Has anyone tried to add a piece of 1 1/2" flat steel into the square tubing of a utility "stinger", mark where the pin hole is, drill it, and the weld a 5/8" nut on it. Then slide the flat stock into the tube and weld at the end. Then turn a 5/8" bolt in and tighten. That should take out the slop of up, down, and side to side. One hitch maker has a fancy pin with a shoulder cut on it with threads that turns into their fancy hitch. Ain't interested in that!

 

Are you trying to get the slop out? If so, forget that. Two simple ways I've seen. Cut a shim out of a plastic milk jug, wrap the stinger, install it and rattle no more. And for someone that I work with, he wanted a super tight stinger. I welded a 1/2" nut about 1/8" back from the scuff line. Now he installs it, then tightens a bolt against the receiver and has no rattle

 

This is the way to get rid of slop but instead of one bolt use two. One on the top and one on the side. The problem with shimming is that all drawer bars are not exactly the same, you make it just right for one the next one may not fit. If you want to bolt instead of using a pin there are devices on the market for that. I tried one on a bike rack years ago that was 3/16 inch spring steel that held two nuts in place on the inside of the hitch inline with the pin hole. It sort of worked but the jamb bolts are the way to go.

 

Well, I actually did weld two on there for him. I did several stingers with two. My strait pipe trumps any stinger noises so I don't worry about it.

 

Where they are needed most is on the rear of a trailer when using a bike rack. The bikes thrash around so much without the jamb bolts.

 

Agreed. I also welded some of the joints in the frame of his bike rack too. once we secured it int he hitch, it still banged around from all the built in slack. It's a nice rack now.

 

We LIKE nice racks!!!

 

Ended up drilling a 5/8" hole in side of receiver, welded a 5/8" nut on the side. Rounded off the end of the 5/8" bolt on the grinder so threads don't mushroom. That took the side to side slop out of the rack.