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2024 anti-rattle hitch

tmenges

tmenges

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Have a 2024 2500 RAM with a 2.5 inch receiver hole. I use an adapter to go down to 2 inch and can't get the rattle to go away, it's actually wearing the metal out on the adapter. The receiver sits too far back so I can't use a hitch tightener with the c-clamp and plate. I tried all different ways and it just won't work. Any one else have this problem and if so, how did you remedy the problem?
Thanks
 
I don't follow that. are you saying your camper has a 2" ball receptacle?
 
elephantrider said:
I don't follow that. are you saying your camper has a 2" ball receptacle?
Click to expand...
It has a 2 inch shaft. Therefore I still need the adapter to use it. That particular camper hitch is very expensive. So buying a new one with a bigger shift just isn't worth the cost.
 
tmenges said:
It has a 2 inch shaft. Therefore I still need the adapter to use it. That particular camper hitch is very expensive. So buying a new one with a bigger shift just isn't worth the cost.
Click to expand...
I just purchased a new 2.5" shank for my existing hitch. The 2.5" shank was $200, far less than an entire new hitch.
 
Bulletproof has a weight distribution adaptor for their 2.5” shank. You can fit your goods to that. Worked great for us. That rattle has to be pretty pretty annoying and I’m sure your hitch isn’t working as intended if there is play in it.


Sent from me
 
I shimmed my hitch and sleeve with sheet metal which made a tight fit, then at the back of the 2 1/2" I drilled a hole through both, threaded both and screwed in a bolt (with lock nut and blue Loctite) flush to the inside of the sleeve. Works great, no rattle, and can be easily removed.

Hitch Mod2.jpg
 
steve49 said:
I shimmed my hitch and sleeve with sheet metal which made a tight fit, then at the back of the 2 1/2" I drilled a hole through both, threaded both and screwed in a bolt (with lock nut and blue Loctite) flush to the inside of the sleeve. Works great, no rattle, and can be easily removed.

View attachment 76006
Click to expand...
Do you recall what thickness the sheet metal was?
 
tmenges said:
Do you recall what thickness the sheet metal was?
Click to expand...
I don't! I have leftover scrape metals etc. of aluminum and steel from different projects, and grabbed several different pieces and used what fit tight. Ace Hardware has small cut sizes of sheet metal, which is where I got it from originally. I wanna say 22 gauge but I'm just not sure? The piece I used was sheet metal cut to the width and just about 1/2" longer of the inside of the receiver, then I bent the ends down (you can see it in the previous post pic) to hold it in place when I tapped in the reducer sleeve.
 
I had the exact same problem, but for accessories. I have 2 main pre-existing things that are 2" to insert into the truck (because I had a half ton previously): 1) My weight distrubition hitch shank, and 2) My Thule 4-bike rack that has built-in expanding anti-rattle mechanism.

For 1) I am rolling with the OEM reducer. Once it is lined up I can get the long locking pin through everything. There is play but once the trailer's weight and spring bar tension applied, that thing is not wiggling. If yours still wiggles (is it not a weight distribution hitch with tension?) then the only options (as others mentioned) are welding a reducer sleeve to the shank, or ordering the 2.5" shank version for your hitch. So far I'm doing ok with the OEM reducer not welded (I don't see wear on the reducer or shank, or excessive chewing up on the pin).

For 2) I initially bought a Kuat reducer (https://www.kuat.com/product/hitch-reducer/), thinking that once I insert my Thule accessory, I can crank and it will expand out to remove all slack. Well, the Kuat reducer fits in the bottom-left and top-right corners, but my Thule hitch expands toward the top-left. So of course it did not work.
The problem I was trying to overcome is that any solid reducer I expand the Thule into will still have slack between the reducer and 2.5" receiver. And the anti rattle clamp I bought (https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Anti~Rattle/CURT/C87UR.html) also didn't work, as the original poster mentioned, because the Ram's bumper is in the way.

My father in law gave me an easy solution. Get a spring with a diameter >5/8". Get a hex bolt that can fit a 5/8" hole, and a large nut for it. Then a piece of scrap metal slightly less than 2" square or rectangle, and drill a 5/8" hole in the center. Solder or weld the nut to the scrap metal with holes aligned. Solder or weld the spring to the nut, such that you can pass the hex bolt through the nut and spring together. Now slide the spring+nut combination into the reducer, and line it up with the pin hole. The spring tension should keep it in place, if not just re-align it manually but I haven't had to yet. Put your reducer into the 2.5" receiver, now use the hex bolt as your pin. Thread it and the nut will suck the reducer up against the receiver and NO MORE RATTLE. The crap metal keeps the nut from rotating on the last few tightenings, but if the spring is strong enough it may keep the nut in place with friction. You can optionally use a hex bolt that passes all the way through to the other side of the receiver, and put another nut, or drill a hole and put a cotter pin, for safety.

The above should be fairly inexpensive and works beautifully for my 2" accessory Thule bike rack.

Here are some pics of the overkill version my (bored retired) father in law made. I was going to do the soldered version but he got too excited to have a project.
 

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steve49 said:
I don't! I have leftover scrape metals etc. of aluminum and steel from different projects, and grabbed several different pieces and used what fit tight. Ace Hardware has small cut sizes of sheet metal, which is where I got it from originally. I wanna say 22 gauge but I'm just not sure? The piece I used was sheet metal cut to the width and just about 1/2" longer of the inside of the receiver, then I bent the ends down (you can see it in the previous post pic) to hold it in place when I tapped in the reducer sleeve.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
daemonic3 said:
I had the exact same problem, but for accessories. I have 2 main pre-existing things that are 2" to insert into the truck (because I had a half ton previously): 1) My weight distrubition hitch shank, and 2) My Thule 4-bike rack that has built-in expanding anti-rattle mechanism.

For 1) I am rolling with the OEM reducer. Once it is lined up I can get the long locking pin through everything. There is play but once the trailer's weight and spring bar tension applied, that thing is not wiggling. If yours still wiggles (is it not a weight distribution hitch with tension?) then the only options (as others mentioned) are welding a reducer sleeve to the shank, or ordering the 2.5" shank version for your hitch. So far I'm doing ok with the OEM reducer not welded (I don't see wear on the reducer or shank, or excessive chewing up on the pin).

For 2) I initially bought a Kuat reducer (https://www.kuat.com/product/hitch-reducer/), thinking that once I insert my Thule accessory, I can crank and it will expand out to remove all slack. Well, the Kuat reducer fits in the bottom-left and top-right corners, but my Thule hitch expands toward the top-left. So of course it did not work.
The problem I was trying to overcome is that any solid reducer I expand the Thule into will still have slack between the reducer and 2.5" receiver. And the anti rattle clamp I bought (https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Anti~Rattle/CURT/C87UR.html) also didn't work, as the original poster mentioned, because the Ram's bumper is in the way.

My father in law gave me an easy solution. Get a spring with a diameter >5/8". Get a hex bolt that can fit a 5/8" hole, and a large nut for it. Then a piece of scrap metal slightly less than 2" square or rectangle, and drill a 5/8" hole in the center. Solder or weld the nut to the scrap metal with holes aligned. Solder or weld the spring to the nut, such that you can pass the hex bolt through the nut and spring together. Now slide the spring+nut combination into the reducer, and line it up with the pin hole. The spring tension should keep it in place, if not just re-align it manually but I haven't had to yet. Put your reducer into the 2.5" receiver, now use the hex bolt as your pin. Thread it and the nut will suck the reducer up against the receiver and NO MORE RATTLE. The crap metal keeps the nut from rotating on the last few tightenings, but if the spring is strong enough it may keep the nut in place with friction. You can optionally use a hex bolt that passes all the way through to the other side of the receiver, and put another nut, or drill a hole and put a cotter pin, for safety.

The above should be fairly inexpensive and works beautifully for my 2" accessory Thule bike rack.

Here are some pics of the overkill version my (bored retired) father in law made. I was going to do the soldered version but he got too excited to have a project.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
I have been using shims to keep the slack out. The shims are.060 thick. The ones on the side, I drilled a 5/8” hole in them so when the pin is in they can’t move. The top and bottom shims, I bent a 90 degree lip on the outside edge and the hitch itself keeps these from coming out. I use a long tapered punch to align the holes for the pin. Been using these for quite some time.
 
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