Trailer hitch is finally done!

[JIPJOBXX]

Well I got my receiver hitch completed and I think it pretty stout. But wouldn't you know it that I backed up to hoke up Grandma (14 ft Aljo) and cranked up the jack and blame! The jack gave out and the trailer hit the ground! So I had to get a bumper Jack out and jack up the trailer and place some car stands under the front end. Took oft the jack and the jack screw had decided to just disintegrate and that in turn made the internals of the jack just give up and drop! Anyway after trying to fix 55 year old jack I decided it was time to buy a new one and so oft I went to get a new jack! Of course it did not fit my old trailer but with my handy grinder I made it fit and now my 1957 Aljo has a 2010 hand crank jack.

Anyway I finally got the car hooked up and with the new helper springs and the new tow set up the car looks like it will just run down the road just fine. Love the look of that old fat fendered car with that Can Ham trailer in tow.

[buds truck]

I just did the same thing to my 49 Plymouth to tow our shasta compact trailer around with. Works like a gem. Bud

[Don Coatney]

If I understand what you are saying jack got cranked up and got the blame! when you tried to hoke up Grandma?

[Reg Evans]

Hows about some photos of the new stance ?

[JIPJOBXX]

Yes I ran the jack all the way up and treads in the jack broke oft. This jack looks like it used some type of Acme treads plus an insert kind of like a Helicoil set up. I think if I could find the right Helicoil for the internal part of the jack I could make the unit work again. But at a cost of only 28 dollars I decided just to toss the old unit away and go with a new jack. And yes I was backing up my car and trying to align the hitch but not hit the ball and that's when I cranked up the jack to the top position and probably it was work worn and that Special Helicoil gave way. Well it was only 50 years old or more so it probably just was ready for a replacement.

The car still sit kind low in the back but not as much as befor I installed those helper springs. But the weight still is way over for the tong weight (380Lbs) and so I'm thinking I might just install a bumper on the back of Grandma and add some weight at that point. Got to get the trailer to balance out a little bit better and this is the only way that I can see it being done. The tong weight should only be about 10 to 15 percent of the total amount of the trailer and right now its probably about 20 percent or close to that.

Edited August 18, 2010 by JIPJOBXX

[JIPJOBXX]

Toss the old unit in the garbage can!

[austinsailor]

Just a word of caution - if you have collector insurance be sure it covers you when you have a trailer on the car. Neither Grundy nor Hagerty will cover you if you pull a trailer. Hagerty will consider your policy "void from inception" if you ever pull a trailer. I'm not sure if Grundy is the same, or coverage just stops when a trailer is attached, but regardless, be warned.

I have Gulfway on my pickup that covers pulling a trailer, but specifically will not cover a travel trailer. Why? I have no idea.

[Don Coatney]

This jack looks like it used some type of Acme treads

How many kinds of ACME threads are there?

[Dodgeb4ya]

How many kinds of ACME threads are there?

There are 3 types,

GEN - General Purpose Acme ASME B1.5-1997

CEN - Centralizing Acme ASME B1.5-1997

STUB - Stub Acme ASME B1.5-1997

[JIPJOBXX]

I don't know but I have machined single lead and double lead acme treads when I was at the shipyard. Very tricky but fun to set up lath to do such operations. I worked on a Machine bardge for a while and we manufactured stuff they needed in a hurry for ship repair.

[Don Coatney]

There are 3 types,

GEN - General Purpose Acme ASME B1.5-1997

CEN - Centralizing Acme ASME B1.5-1997

STUB - Stub Acme ASME B1.5-1997

Thank you.