i see these here and there. they are mostly on heavier built trailers with large equipment on them like skid steers. is there any disadvantage to using them? i like the idea of unlimited articulation. would be used to tow tractors and what not off road. i heard they are harder on the drive line, is this so? never had any experience with one. thanks

 

I use one daily, does fine for me. If you're gonna be pulling stuff off road you might get the hitch that swivels so you don't bind it up and flip the truck or trailer. Pintle hitches are really strong, I think the one I've got says 20,000 lbs on it.

 

They are used exclusively throughout the Air Force and civilian aviation world for towing aircraft and AGE....probably because of the ease of hitching, the strength, and the articulation.
On the down side they are not nearly as "tight" of a connection as compared to a ball and coupler or a fiver, so I can see why someone might think that they could be tough on a tranny with daily stop and go driving, but I doubt you'd find any stats on that.
Definitly good for off-roading though!

 

I went pintle on my first two trailers. They were not dedicated to one truck so switching between the pick up and the dump was easy. It also helped when people asked "can I borrow your trailer?" I don't like to loan out the tools that I use to make my living with.