I found a great deal on a used weight distributing hitch but I need clamps to attach the sway bars to the trailer. All the clamps I’m finding seem to fit on a trailer frame without the center of the V-shaped tongue of the trailer closed like a horse trailer. Like it’s just the frame and empty so they just clamp on. I can’t do that with a horse trailer. Is there a special kind we need or do I need to have it welded on? I’m confused as it’s my first WDH!
they might be called Trunion bars.
I’ve got the hitch for the truck and the bars but need to clamps that go in the trailer to hook the bars to the trailer! Hope that made more sense!!
It depends a little bit which hitch you have.
These are the generic brackets but there are some Reese hitches as well as other brands that use different ones. What brand is yours?
http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP6637.html
on the trailer that I used to have, the hitch people cut a rectangle on each side of the tongue so that the clamps would fit
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You shouldn’t have to cut or weld anything to get the trunion bar attachments on the trailer tongue. They bolt on. Some accurate heavy duty drilling is all that is required. The eTrailer site is a good one. Their customer service is outstanding. Give them a call. ~FH
[QUOTE=FloridaHorseman;7639769]
You shouldn’t have to cut or weld anything to get the trunion bar attachments on the trailer tongue. They bolt on. Some accurate heavy duty drilling is all that is required. The eTrailer site is a good one. Their customer service is outstanding. Give them a call. ~FH[/QUOTE]
It depends on your trailer tongue. Some don’t require drilling-- if yours requires drilling I would not recommend doing that yourself. Take it to an RV dealer.
We had to do quite a bit of cutting and drilling to install mine on my merhow due to the tongue design.
[QUOTE=soloudinhere;7640156]
It depends on your trailer tongue. Some don’t require drilling-- if yours requires drilling I would not recommend doing that yourself. Take it to an RV dealer.
We had to do quite a bit of cutting and drilling to install mine on my merhow due to the tongue design.[/QUOTE]You may be right. I’ve never seen a trailer tongue that had to be cut to accommodate stabilizing equipment. But I’ve been hauling professionally, CDL and livestock, for 37 years and would never ever cut into a frame for any reason whatsoever. If it came down to cutting a frame to attach a stabilizer or load leveler or to pull a trailer without it, IMO it’s safer to pull an uncut frame, no matter how good the welders skills.
Not to derail this thread but most trailer stabilization issues are a direct result of 1) tow vehicle too small 2) improperly loaded trailer or 3) towing at excessive speeds. Most trailer tires are only rated at 60 MPH for a reason. ~FH
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[QUOTE=FloridaHorseman;7641700]
If it came down to cutting a frame to attach a stabilizer or load leveler or to pull a trailer without it, IMO it’s safer to pull an uncut frame, no matter how good the welders skills. [/QUOTE]
Nobody cuts the frame. The panel in the A-frame of a horse trailer is for horse safety not structural strength. You don’t want a horse getting it’s leg inside a metal triangle.
Sometimes people cut holes in that panel so that clamps can get a proper purchase on the actual frame.
Ah… OK. Much better explanation. Thanks! ~FH
OP, I think you’re referring to a trailer that’s like this in the front:
https://www.google.com/search?q=trailer+tongue+on+cornpro+horse+trailer&nfpr=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=31msU7i4CMrMsQS1koLoCQ&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1422&bih=644#facrc=&imgdii=&imgrc=wE9WWPaXfIEdAM%253A%3BgACNJiVpslubFM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hayestrailersales.com%252Fimages%252Ftrailers%252Fcornpro%252Fstock-bumper-5.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hayestrailersales.com%252Fproducts%252Ftrailers%252Fcorn-pro-bumper-pull-stock–trailers.shtml%3B600%3B450
Mine is the same way. And the “frame” is more like angle iron, not a solid rectangular frame, so not only do we need to cut out a spot on the piece of metal in the middle of that triangular piece, but we need to figure out how to keep the clamps clamped onto the frame.
I will be following this thread!
[QUOTE=FloridaHorseman;7641769]
Ah… OK. Much better explanation. Thanks! ~FH[/QUOTE]
Here is my trailer tongue.
You can see due to the position of the jack near the front of the trailer that the A portion of the frame is right where the brackets need to sit. I had to use a specific hitch assembly, and because that hitch assembly only accomodates trailer frames 6" tall or smaller, and mine is an 8" double frame, the bottom of the bracket had to be drilled through and bolted, not just bolted on.
I hope no one minds that I’m reviving this thread.
I’m having the same issue where the tongue of the the trailer is solid but the clamps that attach to the tongue are more claw like with a bolt. Same issue as described by others. So is the consensus that a hole or slat needs to be cut into the top part of the tongue of the trailer for the claw like clamps to work? See Soloudinhere’s picture. I don’t see any other way. Anyone?
Same with mine (equalizer)
My trailer is like that: a sheet of metal bolted on top of the tongue of the trailer. We just cut rectangles out of the sheet to give space for the clamps. Simple, yes. Easy to do in an apartment parking lot in the middle of a Wisconsin winter? Absolutely not.
Luckily I have mechanic/engineer SO who collects tools, so I spun the project as “an excuse to buy more equipment” and he did it for me 
.
I can grab pics if anyone wants more examples. FWIW, a dealer or RV place could source and replace the solid sheet very easily, if you ever changed your mind about the hitch. But it’s a good safety measure and I doubt buyers would balk, should you try to sell it.
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Agree with the others - just cut the requisite holes, like the picture posted from soloudinhere. (My trailer guy did it for me.)
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