The other week I got help a friend bring is V10 Dodge from Union Town PA where it was broken down to Baltimore MD with my ’03 Cummins powered Dodge. To do it I borrowed a trailer from a friend that has Pintle hitch. His trailer is about 2800 pounds empty and the truck I would guess is about 6500 to 6800 pounds so I exceeded the trailer weight the owner’s manual says needs a weight distributing hitch. Also with the V10 engine so close to the front of the trailer I would think that I had a tong weight well over 1,000 pounds, but the truck handled fine. My questions are do they make or do you not need for some reason a weight distributing set up when using a Pintle hitch. And which type of hitch is better for a trailer in the 10,000 pound range (pintle or ball coupler with a weigh distribution system. Also if you don’t mind what exactly do the weight distribution bars do? Do the apply a torque to the hitch that transfers force to the front wheels, or do the help stabilize the trailer when cornering?

Thanks in advance

Jeff

 

IMHO the pintle hook hitch is great for its flexibility offroad but it has too much slop while on. I would not want to pull a 10K pintle hitch trailer @ highway speeds. The ball type is better on road since it is a tighter connection.
The weight distribution bars mount to the receiver on the truck and are hinged @ the mount to allow turning, then they are tied to the trailer tongue.
they are springs that transfer weight from the rear wheels of the truck to the trucks front wheels and the trailer wheels. Basically it helps offset the leverage from the rear axle to the hitch that tries to lift the front wheels off the ground.

 

The slop from pintle is not bad on road as long as you have a good brake controller and a good pintle hook. 10k lbs does not make much difference. you could go with either a pintle or 2 5/16 ball. 12k lbs is typically the max for 2 5/16 tag trailers. over that, they are mostly pintle or gooseneck. Either will work well and as long as there is plenty of tongue weight the pintle hitch will not bounce up and down.


Just my $0.02.

-Trey

 

Most pintle systems have the front axle of the trailer very far forward, because they don't need much tounge weight like a ball hitch.
If the trailer was converted to a pintle and has the axles in the stock place, I would put a ball mount back on it.

 

My trailer is from a landscaping company so it came with a pintle. The tongue is VERY long and I think it handles OK. I like the flexability of the pintle offroad, and I also like the assurance of the stength. The hook is rated at 15ton so I know it isn't going anywhere.... EVER. It doesn't really bang around that much loaded. When unloaded I get a little more slop but it isn't bad enough for me to care. Oh, I run about 750lbs of tongue weight on my trailer with the Jeep on it, which weighs in at approximately 6500lbs.

I have never towed with a WD setup, so I can't compare.

 

Both of my trailers are pintle hitches. I have a deck over and a 12ft dump. Never had a problem. I like the secure latching system of the pintle.

jf

 

I found pintle hitch 12K deck over trailer with an 18 foot deck (13 flat, five for the dovetail) that needs a new deck but I think I am going to buy it. I want it mostly to move my Lathes and Mills and an occationaly a borrowed fork truck or car/truck. It is made by or atleast sold by Perone Performance Products in Laurel, MD. I called them today and they said it has Dexter Axles. I was wondering if anyone on the site had any experience with Perone trailers and wanted to make a comment. below are a couple of pictures I was sent of where it is sitting with a bucket truck on it. I have gone and seen it but didn't take better pictures. Both axels are 6K with electric brakes and the empty wieght is 3K according to the VIN tag. The bed sits on two 10 inch I beams and the deck is made of 6 inch channel with 3 inch cross pieces ever two feet. The bucket truck is an extra but I don't want it.

Thanks for the input about the pintle vs ball couple.

Jeff

 

My deck over is a Centerville, made in Centerville MD. It has a 13 ft deck with 4 ft tail. Looks alot like the one your going to buy. It's a little heavier, about 3700 lbs empty, but it'll haul anything I need. It's rated at 15500 gross.

 

This is true

But after towin several pintles, from the lil compressors to a full blown 15 ton hitch one (HEAVY sucker) i have come to the conclusion that the dual purpose is not the best choice for a pintle hitch, it works well, but still dont feel as safe as a full blown pintle. Its nice for an emergency, but i do suggest to get a full on pintle if you are gonna pull pintles alot..

Rick