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What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube???

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6K views 34 replies 19 participants last post by  JoeD 
#1 · (Edited)
What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube???

As the title says what genius engineer decided to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube on my factory tow package hitch??

This causes a rattle when you are towing, I have 2 different trailers that I pull and need 2 different length (drop) receivers to make the trailers level.

Both rattle like hell while empty and when trailers are attached.

I have gone so far as to put weld on the top & bottom of each receiver I use and then grind carefully to get a tight fit.

This welding and fitting process only last so long before they are rattling again because of the short tube on the hitch with weight on the hitch this helps to act like a lever and eventually causes a loose fit again what PITA!!

I bet you that engineer who knows nothing about towing or engineering got a complaint from some soccer mom because she skinned her shin unloading groceries from the back!! He thought about it for 1 month and then came up with his genius solution to cut 1" from the length and make the rubber cap.

Just because you attended college and showed up and sat in class and got a passing grade,got the master paper,DOES NOT MAKE YOU A QUALIFIED ENGINEER!!! I blame this on our USA education system that most if not all apprenticeship programs are a thing of the past.

I be willing to bet Jeep spent $250,000.00 on a mold to make that nice rubber cap that comes with our tow package.

I have checked online and all hitches offered apparently have the same problem if they fit our eco's.

Measure from the center of the 5/8 hole in your receiver to the end of the tube that is on your Jeep and then go measure any other hitch and you will see it is 1" shorter.

By the way I spent extra to get the tow package and I did not get a
factory brake controller on a vehicle that can tow 7200lb.

Not that a factory brake controller is any good but in a $50,000.00 vehicle with tow package option one should come installed.

I am quit happy with the P3 brake controller that I purchased and it works way better than the factory controller I had in my Ram 2500 cummins.

Yes I know I could be lucky(knock wood) and have more serious stupid engineer problems that seem to be on our Jeeps many are experiencing with DEF SCR problems but add this to the list.

Don't get me wrong I love the Jeep but to many stupid problems for a Jeep that has been on the market for more that 3 years now in other parts of the world.

Yes I know Emissions crap was hung On USA vehicles but what about all the other issues,poor assembly issues, quality problems, supposed engineers who design this sh@t that are parts swapping trying to fix their crap.

It's not just Jeep it's everything we buy now a days.

Rant over
 
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#2 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Hope you feel better now...wrap a few lengths of duct tape around the receiver and it will quiet it down. Also, I don't think the length of the receiver tube has as much of an impact as you think. I've towed with a few different trucks (Chevy, Ford, etc) and all appear to rattle the same as the Jeep when towing.
 
#4 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Or buy one, or more, of these: Amazon.com: Roadmaster 061 Quiet Hitch: Automotive

I use them and they work great.


Sent from my iPad using JeepGarage
I drilled a hole in the bottom of the square receiver near the back and cut a 1/2 inch N/C thread into the solid square to receive a bolt. Tighten her up and no more rattles. I too wonder about the wisdom of some of our educated idiots in Australia !!!!
 
#6 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

No engineer was authorized to make this decision by the way. This is a cost cutting measure which engineering has no vote in...
 
#7 · (Edited)
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Hello Guys,

Thanks for all the reply's.

I know all about the anti rattle hitch pins and such.

That is why I chose this route that I tried.

I have gone so far as to put weld on the top & bottom of each receiver I use and then grind carefully to get a tight fit.

This welding and fitting process only last so long before they are rattling again because of the short tube on the hitch with weight on the hitch this helps to act like a lever and eventually causes a loose fit again what PITA!!

I am a machinist and a mechanical engineer and have had my own business for 24 yrs now.

I have to say that 1" shorter makes a huge difference from a leverage stand point handling the load and putting more stress on the 5/8 hitch pin which is NOT a good thing! This also lowers the carrying capacity and tongue weight capacity of the class 3 hitch which I really think should have been a class 4 hitch.

I do not like to operate on such a slim percentage of a safety margin I tend to go the other way and I like increasing my safety and comfort margin for piece of mind.

I have been driving for 39 yrs and probably had 20 vehicles and 1/2 those were trucks of all MFG's.

This is the first of all of them with this problem and second most expensive trucks/suv's I have ever had.

It just piss me off that we as a society have let MFG's get away with treating us the people who buy their crappy poorly engineered products that keep them in business with little to no recourse when we have a problem with their shitty products!
 
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#12 ·
It just piss me off that we as a society have let MFG's get away with treating us the people who buy their crappy poorly engineered products that keep them in business with little to no recourse when we have a problem with their shitty products!
You are the problem. You say a $50k car should come with this and that in an earlier post, but complain when they cut corners to save you money. You need to pay for what you want. Technology costs money. Would you have been happier paying $55k and had a car that both came with a brake controller and didnt have a rattle in the tow bar?
 
#8 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

I would just like to say this put a smile on my face! Its kind of funny that most us who have issues of some sort still love our jeeps! so they did something right! Or we would have all sold them and said screw it for a few thousand dollar loss.
 
#9 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Wow some people are very picky as per the aussie poster above, no issues here in aust most towbar manufactures have the bolt to reduce the rattle. Hell if you are an engineer it will take you all of ten minutes of your worrying life to fix it.
 
#10 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Wow some people are very picky as per the aussie poster above, no issues here in aust most towbar manufactures have the bolt to reduce the rattle. Hell if you are an engineer it will take you all of ten minutes of your worrying life to fix it.
The little 3/8 soft bolt that I have seen on towbars is a failure. The end just rubs off the bolt and the hitch is again loose to rattle. It may just work on a small car and trailer but not on a heavier vehicle with large trailer
 
#11 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Lol ^ interesting as my last 4x4 a nissan patrol done 365000km in 12yrs and the towbar was used monthly and I can assure you of no broken bolts or rattle.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Guys I am not just belly aching because I have a rattle.

This truly is a safety issue because of the levering up and down can fatigue the hitch pin and welds.

I will try to explain it this way.

1) The 1" shortness in the tube allows more movement up and down of any thing (receiver) put into it.

2) Because the tube is shorter than normal and usually would have the missing 1" to help carry and distribute the weight it now puts more stress on the 5/8 pin that hold the receiver inside the tube.

3) if continue to have this up and down movement while towing you are fatiguing the a) the 5/8 pin and B)the welds of the hitch it self.

Picture this if you can.

You get a piece of 2" square tubing 16' long which is how long my trailer is that fits inside the hitch. Now you get 500lbs (tongue weight of trailer) for class 3 hitch and if you could drop it on the end of extended 2" 16' tube from both sides up and down to simulate the way a trailer would be bouncing during pulling. Several thousand times say (one trip = 650 miles) x months/years of use. Now you add 7200lbs (towing capacity).

It's not a matter of if you could have pin or weld failure but when.

Which is why I choose the way I tried to fix the problem by adding WELD to my 2 receivers I am currently using to limit this up and down movement, but because of the missing 1" its is only a short time before the receiver becomes loose again.

There is no anti rattle device going to fix this problem, if it was only a rattle problem I would not be so concerned to take the time to make you all aware of the problem.

Frankly I do not like the odds of perhaps killing myself/passengers and others on the road.

You are responsible for what you tow and what may be on your trailer, if your trailer gets away a causes the death of another you will be carrying quit a burden for the remainder of your life. Not counting JAIL time and lawsuits!

I have been pulling trailers everywhere east of Mississippi from Canada to Florida for 30 yrs and I have seen all kinds of accidents

As I said I have looked at hitches so far available for our Jeeps and they all seem to have the same problem 1" short.

If I cannot find or get one made by popular hitch MFG I WILL MAKE MY OWN!!

I have a friend who has many welding certs and can weld almost anything from aerospace,airplanes,nuclear and just about anything else you can think of, between he and I our self made hitch would not fail.
 
#21 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

You are responsible for what you tow and what may be on your trailer, if your trailer gets away a causes the death of another you will be carrying quit a burden for the remainder of your life. Not counting JAIL time and lawsuits!

If I cannot find or get one made by popular hitch MFG I WILL MAKE MY OWN!!

I have a friend who has many welding certs and can weld almost anything from aerospace,airplanes,nuclear and just about anything else you can think of, between he and I our self made hitch would not fail.
I guess my point is that I currently have a receiver rated as Class IV by the manufacturer on my truck. Shorter/longer....whatever. It has been certified for the capacity. I would MUCH rather go to court with that to prove that I wasn't negligent...then some tube welded up by Sea Bass and the Fellas down at the lodge.
 
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#17 · (Edited)
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Welding it would not change the fact the Jeep engineer inadvertently lowered the carrying capacity of our hitches by cutting 1" from the tube, class 3 hitch are 500 lb tongue weight, 5000 lb capacity(7500lb weight distribution hitch) which is already under the capacity of our Jeeps which are rated 7200 -7500 lb depending on hows yours is equipped.

http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2014_Jeep_Grand+Cherokee.htm?style=Diesel+models

Which is why I said our Jeeps should have come with CLASS 4 HITCH which is not available by any hitch MFG that I have found so far.

If I weld it solid I have only one length (Drop) receiver which would severely limit what I can tow because the height of my trailers differs.

Now before you say get one that is Height adjustable would really be a PITA because I have one Shank(receiver) 6" drop set for my weight distribution hitch for my 16' 10k capacity trailer. another trailer is small 5 x 8 requires 4" drop, my 22 foot boat is 3,800lbs and requires 2" drop.

It would be to much of a pain in the arse to constantly change adjustable shank every time I want to pull one of my different trailers.

Before I would go that route I will make my own hitch if I have to.
 
#19 · (Edited)
What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver t...

Welding it would not change the fact the Jeep engineer inadvertently lowered the carrying capacity of our hitches by cutting 1" from the tube, class 3 hitch are 500 lb tongue weight, 5000 lb capacity(7500lb weight distribution hitch) which is already under the capacity of our Jeeps which are rated 7200 -7500 lb depending on hows yours is equipped.

http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2014_Jeep_Grand+Cherokee.htm?style=Diesel+models

Which is why I said our Jeeps should have come with CLASS 4 HITCH which is not available by any hitch MFG that I have found so far.

If I weld it solid I have only one length (Drop) receiver which would severely limit what I can tow because the height of my trailers differs.

Now before you say get one that is Height adjustable would really be a PITA because I have one Shank(receiver) 6" drop set for my weight distribution hitch for my 16' 10k capacity trailer. another trailer is small 5 x 8 requires 4" drop, my 22 foot boat is 3,800lbs and requires 2" drop.

It would be to much of a pain in the arse to constantly change adjustable shank every time I want to pull one of my different trailers.

Before I would go that route I will make my own hitch if I have to.

You lost me here. My Jeep did come from the factory with a Class IV hitch, not Class III.

Also - I find my "Rapid Hitch" super easy to adjust. I'd say it's as fast to change the drop on (or to flip from 2" to 2 5/16" for your 10k trailer) as changing to a new bar - probably faster. I bet I have 6-7 bars laying around - but only use the 1 now for a mixed bag of trailers.

On the rattling. As has been said, mine is annoying with an empty trailer, but fine with a little weight on the hitch.


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#18 · (Edited)
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

After a year of ownership I finally towed a 3000 lb equipment trailer today. The receiver is a bit loose or my bar is slightly undersized. The trailer had an estimated 300+ lbs of tongue weight and never bounced or chattered up and down that I could hear. It did shift in and out with a pop as I would accel/decel. A small wedge shaped shim tapped into the gap due to the size difference in the bar and receiver would tighten things up.

If a weight distribution hitch is used, the receiver will always have a torque applied and can't chatter. At least mine never has on other tow vehicles and they've all had loose hitches.
 
#22 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

My hitch is a Class IV as well...I don't know what the OP is smoking, but keep it away from me. Working with engineers like him is always a PITA. They are stuck in a box...
 
#23 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

As the title says what genius engineer decided to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube on my factory tow package hitch??

This causes a rattle when you are towing, I have 2 different trailers that I pull and need 2 different length (drop) receivers to make the trailers level.

Both rattle like hell while empty and when trailers are attached.

I have gone so far as to put weld on the top & bottom of each receiver I use and then grind carefully to get a tight fit.

This welding and fitting process only last so long before they are rattling again because of the short tube on the hitch with weight on the hitch this helps to act like a lever and eventually causes a loose fit again what PITA!!

I bet you that engineer who knows nothing about towing or engineering got a complaint from some soccer mom because she skinned her shin unloading groceries from the back!! He thought about it for 1 month and then came up with his genius solution to cut 1" from the length and make the rubber cap.

Just because you attended college and showed up and sat in class and got a passing grade,got the master paper,DOES NOT MAKE YOU A QUALIFIED ENGINEER!!! I blame this on our USA education system that most if not all apprenticeship programs are a thing of the past.

I be willing to bet Jeep spent $250,000.00 on a mold to make that nice rubber cap that comes with our tow package.

I have checked online and all hitches offered apparently have the same problem if they fit our eco's.

Measure from the center of the 5/8 hole in your receiver to the end of the tube that is on your Jeep and then go measure any other hitch and you will see it is 1" shorter.

By the way I spent extra to get the tow package and I did not get a
factory brake controller on a vehicle that can tow 7200lb.

Not that a factory brake controller is any good but in a $50,000.00 vehicle with tow package option one should come installed.

I am quit happy with the P3 brake controller that I purchased and it works way better than the factory controller I had in my Ram 2500 cummins.

Yes I know I could be lucky(knock wood) and have more serious stupid engineer problems that seem to be on our Jeeps many are experiencing with DEF SCR problems but add this to the list.

Don't get me wrong I love the Jeep but to many stupid problems for a Jeep that has been on the market for more that 3 years now in other parts of the world.

Yes I know Emissions crap was hung On USA vehicles but what about all the other issues,poor assembly issues, quality problems, supposed engineers who design this sh@t that are parts swapping trying to fix their crap.

It's not just Jeep it's everything we buy now a days.

Rant over
Crash standards are likely the blame here for keeping the hitch tucked in as far as possible. The rattle is more than likely from poor tolerances in manufacturing.
 
#24 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

SO.. you say that factory brake controllers are crap, but you should get one anyway? You've lost me there.



I'm completely happy with the receiver config on both my WK and WK2. And I'd rather have a P3 than a factory brake controller.

But that's just me.

...tom
 
#25 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Have you tried cramming something firm but reasonably resilient in there?

I dunno if something like copper sheets would work, as I'd expect them to hammer thinner.

A very stiff silicon rubber or some other low hysteresis material might.
Silly Putty? Not so much.
 
#26 ·
What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver t...

Couple of wraps of duct tape work fine


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#27 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

I towed the 1st time with mine yesterday with a light 2500# load about 20 miles and I will have to agree that the rattling of the reciever in the hitch is not great...
Never experienced this with my Ram 1500 or 2500 ( which I have towed this boat with also..). I think some excessive clearance tolerances along with shorter length contribute to this. I'm not concerned with safety,because I will never approach 7200# with this vehicle, thats what the 2500 is for, but it would get pretty annoying pulling some quad runners around etc. On smooth roads at 55 no problems but on rough roads, turning and stopping etc... lots of clanking going on back there...

So far relatively unimpressed with that... Glad I didn't buy it for towing...
 
#28 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Cant for the life of me think how this is such a big issue, I towed a load of steel today with a gross combined weight of over 6.5ton no issues no rattles. Unloaded the trailer and still no rattles..
 
#30 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Guys, dont forget that those of us who came from a pickup to this platform had a lot more distance between the hitch and your ear. I towed alot with the 2011 Dodge Ram I traded in on the Jeep, and I can tell you without a doubt that the drawbar fit in the receiver was horrible. It tilted, shook, and rattled all over the place, but I didnt notice it because the distance was a lot further from my ear, and the noise didnt directly transfer into the cab since the truck cab is isolated completely from the bed.

In the jeep you are probably 2' closer to the noise source, and in an enclosed cabin that has a direct path to radiate the noise into.
 
#31 · (Edited)
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

+1 that trucks do not emit the sound into the cabin because of the separation between the cab and hitch.

Jeep did not shorten the length of the hitch because you can stick the receiver in a lot farther than where the pin hole lines up. Plus the key is to have a heavy enough trailer, loaded trailer, or anti-rattle device to make your ears happy.
 
#33 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Use a J-pin hitch lock to remove all side to side play. You have to drill 1 hole, but there is plenty of room. Weld a bead on the top of your ball mount, and file it down so it just slides in the receiver. Worked great for me with absolutely no play whatsoever. They make locks that slide into the ball mount also. I have a solid aluminum ball mount, so I had to use the J-pin, and the aluminum weld worked great for me. This would also work great on a steel ball mount.
 
#34 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

Our hitches in the US with tow package are ClassIV. If I am to believe the rating agencies, our hitches exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle itself. So I don't see it as a safety issue. I use an Andersen hitch and with a load it is perfect. With an empty trailer I get a bit of rattle, but how often do I tow with an empty trailer?

My experience is from a 2011 Hemi Summit and now a 2014 Diesel Summit. I tow twice a year with a 5k lb trailer. No issues thus far.

Carry on and quit complaining about non-issues
 
#35 ·
Re: What Genius Engineer @ jeep decide to cut 1" off the length of the receiver tube?

I know this thread is old but I did some towing with my Grand yesterday and the rattle is very annoying. I tried three different hitches to see if it helped but nothing. The 2 inch square is to loose. I have two other trucks in my yard and the hitch fits much tighter in each of them vs the jeep.
I did see that the hitch sticks further out on the jeep vs my GM trucks, not sure how much that changes anything but I doubt it helps.
 
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