dropped the ball here. The sloppiness is just tolerances but the depth of the reciever or length of the ball mount past the hitch pin hole is a design issue. I don't know if it is Buyers or Putnam but I thought I'd post this for anyone that might be interested.

kc2kgt · 12-29-2006, 04:54 PM

I'm no expert here...so take my typing here with a grain of salt.

Was the ball mount coming out of the back of the receiver and hitting the spare tire perhaps? I've heard of certain hitches not working with the spare tire.

Also I thought that the 15,000lb receivers were actually 2.5" receivers and not 2", did yours come with an adaptor?

And for what it's worth I have 4 different ball mounts for my stock receiver and 3 of them are extremely sloppy! I like your idea of putting some sheet metal in there as shims, gonna have to do that my self.

Thanks.

short_stuff · 12-29-2006, 07:12 PM

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And for what it's worth I have 4 different ball mounts for my stock receiver and 3 of them are extremely sloppy! I like your idea of putting some sheet metal in there as shims, gonna have to do that my self.

Thanks.

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I've always wondered why they didn't make a hard rubber coating or sleeve that would go over the receiver to quiet the chatter noise and help the receiver fit more snugly. It would certainly make my small utility trailer and boat trailer quieter when I'm hauling them around.

short_stuff

olddieseldude · 12-29-2006, 07:55 PM

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...Was the ball mount coming out of the back of the receiver and hitting the spare tire perhaps?...

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No, the Putnam hitch is made to accommodate the spare tire in a similar fashion to the OEM hitch. And, both hitches are blanked off in the front, the OEM just has more length from the pin hole forward. The OEM reciever tube crosses under the horizontal support tube and is blanked off with a support gussett on the front side, the Putnam reciever tube tees directly into the horizontal support tube so is blanked off by the intersection of the two tubes.

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...Also I thought that the 15,000lb receivers were actually 2.5" receivers and not 2", did yours come with an adaptor?...

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No the Putnam is 2", no adapter needed.

Another difference between the OEM and Putnam is that the reciever tube is higher on the truck. It sets right under the bumper, there is no clearance between the bumper and the top of the reciever hitch.

olddieseldude · 01-04-2007, 06:33 PM

Just an update. I recieved an email from Buyers, the maker of the ball mounts, stating:

"...These ball mounts have always had a non standard hole location (standard location is 2-1/2” from the end)..."

Except for the issue that I am having with my new Putnam reciever hitch, the forged Buyers ball mount is a nice product. Just be sure you check your reciever for clearance before purchasing one though.

Mr_Roboto · 01-09-2007, 01:41 PM

They probably made the forged mount longer (behind the hole) to increase how far it goes into the hitch. Assuming that if you are buying a forged unit, you are really going to use it hard.

js2941 · 01-09-2007, 02:51 PM

I sometimes tow a 4x8 trailer behind my 5vr. I drilled & tapped two holes (top & side of the lip, where the material is double thick) and installed bolts that tighten against the ball mount to stop the sloppyness. Haven't done it on the truck's hitch yet. Works great for me.

Albin · 01-09-2007, 06:13 PM

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I sometimes tow a 4x8 trailer behind my 5vr. I drilled & tapped two holes (top & side of the lip, where the material is double thick) and installed bolts that tighten against the ball mount to stop the sloppyness. Haven't done it on the truck's hitch yet. Works great for me.

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Easier still is to replace the hitch pin with a Grade 8 5/8" bolt and torque it down. No sloppiness and stronger to boot.

Al