Bad hitch install

[2001400ex]

I'm camping with my buddy right now. He has GMC terrain Denali (nice ride for what it is) and he had a large RV dealer install a hitch to it when he purchased his trailer last year. His trailer is 2,700 dry, so it's at it his limits. As we were at the last camping spot yesterday, he says that when he lowers the hitch on, the hitch starts to bend down towards the ground. I tell him when we hitch up in the morning (this morning) that I'll look at it.

He goes to hitch up, I thought it was a loose hitch because I've seen the lower bolt loosen up. But that was tight. He lowers the trailer on and sure enough, it starts rotating to the trailer where the hitch was almost a 45 degree angle. Well we didn't have time so he raised it up and put on the WD bars and it looked fine.

We get to the campground now and I crawl under the car to look. The installed receiver hitch has 4 bolts to the frame. 3 of them were finger loose. You could hear me touching them they were so loose. I got them tightened so all is good now. Well I told him when he gets back he needs to take it in and have them torque it properly as I couldn't get in there to properly torque it.

Point is, even tho it is a large, national RV dealer. Their mechanics suck and by not doing their job right, he could have had a disaster.

[2001400ex]

Terryallan wrote:
So I got to ask. What is his TV rated at? It should not be close to his max if it is only 2,700lb dry. And with such a lite trailer. To bend, That hitch must have been hanging by a thread.

I think he said his tow rating is only 3,500 or 4,000 pounds. And yes.... 3 of the 4 bolts were loose. The top 2 holes are elongated so it can be adjusted and that's why it was bending forward.

[Terryallan]

So I got to ask. What is his TV rated at? It should not be close to his max if it is only 2,700lb dry. And with such a lite trailer. To bend, That hitch must have been hanging by a thread.

[2001400ex]

wing_zealot wrote:
So he went a year and had noticed the hitch was bending but didn't take it back to the dealer? So who is to blame if a disaster was to happen? As the Operator you are responsible for your vehicle. And especially if you know something doesn't look right.

To be fair, I didn't want to write a novel. He did take it back once last year when he noticed it. They thought it was a loose bolt on the hitch itself like I did. Looked at it and it was tight, told him the "bending" was normal. And sent him on his way. They never looked at the receiver. He is not mechanically inclined, so he trusted what they had to say. He just thought because he was close to his max towing that it was normal as that's what he was told.

[rrupert]

Shame on both the dealer and the owner. I would replace the mounting bolts because they can very well be damaged from the movement.

[wing_zealot]

So he went a year and had noticed the hitch was bending but didn't take it back to the dealer? So who is to blame if a disaster was to happen? As the Operator you are responsible for your vehicle. And especially if you know something doesn't look right.

[darsben1]

WOnder what large national dealer that did that.