Lunette to ball

[jesusgatos]

That's a great idea. Sometimes the easiest way is the best way.

 

[Ratch]

Asgar, that adapter is awesome!

I right now have the pintle hitch that works fine for a truck with a 2" receiver, but another truck I'd like to use for my M101 just has a 2" bumper-mounted ball. I'd love to have a bolt-on adapter like that for quick dump runs or light bulky loads. Heck, even just for what you said, having to take an uncomfortable vehicle to a far GL lot...

Ever consider making and selling a few? I don't mean base a small biz on it, but a few for the niche MV crowd.
If the cost is reasonable, the quality in the photos looks worth it.

 

[pilot]

Adapter

Croft trailer makes lunette ring to ball coupler adapters, H3LA series to fit different ring diameters and thickness.

Greg

 

[Asgar]

Ratch,
Thanks for your kind words. I am afflicted by 3 kids who seem to like me and a wife who wants me to fix the house so these projects only happen once in a while. I enjoy the challange of thinking through these projects but it takes me a while to make one because I don't really have any good 'production' metal cutting tools. The cost of the parts was $20? for the 5 position adjustment channel, $90 or so for the bulldog connector and less than 10 for all the nuts and bolts, etc. The steel was all scrap that I cut up with a metal cutting circular saw. This extra material would cost me too much and my time to cut and put it all together would make it too hard to sell these. I think someone who owned a cnc plasma cutter and had the bending capibiltiy to avoid some of the welding by combining parts could make some money with this. They would have to carry good insurance as this type of adaptor product would be hard to defend in court after an accident... too many lawyers problem.

 

[Asgar]

pilot, yes, this was exactly what I was going to buy, the croft adaptor is about $55. The problem I had is I needed a 10 inch drop to the minivan trailer ball which was already a 6" rise hitch. Otherwise, if the toung lines up reasonably well with the ring, like when you are using a pickup, then hey, for $55 how could you go wrong? Croft makes a good product. I think it is only good for 3500#

 

[Nick54]

pilot, yes, this was exactly what I was going to buy, the croft adaptor is about $55. The problem I had is I needed a 10 inch drop to the minivan trailer ball which was already a 6" rise hitch. Otherwise, if the toung lines up reasonably well with the ring, like when you are using a pickup, then hey, for $55 how could you go wrong? Croft makes a good product. I think it is only good for 3500#

This looks like a good fix for me, just wondering what would keep the lunette ring from rotating around the post that goes through the ring? I could be wrong but I think that should be a fixed point and the whole trailer should rotate on the ball. I know i must be missing something.

 

[Asgar]

I have only used the croft adaptor at the rental yard to pull a wood chipper. From what I experieced the big bolt is tighetened down a lot, there is a lot of friction and the adaptor does not seem likely to turn. There is also a smaller bolt on the end that you tighten down to pinch against the other end of the lunette. Basically it does not turn in the lunette because of a lot of clamping force and also the pinch bolt. The pinch bolt is the thing all the way to the right in the above picture.

If you used this with a M100 or similar trailer with the rotating lunette eye my guess is that it would not rotate around because the adaptor is above the lunette so there is nothing to cause it to want to capsize, or rotate around. (I mean the OTHER rotation, like spinning the lunette in its socket using a bar. )

 

[Nick54]

I talked to Croft this week and was told that I should drill a hole 1/4 to 1/2" deep the diameter of the set screw and that would ensure the lunette won't turn.

 

[Ratch]

pilot, yes, this was exactly what I was going to buy, the croft adaptor is about $55. The problem I had is I needed a 10 inch drop to the minivan trailer ball which was already a 6" rise hitch. Otherwise, if the toung lines up reasonably well with the ring, like when you are using a pickup, then hey, for $55 how could you go wrong? Croft makes a good product. I think it is only good for 3500#

The Croft adapter looks functional, but I have the same problem you have with height adjustment. It's a bumper ball on my pickup, so I can't adjust the height.

It does sound like it wouldn't be profitable for you to make them. That's a bummer, looks like fine work.

 

[Pawnshop]

I just found this photo on GSA: