Hitch problem for old Scamp

[Bill D]

I had a little incident several months ago where my Scamp bounced off my friends hitch,luckily hardly any damage so a spring project was to replace the hitch.I ended up buying a lockNroll hitch since I was doing another trailer and can use the same "car side" hitch but for the scamp I bought a "industry standard" 50 degree trailer side hitch but wouldn't ya know it,the Scamp is not a 50 degree angle,so now I'm stuck an not sure which way to go. There's 5/8" difference on each side or I can cut and weld an use a regular 2" hitch Any thoughts ??

[mary and bob]

Had this problem long time ago. I machined some wedge shaped shims to take up the space

[KenjiFox]

you may be able to trim some of the frame off where the two come to a point and then get the coupler on more. From that point use a bunch of c-clamps to flex them together the rest of the way while welding. Or just weld the frame bars to the top of the new coupler. You can then cut the frame tubes back at an angle and weld in a plate to seal it. That's how mine is. It's a little low but that may be good for a shorter car. I can take a pic of what I mean if you would like.

[KenjiFox]

Grabbed some photos of what I mean. It's dark out so they're not perfect, but I am sure they will do. That coupler is from Harbor Freight. It's a 2" since what was on this trailer when I got it was a 1 7/8. Considering the thing is a 16 foot deluxe, that sounds like a TERRIBLE idea to me. I cut that sucker off right away. I trimmed the coupler down after welding it to the frame so that it wouldn't have a sharp 90* angle on the back.

[Borrego Dave]

Nice looking coupler R & R Kenji.

[KenjiFox]

Thanks I appreciate it. It's fully welded inside as well.
The paint on it is Rust Bullet in silver aluminum. Chassis Saver silver by Magnet Paints is almost identical. I HIGHLY recommend these coatings. They outperform POR15 and other rust treatments by a huge margin. They contain polyurethane and seal the moisture out from the steel. The silver ones have the best durability and rust stopping properties. They have a black top coat to go over the silver if you wish.

[Bill D]

That looks great,I'm not sure I'm that skilled.I'm going to call lock-n-roll and see if they can maybe cut it down once I get the angle I need..

[Bill D]

Okay here's my solution,however I can't take credit for the weld,I work at a high school and had the kids at the weld shop do it (and they did Great)

[ruscal]

Bill,
That looks good and strong. It looks like you chose to lengthen the tongue a foot or so. By incorporating a receiver you can adjust your tongue length. You will want to have a hitch pin going through the receiver to secure the extension, as well as having the set screws to stop rattling and vibration. You can drill multiple pin holes in the extension for adjusatability if desired. On the hitch end I would say weld it per hitch manufacturer's instructions. The extension should have a minimum of 1/4" wall thickness per my seat of the pants guesstimation. The thickness helps resist the set screw pressure. I install the set screws off center to avoid loading the tube wall mid span. (less deflection) Thicker wall is even better...
Russ

[Bill D]

Thanks Russ I never thought about a set screw,I wonder if I drilled a 1/4" hole and welded a nut on the outside,top or bottom and side if that would work? That's not the hitch I'll be using,that was just to bring it home with,I'm using a lock-N-roll
,

[ruscal]

Bill,
I thought those were set screws showing in your pictures. On my receivers I have drilled 5/16" holes and tapped 3/8 coarse threads. I placed one on the side and one on the bottom of the receiver. Offsetting to the side keeps the bolt from crushing the draw bar tube as easily. These have worked well, keeping things quiet. You certainly could weld nuts onto the surface to accomplish the same goal.
Russ