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I've been towing my utility trailer with my 300d and the hitch ball mount seems loose in the receiver. I hear a thumpa-thumpa sound whenever I go over bumps. Just for giggles, I lifted the front of my trailer up while it was connected to the truck and it moved up and down a fair amount - maybe 1/2" or thereabouts, measured at the rear-most part of the ball mount. I tried a different ball mount (both are the 2" square types that go into the 2" receiver) that I know fit my Ram perfectly, and it does the same thing.
I stuck some thin aluminum shims alongside the ball mount after putting it into the receiver and it seemed to fix the issue. I used my digital micrometer to measure the inside of the receiver and the outside of the ball mount shaft that inserts into the receiver. Both measure a bit over 2". Neither of the holes that the pin goes through (in the receiver and in the ball mount) are elongated, and the pin is straight.
Is it common to have this much play at that interface? Is there a special metric hitch ball mount I need (my vehicle is USA-assembled)?
Yes, German-made receivers are improperly toleranced for use in the American market. The MB receivers are made in Germany where imperial measurements are mostly, but not entirely, unknown. This is the problem. Check the manufacturer's label on the receiver.
I ran a VW Touareg for nearly 10 years with a clanka-clanka-clanka receiver that was not properly dimensioned to the drawbar (aka ball mount).
My W166 was not too bad. Loose but not as bad as the Touareg.
My current 9Y0 Cayenne also knocks and clanks because the Bratislava-assembled vehicle uses a European-sourced "2-inch-but-not-exactly" receiver.
Thanks @chassis ! Just for grins I looked on the eBay for Germany, wondering if they sold a drawbar that would fit properly. But it appears that the hitches they sell over there are not only completely different from those put on the US-assembled vehicles, but incompatible with them as well. So I guess I'm gluing shims in the receiver hole to reduce or eliminate the sloppy fit and rattle.
Yes shims are the only solution, other than fabricating a new or modified receiver. I wedged wood shims into my old Touareg - these worked but only as a temporary band aid. Just got back from towing with my current model Cayenne and it was a fairly clanky experience because of the Euro-US discrepancies on units of measure and drawbar types.
European drawbars, aka "tow hooks" are very different, and better because of powered concealability.
Get an 'anti-rattle hitch pin'. They usually have a spring that allows you to tighten down the hitch pin holding the receiver to the mount, some also include locks. This will eliminate the rattling and noise.
Basic ones look like this, but there are all sorts:
Thanks but the pin is tight. It's the hitch ball carrier square tube that goes into the receiver that's rattling around. The receiver hole is just a little too big for the hitch ball carrier. I bent up an old license plate and stuck it in there as a shim. It seems to be working fine, although I don't use it much. I was mostly interested in knowing whether I was unique or if others had the same thing happening. At least now I know.
Get an 'anti-rattle hitch pin'. They usually have a spring that allows you to tighten down the hitch pin holding the receiver to the mount, some also include locks. This will eliminate the rattling and noise.
Basic ones look like this, but there are all sorts:
Thats exactly what it is for: The anti-rattle Silent Hitch Pin from Let's Go Aero takes the rattle and play out of the connection between your trailer hitch and your ball mount or hitch accessory. The unique design features a sturdy steel block with an attached spring that is designed to sit inside the shank of your hitch-mounted accessory.
Place the block inside your ball mount or hitch accessory and line up the hole in the block with the pin hole in your ball mount. Slide your ball mount into your hitch and insert the hitch pin. To activate the anti-rattle device, just tighten the pin. Doing this will pull the accessory up against the wall of your hitch receiver, thus keeping the accessory from moving around inside your hitch. No more annoying clanking or vibrating.
Thats exactly what it is for: The anti-rattle Silent Hitch Pin from Let's Go Aero takes the rattle and play out of the connection between your trailer hitch and your ball mount or hitch accessory. The unique design features a sturdy steel block with an attached spring that is designed to sit inside the shank of your hitch-mounted accessory.
Place the block inside your ball mount or hitch accessory and line up the hole in the block with the pin hole in your ball mount. Slide your ball mount into your hitch and insert the hitch pin. To activate the anti-rattle device, just tighten the pin. Doing this will pull the accessory up against the wall of your hitch receiver, thus keeping the accessory from moving around inside your hitch. No more annoying clanking or vibrating.
So it uses friction to clamp the drawbar against the receiver tube. It works if the bolt is sufficiently torqued. Shims or the properly fitting parts (not German ones) are the better solutions.
@Chip Mason , I misunderstood how this worked when I first saw it. While it would eliminate side play I don't see how it mitigates up-down play. The side play isn't what's making most of the racket on mine - it's the up and down play. The device that @Carbon Dated posted would seem to be the better solution. But both of the solutions presented require a lot more fiddling around and tools to install - not really what I would want for the few times when I install/remove the hitch to use the trailer. I have shims made and will continue to use those.
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Place the block inside your ball mount or hitch accessory and line up the hole in the block with the pin hole in your ball mount. Slide your ball mount into your hitch and insert the hitch pin. To activate the anti-rattle device, just tighten the pin. Doing this will pull the accessory up against the wall of your hitch receiver, thus keeping the accessory from moving around inside your hitch. No more annoying clanking or vibrating.
