![]() ![]() Where is the force being applied? What’s holding that cantilevered jaw in place? On the illustration below you can see there are four points that hold this jaw mechanism in place. You run into the same basic problem with a HOOK STYLE JAW. So if that king pin puts pressure on either side of that centerline of pull, there is potential for the jaws to come open with excessive force. Well, back in the day, that may have been very true, but because consumers were having trouble in the field getting their jaws back open from the curvature of the jaw hitting the king pin, the manufacturers had to “shave” an angle into each side arm, creating a downward slope toward the centerline of the king pin. That’s a problem! Manufacturers of this type of jaw typically say the force being exerted rearward against the two points of the clamshell strengthens and closes the jaws more tightly. Notice the illustration here and how the jaws don’t quite close or touch one another. Now think of a clamshell type jaw-the support pieces are not one structure and will give under pressure. So let’s look at an illustration that accurately depicts how this type of jaw works-a sawhorse.įor a sawhorse to be effective, a support must span two anchor points, distributing the weight evenly. Doesn’t build much confidence in that type of jaw structure does it? Now just think about the thousands of pounds of tongue weight pulling on that jaw and those small pins and their thin metal arms that connect them. So what’s holding the jaws in place? Where is the force from towing being distributed? These 5/8” pins (highlighted in red). The jaws on each side are completely open to the mouth of the hitch head, so if something did happen and the king pin came loose from the jaws, it would fall right out and take a part of your truck with it! There’s quite a bit, and in towing, that equates to what is called “slop” and it causes “chucking”-that back and forth (and sometimes side-to-side) clunking around.Īlso, you will see, there is no supporting metal that “retains” the jaw in the hitch head. First, notice how much negative space there is around the 2” main shaft of the king pin (green). Hitch heads that use the CLAMSHELL JAW, at first glance, appear to wrap around the king pin and hold it securely in place similar to a PullRite, but it has several flaws in its design. There is one, all-important question you should be asking yourself-how securely does it hold the king pin in place within the head of the hitch when you’re towing? And some have come pretty close, but there’s still nothing like a PullRite hitch! So let’s reexamine the hitch head types a little more closely so we can show you where the other guys fall short. Our innovation and quality of products remains unparalleled, though the competition would have you think otherwise as they attempt to model their concepts after our own. PullRite has always gone the extra mile to ensure that we are building something right here in the USA that we can be proud of, and we’ve upheld that level of integrity for nearly 40 years now. Your safety, ease of use, dependability, comfortable ride, and a sound financial investment are all factors that should be carefully considered. ![]() ![]() Even worse, we neglect to buy American-made products and settle for cheap imports that don’t last or perform as they should. We trust that manufacturers are making the products we desire with our best interests in mind, or sometimes we are simply swayed into buying a “name” because of mass marketing schemes. More times than we care to admit, as consumers, we make purchases without giving much thought to the quality and care that may, or may not have gone into its creation. ![]()
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