Trimax THC250 - Universal Anti Rattle Hitch Clamp 2.5 Inch - Hitch Tightener 2.5 Inch

I've been reading dozens and dozens of reviews and became increasingly wary of anything I saw. Endless complaints about stripping threads, weak nuts, and clamps not fit for the job. I even considered buying my own stainless steel rod to craft my own clamp. Finally I read a review that enticed me to buy this one because between it and what I saw it was convincing. This is a solid piece of hardware. The diameter of the rod is hefty and it has nuts that are not going fail. I'm so relieved to have found a clamp that really is designed to last and to work properly. This is one time you DO want to spend the extra money if that is what it takes.

This is a must have for those pulling camper trailers. It really keeps the hitch tight. They last about 2-3 years before getting bent out of shape or the threads wearing out but thats good enough for me.

This thing is heavy duty - with stress on the word "heavy"! Much beefier than I expected. I installed it on our 2011 Tundra with a 3/4" wrench. My husband only had to add 1/2 turn to each nut (so, I did good with my scrawny arms for once!) We usually have alot of jolting because of the play on our ball hitch, pulling our open race car trailer literally thousands of miles each year over mountains, deserts, scrub, through bumpy, rocky racetrack pits and lengthy road construction zones - since we race during road repair season... Our first race trip this past weekend was smooth with no jerks or clunks coming from the hitch. The trailer ran smoother than ever before - easier on the Tundra, hitch, tires, etc. We reached our destination and the bolts on this wonderful chunk of metal were still as tight as when we left - all with the originally provided hardware - washers & nuts. It'll be another point to check before each trip, but we're really thrilled with it. I'm recommending this to all our racing friends. If they don't already have one, they need one! I'm counting this as one of my best towing finds EVER. Late note - I just noticed the product picture shows lock washers. Mine came with flat washers. Didn't need tightening after our first trip, but lock washers make so much sense... Will replace with some if we find it loosening in time.

I changed my initial recommendation from 5 to 4 because I called TRIMAX and they failed to return my phone call to hear my suggestion for improvement and, while is the best on the market, can be improved. The major improvement is detailed below. But they should also provide 2 locking washers and 2 additional nuts to stabilize the attachment and reduce the need to retighten. Here is my experience. Over 3 years I have bought 3 other anti-rattle hitch for use with my travel trailer. They all bent or broke or the plate wore down too fast on the edge or the U-bolt bent, etc. (See the attached photo) On a modified anti-rattle device (the one pictured) - I was able to do a 7000 mile trip by inserting a steel wedge (filled the gap between draw bar and receiver so it had limited space to stress hitch coupling), flattening the contact edge that was like a V digging into the drawbar, putting large washers on U-bolt to help keep the plate from bending helped greatly. The rusted picture shows the last one, but the two former anti-rattle devices were similar - lousy design, cheap Chinese soft steel, etc. Unless you want a cheap anti-rattle for a light application, don't buy this style - buy the TRIMAX. The TRIMAX THC200 anti-rattle product is best on the market but not quite as good as it might be (no other product comes close). If you need this for a light application, it is great product the way it is. If you have a trailer that is heavier or a heavy luggage carrier, an upgrade would be helpful but a little more trouble installing initially and then reinstalling and removing the hitch - but in my case well worth the time. First thing to do is to make sure your hitch pin fits securely. It there is a lot of play because of wear or sloppy manufacturing, I would drill out the typical 5/8" hitch pin hole on the receiver and drawbar so that I can install a 3/4" hitch pin. Amazon has these! Extra work but on two vehicles it was worth the extra work. Next modification: add 1 3/4" (width) of steel wedge between the receiver and the draw bar to take up any ability to move up or down. I used two modified Williams WG-3 3-Inch Set Up Wedges (available on Amazon) side by side. Buy wedges or make a wedge by cutting and grinding a 2" x 2" piece of 3/16" steel into a wedge. If you are making the wedge grind the tip down to about 1/16" at the tip and gradually taper it to 3/16". This should close the gap on most hitch setups. Doing it in a vise made it fairly easy and quick to do. The next step is to assemble your hitch by putting the drawbar in the receiver. Then with a pin punch drive the wedge snuggly into the gap on the top of the drawbar. The hitch won't wiggle or move now. Great, your first feeling it going to work. Scribe the wedge next to the top of the receiver. Remove the hitch pin and remove the drawbar by tapping it with a hammer. It will be tight and again, that is a good feeling. Cut the wedge with a handi-grinder about 3/16" longer than the scribe mark. Make it just long enough that the Trimax THC200 is held firmly in place between the receiver and hitch and there is a little room to move the THC200 closer to the receiver as wear occurs.. Yes, it might need to be tightened several times initially to make sure it is firm but as it settles into place the need to retighten it will decline. If the hitch is taken off, make sure to mark which side of the wedge is the top so the contour of the wedge will match the receiver and drawbar. I called Trimax to suggest they market a THC200 PLUS that includes 3 or 4 wedges of different height so one can select the best wedge for their situation. Don't buy other anti-rattle devices - this is the one. It works on solid and hollow drawbars. Trimax probably should just include the wedges in the regular THC200 but that works great for lighter options, this recommendation would make if better for all applications. Update - after a 2500 mile trip it is the first of 3 previous anti-rattle devices to not require tightening. No rattle towing a 5000 lb trailer during the trip.

This clamp is built like a tank. I use it on a hitch for a camper as well as for a boat. Had to file down a little in order to clear my Towtector Rock Protector, but works great for both applications. I also exchanged the wing nuts for standard nuts. That way I could really get it secure.

these are the bomb! I have tried other brands but this is the best high quality brand. Fits on my RAM pickup.

My trucks receiver hitch has slip in it. While pulling long camper it would shift back and forth due to slip in receiver hitch. This clamp made the experience go from white knuckle and terrifying to one handed calm Sunday drive.

So I bought this hitch tightener because it is the only thing I could find with what I thought was a heavy duty hook peice. And it's great. Oversize, cast steel, powder coating and generally awesome. Ubolt looked great as well with a welded in saddle. Unfortunately, the Ubolt was the biggest issue. It's made of a soft metal either grade 3 or grade 5 steel and it was long enough to double nut so it wouldn't work itself loose. After tightening the entire unit by hand with a 1/2 drive breaker bar it bent into the shape you see with my pictures but didn't break in half. The threads were long enough to jam nut but after tightening those they twisted right off and the Ubolt broke under the first nut. I thought this was a unit ready for install but after bending the ubolt you can see it needed a shim which is what made it bent. But even if you shim it between the stinger and cast peice this ubolt is still not a high enough grade steel to work because it will stretch over time. Being as it's seemingly a non standard ubolt and not carried at my local hardware store I just made my own top plate and used grade 8 bolts you see in the pictures. With what I did and that heavy duty cast bottom hook part this thing is now indestructible. It's worth noting this is worth buying for the cast hook peice alone. If you find the right ubolt it needs to be a heavy duty one for an axle not the cheap crap at Ace or home depot. Try your local farm and ranch or trailer store will be your best bet. I couldn't find one so I just made one with 1/2 hardware and 1 inch mile steel for the top plate and 1/4 mile steel for a shim between the cast hook and stinger.

Works great, big difference in ride.

Fit like a glove Ford F150 2 inch receiver. Draw bar held securely in place no rattle and no bouncing of boat trailer due to play in the receiver.

جيدة

I wouldn't buy this item i used it once and it broke

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