DIY Overland Articulating Hitch

[@WeekendWrenchTurner]

There comes a point in life where a man needs a lathe and a mill. You sir, I believe, are at that point.

[@jtdehaanjr]

Agreed!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Lol dude I wish!!!

[@ernestovalentin6597]

Absolutely true Nate

[@primalbeans]

@@DirtLifestyle a small used lathe and Bridgeport are totally affordable.

[@malcolmyoung7866]

Nate here in the UK lathes are to found in FB Marketplace for very little money(when you look at what your actually buying(Boxford/Myford/Colchester) being the norm…

[@7sevenls]

Hi Nate, I've been watching your channel for a while now and really enjoy it. Especially the fabrication. I worked as a millwright in a papermill for 23 years. And with that experience I have just one suggestion. Because none of your bushings will regularly rotate a full 360 degrees the grease is going to find it hard to go everywhere like you would want it to. I suggest you put small grooves on the bushing that will give the grease a place to travel around the bushing.

[@DirtLifestyle]

I like this idea 👍 I wish I had access to some machining tools lol. The plan is to spin them while I pump the grease in

[@chopperchuck]

we tpyed the same thing at the same time

[@Larsson86]

@@DirtLifestyle You can take a dremel and grinde a small grove from the grease point. If you do it in a spirale the grease will be evenly distributed :)

[@jmangus83]

I typed the same thing before deleting the post after seeing this one. I'd definitely do the spiral grooves, and like mentioned above, could be added by a dremel or die grinder with a carbide burr. I've purchased parts in the past with this design, and stored the idea in the back of my mind for if and when I needed it.

[@davidcooper3957]

I’m in aviation maintenance and all landing gear and flight controllers have those paths for the grease to move around so it would be a good idea

[@heinstrydom864]

True words, there is nothing like a over build safety and strength most important . Good project. Thank you

[@kielmeyer1]

Just came across this video, I work steel for a living, welding and fabrication, I have the experience and I appreciate the candidness if explaining what not to do for the novice.

[@leefhead1]

I fully agree. When I’m building something, or buying tools, I always do a risk analysis. If this breaks, what could happen? Personal or by stander injury? Or it breaks and I’m stuck on a shorty situation? Property damage? What am I willing to risk? Other people’s injury is always a no for me. If I was building an off road trailer, I’d made it have an interchangeable tongue. One that I can use an off the shelf tongue to get me to the trail, then I can swap it out for my DIY full articulation tongue. This solves both issues, reducing risk and liability. Nate I think your vehicle connection should be double sheer as well, but you’ve gone over and above otherwise. It’s impossible for that 12” bolt to back out all the way because it’s got the linkage behind it. Great job.

[@wildhorses4x4]

Facts

[@Axle347]

I agree, they say a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, I dont like how it's connected to the hitch by nothing but a weld. I don't trust that, I don't care who welds it. If it breaks, thats where its gonna go

[@bloodredhornet2704]

Another vote for the double sheer on the pin. Constructive criticism only here . Mad respect for your work, video, and presentation!

[@hughwolfe1176]

Nate I’m still in awe of the work you do. There’s nothing better than experience when your doing it your self.

[@cameronf2758]

As a senior engineering student, you sir are smarter than most engineers. I watch this channel for inspiration and design ideas to help with my own projects. Keep up the awesome work!

[@Engineer_Bear]

As a journeymen engineer in industry... I'll second your comment!

[@asherdie]

Most engineers are not smart, they just test well.

[@Engineer_Bear]

@@asherdie Incorrect, but trolls will believe what they believe.

[@asherdie]

@@Engineer_Bear poor little fella, did I touch a nerve? Just my 30 years experience.

[@Engineer_Bear]

@@asherdie still trolling? The fish your after may be out of season buddy.

[@jarronhaleysorrell]

I was happy when you said you would add gussets on the pivot 😁👌

[@DylanYouSonOfABidgeNelson]

I thought the thumbnail said "buick. simple. strong." Which made me think you REALLY love that land river engine.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Lol

[@bradshaw1]

The disclaimer at the end was well put and spot on. Nate, I love your vids, please keep it up man!

[@number1yota]

I love how you have an idea and you build something. I will say though, there's already an easy way to set up a hitch that'll pivot 360. Pintle hitch. Use a standard lunat on the trailer side, and find a pintle hitch off a military humvee, or truck. The military pintles spin 360, and are spring loaded to reduce bounce. I've seen several people make them work with standard 2 inch hitches.

[@bradywilliams2666]

They work great but are noisy. At what point does a 2 5/16" not give enough angle? I've put trailers in some stupid positions with just a ball. Look at a grader ball link set up.

[@Chasitek]

Agreed. The work put into this far outweighs any benefits on a pintle for me. Still cool though.

[@number1yota]

The primary reason for the 360 articulation is for rollovers. That's you can roll the trailer without it pulling the tow vehicle, and vice versa. Military pintles are spring loaded and spin 360 instead of fixed pintles just for rollovers.

[@remodel19]

This is what i was going to say. This is alot of work for what a pintle will do.

[@turbomustang8417]

They sell them at Northern tool. $100 But either way it’s still cool

[@wardperozuk2288]

Well, that was interesting! Lots of people don’t understand snow. Seems so simple but there is wet snow vs dry snow vs granular vs frozen (that’s right frozen) vs fluffy vs snow pack and icy bottom and crusted top….. winter wheeling is definitely different. I’m in the prairies of SK and we get most of those conditions. Tough going! You guys did well and look at the memories you have made! Cheers

[@dacrazycard7086]

I was a welder fabricator for 17 years. You over engineered that sucker as much as I would have. Great design!

[@lucasblanchard47]

Better to be overbuilt than underbuilt! That looks STRONG!

[@tCrowbar]

This was a super cool inspirational video. Thanks for taking the time to explain the risks involved with something like this and then immediately saying “GO BUY ONE, DON’T BUILD IT.” I’m the type of person that despite having zero welding experience would be tempted to take this on as a first project without a second thought. I appreciate the warnings AND the education on both the safety of this and the shop-level “engineering” that went in to this. Thanks, Nate!

[@77bronc14]

This is the best design I have ever seen....I am a retired mechanical engineer and designed/worked with linkages and mechanical control systems for 39 years and you really thought this one through. Great job Edit to add: I did see some of the commnets below after I posted and I agree....machining in grease passages on the bushings will facilitate better grease distribution

[@jasonh4167]

Thats an excellent design Nate, i cant promise not to copy it. Its also built the way would do it anyway.✌

[@rb30athorn]

I'll never have the tools or your skills, but you are fun to watch.

[@ElleryBaker]

Add a plate on top of the bolt in the original hitch - make it a double shear also. Absolutely appreciate you man - great channel.

[@thomasharman4660]

You honestly have thee best offroad channel on here. The amount of ideas and inspiration I get from your videos is awesome. Thanks for the great content man.

[@ronnychavez8521]

Appreciate you addressing the safety concerns about doing this type of project

[@sparklu]

I think bushing is the term you are looking for :-)

[@DirtLifestyle]

Bushing: 1. a metal lining for a round hole, especially one in which an axle revolves. Bearing: 4. a part of a machine that bears friction, especially between a rotating part and its housing. My knee jerk reaction was to agree with you lol but I figured I should look up the definition first. I think this is more of a bearing then a bushing only because it's not a metal lining but in either case I hope you could understand what I was poorly explaining lol. 🤦‍♂️ Thanks for the comment 🙌

[@nemesis851_]

Saw this last week for the first time. Now a DIY How-To 👍

[@adrianll8289]

I would replace these two gold bolts with fine thread bolts and use some sort of safety pins, plus spring washers. I believe that the tow ball you showed comes with a spring washer and has a fine thread, these are important details. I love the design as always, that comes without saying ;)

[@unclerico1980]

Cool build. Glad you mentioned adding side gussets to that initial tube joint. Adding a top plate from the drop part of the hitch over the top of the first bolt would put that in double shear and add a ton of extra strength. Just a thought

[@georgehettwer9895]

If I can give you a suggestion. Take the inner sleeve you made and cut some spiral grooves around it for the grease to have a passage to travel around the sleeve when you grease it.

[@Jammer0825]

Love your channel Nate!! Been watching since Bleeping Jeep. I appreciate that you are honest about the things your are building are not for everyone. I don’t think a lot of people really think about what could happen to you and loved ones when these kind of things fail. Thanks for keeping it real!!!

[@porkyswelding]

the 1/2" receiver pin is now the weak link, may as well beef that up while you're at it, great skills man

[@jake-mv5oi]

Usually it's 5/8" on 2" receivers. It'd probably take a high speed collision to shear that. It'd most likely bend the hitch first.

[@porkyswelding]

@@jake-mv5oi once i lost the key to a locking pin, it popped in two quite easily with a pipe wrench, not nearly as strong as i was expecting but i hope you're right

[@porkyswelding]

@@notsevenfeettall good point

[@phillip.9524]

When I started watching this I was worried but when you clarified with your disclaimer at the end that was good. We are so lucky in Australia we have a many high quality off the shelf hitches to choose from. I use a McHitch automatic connector they are rated at 7,700 pounds which is pretty much the standard rating here. Fun viewing.

[@mikemorgan4670]

Always very interesting to see "field engineering" in action, very admirable. Looking forward to watching this build progress.

[@Yotasol18]

After watching several of your videos all I can say is wow! You sir are blessed! Blessed with the gift of creativity among many other things. Thank you for sharing and inspiring, love all your videos, adventuring and instructional 💯👍🏼👍🏼

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thank you very much for the positive comment! We are honored to have you enjoying the videos 👍

[@joealmodova8672]

Hello I showed your hitch design to a friend .He owns and maintains 15 combines 12 trucks and trailers . Does his own fabrication and welding . He was amazed how you designed and welded it together. We copied it and and in 3 hrs. Had it finished. He says it doesn't need double shear and can pull anything I want. Thanks for sharing.

[@MrTatts1970]

Love all the content that you produce!! I can honestly state that I have watched the majority of your videos repeatedly. If I ever have a question about my build I can answer it by watching your channel or Big Tire Garage. You are the go to though because you work with tools that I have access to.

[@jwg34]

Overbuild is good! Really enjoy the show!

[@piasprojects]

Wow talk about beef! Definitely lots of thought and reinforcement put into the articulating hitch. Looking forward to the continued progress!!

[@MacsSpecialitiesMotorsports]

We like your 'Sleeve Bearing Spinning Hitch' Design!

[@codyblount1]

I'm excited to see your trailer build. I've been working on a 4x6' trailer on 35's for a while.

[@jasonjeffries9871]

If your first bolt comes loose at all it will be acting in bending, and would be your weakest link. One minor addition that I would suggest, as an engineer that also enjoys overbuilding stuff, is to make your first bolt double shear as well. Weld a plate that runs from the drop arm of the hitch out and over your first bearing, and pop a hole in it for the first bolt. I realize this is also overkill, but while your at it, switch out that hitch pin with another 1" bolt! Love the content, and definitely watching this series!

[@dougbourdo2589]

You are 100% Correct Nate. There are a Lot of sketchy trailers out there.

[@willb3018]

Great hitch. Better advice. This guy is the real deal.

[@dubCanuck1]

I would make the main bolt/pin double shear. Because it's not "jammed" against the hitch tongue, it'll allow for slop on that 1" bolt to move, wear, and fatigue, especially without the wide flange that the ball has to distribute shear. Also, maybe thread that front collar onto the logitudinal spindle for secondary /backup clamping on that spindle. Love the build. Keep it up!

[@courtneyjohnson496]

Hi Nate, Love your channel and love this project! I personally do not like camping offroad trailers for overlanding ( everything should fit in the vehicle or it doesnt belong, but each to their own and they are cool nonetheless). The one thing maybe you could look at is that you have a single sheer on the part of your "universal joint" where the tow ball used to be? By welding a plate on the top with a hole in so the tube can slide between the two you would make it a lot stronger. The reason I believe it can be an issue is that the tow ball is tightened directly to to bottom of the plate, whereas now you are tightening it from the top +-50mm away from the plate with a long bolt which has much more sheer force and opportunity to flex. I realise that would might make that you cannot just remove this hitch and put the ball back, unless you make the plate at the top removable with bolt or something. You could also step the bolt grade up to 10.9 , I do have some experience with the towbar industry ( I was the technical representative of a company that supplied all of the major tow-bar manufacturers in South Africa at some point and I still supply some of these customers with components that I manufacture through my company) and they all use specially made 10.9 grade bolts for any fastener that links the car with the trailer. Again, good job so far and keep up the good work!

[@laferriere6]

I've never even heard of 10.9 bolts. Thanks for the info. I like your thinking on that being a shear point. It also has more leverage as the ball is so low in comparison. With that said it's probably overkill when you consider it's functional use. He built this to be built right though, so I'm sure losing the hitch's versatility of being able to go back to a ball is negligible.

[@Makswerks1]

I have built one of these in the past. It worked fantastic for my trailer. Your's is also well designed. I dig it. Side note. Mine full decked out, filled with water, gas, ect came in at just 1800# with an all metal construction and some pretty beefy components. So this hitch design will pull it all day with no fuss.

[@victornelsonduarteanria7729]

Thanks, excellent instructional video, I would like to make one like it with all the security lines recommended by you. I hope you continue making videos like these

[@adamw225]

When you started pulling the welding cart out again I got excited all the way over here in Australia ha. Love your welding and fab videos nate.

[@Burn280]

I like the option of being able to remove the articulating hitch from the trailers. I personally would run a standard ball cupler on the highway and swap to the articulating hitch once at the trail head. Already gotta air down so am extremely couple minutes to swap hitches is gonna hurt. Less wear and tear on the articulating hitch and I feel a standard ball controls trailer sway and bounce better with the lack of rotational movement

[@paulscarlett2028]

Check out the DO35 coupling. Silent , flexible and easy to connect/ disconnect. I use it on mine, and we really wheel it.

[@TipsyRavenSailing]

bearing -> bushing i believe is the word you were looking for? love the build. yoink.

[@frediefarmer]

I like the way you over build everything you do. Awesome…👍🏽👍🏽

[@angelbernes7585]

I always wanted to see a super hitch done . And this is very inspiring. Thanks for sharing!!

[@MS-kh2je]

Love the offroad fab videos mixed in with the overlanding videos

[@georgeeads8689]

I agree with you Nate. Do it right. You have made a great video with great information. Thanks Nate.

[@circusmonkey84]

I'm looking forward to seeing the trailer build, you're always full of knowledge and your videos snowball my thought process I'll either scrap what I have or reinforce the trailer

[@donaldwatson6342]

Great design and great explanation. Safety thir.......FIRST, FIRST!!

[@BackDraft305112]

Interesting of take on the concept, I've seen quite a few instances of people using a 1480 or 1550 U joint for a pivot. Saw you towing the disco through Frederickson on Friday at the Medical Freedom rally!

[@billjcanada]

That hitch will work well with a light trailer. You build the way I used to.

[@FlawedOffroad]

This is really well designed you did a good job. sandwiching that sleeve to make it stationary so that nothing spins on the bolt was smart. The only thing I was going to say was the gussets and then you said it yourself before I could type it. Cant wait to see how this thing ends up!

[@jerrydebaca8697]

I would have put the first bolt on the truck side under a double-shear design. Great video. Love when you fab stuff. Very nice.

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks! Hitch balls are the industry standard and are all single shear 👍

[@jerrydebaca8697]

@@DirtLifestyle Yes, but they are inches shorter, and have thick flares along their bases to help handle the rotational forces.

[@inzaneartworks3109]

Awesome build, great PSA at the end.

[@GenderSkins]

I am going to chime in here, as someone that has worked for a company that fabricated trailer hitches that was DOT approved. What this man said is 100% true. As I’ve seen trailer hitch companies start up and then shut down, because their product failed due to design flaws and poor manufacturing procedures after being put on the road. As peoples lives depend on the quality of things like a trailer hitch, and how it’s attached to the vehicle. And the last thing you want, is that beautiful 1955 Chevy or 5,000 pound load slamming into an oncoming car because of a bad hitch or ball that was welded on.

[@woodcrafter76]

I've seen two brands of these hitches, and this one seems to be built considerably better.

[@NikkiTheOtter]

This one seems quite well built, but there is one thing I've seen on the mass-produced versions that this doesn't have, that could reduce the need for the gusset there. They put the truck-side pin BEHIND the trailer-side pin, so if the weld or polymer block break down, you're still dragging with a pair of crossed pins. The rest looks very good to me.

[@JeepXJ8895]

Great video on explaining your thought process and build for something as complex as a full articulating hitch assy! Also way to stay productive while waiting on parts for your projects.

[@KingKong-bo7nk]

Love the fab stuff as much as the wheeling stuff keep it up Nate

[@davidduchesne111]

It's a Bushing! Thanks for the video, you do nice work.

[@jvazquez53]

Very interesting project! I have seen that type of hitch before but I dont know how they are called, great for off road. Thank you for sharing!

[@hombre3000]

Brilliant stuff at the end . . it takes some real wisdom to talk about that stuff the way you do. Very cool - thanks as always.

[@PaulKaiser42]

Great looking hitch!!! Awesome heads up too….I still love the idea of the pintail hitch for off road….for exactly the reasons you spoke about👍🏻. As always great stuff…can’t wait to see the trailer build!!

[@jjansen987]

It’s overkill. 👍 nice and strong. No problem pulling out from the trailer now. Great fab work!

[@jenky1044]

This is very cool. I might try to make one of these for my 4 wheeler. Oh also that piece that went inside that tubing would be called a bushing. 👍🏻 nice design.

[@donbeary6394]

What an awesome build !

[@jasoncaston4557]

You build some of the coolest things i get to see

[@cobeallen5545]

I’m definitely going to go home and look at my articulating hitch. Pretty sure I got a middle of a road one but have been towing my Offroad trailer with it and actually have really liked it. Never has done me dirty but definitely want to see how everything is held in!

[@EverythingOutdoors]

Loved the video. I look forward to your trailer build. It will be awesome. Thank you for the disclaimer at the end.

[@rareearthfab5511]

As one of those crazy engineers…. Great job. Definitely gusset the double pivot as you said you are going too. The weak spot for sure. I would also consider welding a plate onto the hitch to put the top of the pivot in double shear. As you know that would take a lot of stress out of that assembly just like when building HD steering with heim joints. Other than that I recommend as someone else mentioned fluting a grease pathway inside your pivots so that you can get better distribution of the grease when you pump it in. It also allows a little extra grease in the joints.

[@nate4036]

I think it’d definitely surpass any other option commercially sold at that point. I’d consider a patent and legalization of it and set up a sales account

[@justintb96]

It really surprised me he didn't double shear it, and my only guess is that it would make hooking up the trailer a pita. Doesn't seem like Nate to not even consider that detail, I'm sure he had a reason

[@rareearthfab5511]

@@justintb96 I think we may never know??? 🤣

[@johncanalese588]

@@nate4036check out the Cruisemaster DO35 fully articulating hitch from Australia.

[@ssravernal4185]

You have a good design. I'd use it. Great video, looking forward to the trailer.

[@RobertLowery]

You should hook that thing to a big tree and try to put it apart. That weld between the upright and horizontal tubes seems like the most likely weak link. Get a tension gauge on it, if you test it, to see what it will handle if it does break. Also, I think the word you were looking for, when you said you didn't know what to call the tube inside the tube, is bushing. Great video. I am working on an overlanding truck and am looking at building a trailer for it next year.

[@nate4036]

I believe after gussets on the axis, it’d be as strong as a 2 5/16 setup. Definitely stronger than a 2” ball setup with a stamped metal coupling (such as boat trailers).

[@250krawler]

Yeah, should of used a square block or thick square tube, I'd trust over the welds. He says he'll add gussets to not rely on just the weld but they will obviously be welded on as well. That and double sheer on the hitch.

[@veryhighpower]

I agree 100%. I've had quite a few people ask me to weld on their hitches and trailer tongues over the years. I never have. With the liability issues I've seen friends go after friends and families feud after failed welds.

[@TheBlackKnight6]

I have been waiting for this build! I just began building my own offroad trailer last winter. I hope you don't make me regret any of my design choices!! Lol

[@jondahl3173]

2 thoughts: A full wrap around gusset for the 1st pivot, and 2) A tab for the top of the first pivot, to put that bolt in double shear, making that much stronger if you pull anyone with the trailer.

[@ifitsnotbrokenfixit1193]

Great video Nate. No such thing as overkill when someones life is behind ya.

[@Pike3916]

For anyone who does decide to build a hitch like this, I would recommend towing to the trail with a standard DOT approved hitch and swapping at the trailhead and only using it offroad just to absolve yourself of the liabilities.

[@matthewsullivan1615]

Love that. Cannot wait too see the whole trailer. I’ve been meaning to build one also.

[@phlashtheband4939]

Just stumbled across your channel and it's awesome!

[@adjake1]

I dig it….A LOT. Like everything you do, this was well thought out. Excellent disclaimer. So much of youtube is filled with the “cheap” alternative. To anyone who builds it to be cheap, please don’t drive near me. Thank you.

[@ricardostravels3265]

Very good legal point about building stuff yourself. You may have just saved saved someones life and/or life savings from being sued. Nice Job..!

[@DailyBrewGarage]

Very well done! I love watching you fabricate. Great ideas and great videography!

[@HealthSupercharger]

amazing job wow that hitch is good for a 10k trailer the way it looks.

[@ianrunyon2423]

That’s exactly what I need for my ATV trailer! Thanks for the idea. (Off Hwy… don’t worry.😆)

[@minisaba87]

How about making the mounting from the hitch to the grade 8 bolt a double shear mount. It would help from keeping that bolt cool and trying to bend. Great video dude, that intro is Hollywood worthy!

[@DirtLifestyle]

Thanks! I considered it but when you look at the industry standard (a hitch ball) and see the amount of weight that is hauled on its design it becomes obvious that double shear is not necessary for a build like this 👍 Thanks for watching buddy

[@johnparker3725]

Grade 8 bolts don’t have the same shear strength that a hitch ball is engineered for and it doesn’t account for the leverage an off road trailer could apply at extreme angles. I agree it’s overkill for normal conditions and light off-roading but we know how you like to wheel. One gusset eliminates all doubt in that joint!! Love the channel

[@DirtLifestyle]

@@johnparker3725 can you please site your data? I've never found the shear strength for a 1" Shank on a hitch ball so please include it in the conversation. I'm never married to my ideas but need actual data to change my opinion. 👍

[@johnparker3725]

@@DirtLifestyle I will see what I can find for data. From 25 years of combined real experience driving tow trucks and as a physical damage inspector for a major insurance company. picking up vehicles/trailers that have been in accidents with sheared off hitch balls it’s a safe addition. I also worked for a major insurance company as a physical damage inspector and can tell you that the most common failure point is the ball and then secondly the actual trailer A frame at the front wall. Just my .02. I will try to find data to support what I have seen first hand. Just want you to be safe, 4” of metal isn’t much but it would add superior strength.

[@DB-yj3qc]

Looks it should be solid for off road use. I built a off road trailer for my XJ with a MJ bed as the box part 20 years back. I did a swappable receiver on it with a 2 in ball mount or a ring for a 5 ton pintle on vehicle end. I welded up the pintle mount for the 2" receiver on my Jeep the trailer had a adjustable tongue length. I do agree with others on having the bolt in the vehicle end needs to be double shear, if not for added security at least for comfort of mind. 8 grade bolt has stupid load holding ability but can break under shock loading. All of us have probably seen a few sketchy hitches traveling down the road. One of the worst I spotted was a ball hitch mounted upside down and the trailer hitch modified to attach that way.

[@Engineer_Bear]

You may not have an engineer on site, but you have at least one enjoying your content. If you really feel like doing some math on some parts, google is your friend. Some of it is easy, some of it takes more knowledge of application. For instance: clamping force vs torque. Applying 150 ft-lb of torque through your 1 in bolts would result in about 9000 lb of clamping force.

[@Engineer_Bear]

@@notsevenfeettallShort answer is it doesn't. At least not in the final equation. They are relatable, but don't directly influence each other. The pitch would only change how much a fastener rotates while being torqued, but wouldn't actually effect the amount of stretch in the fastener. You could probably use thread pitch to determine how much the fastener moves, walk that through the amount of stretch applied to the fastener and run that into a stress analysis to determine the axial force in the bolt. From there you can determine the torque through the original equation which is T=F*d*friction. The friction modifier is usually an assumed value based on a conservative estimation. For steel you'd usually use 0.2. If you use a lube it may be more like 0.15. Unless you know the exact friction coefficient you won't get an exact torque (or conversely, clamping force), but in most cases a stock number is good enough. edit: Bad on me... T is torque, F is the axial force or clamping force in the bolt, d is the diameter of the fastener. There's a symbol for friction, but I'm not about to try and insert Greek symbols in youtube comments... but It's Mu if you're curious.

[@pawelallable]

As an ME grad but never practiced in a single way, when I see videos like this I always wonder where the weakest link is. How strong do you think that weld around the radius on the first tube bolted to the truck's receiver hitch actually is? I wish I knew how to calculate it, but thats what I wonder about. Any thoughts?

[@Engineer_Bear]

@@pawelallable It definitely requires more information than we have from the video. In general though, the weld will likely be stronger than the base material around it, and the heat affected zone around the weld will be weaker than the other base material that wasn't heated. The plate he's using is pretty beefy though, so my gut is on the weak point being the single shear bolt that actually pins the whole system to the drawbar. If he can put that bolt in double shear, the whole system would be significantly stronger.

[@pawelallable]

@@Engineer_Bear Thank you. I hear a lot of talk about welds being stronger than the original metal online, but whenever I hear that I wonder "ok but how many linear inches of this weld is there? Is that enough to hold this weight?" If you take a square tube and cut in in half, and then weld it back together, I can somewhat understand that this now is about as strong as it was. But if I take two round pipes at 90 to each other, is this just as strong if it was one piece originally?

[@Engineer_Bear]

@@pawelallable It really depends on the weld quality. Welding is more art than science, beyond selection of filler/electrode anyway. For the most part, a "pretty" weld is a good weld, but beyond that its either expensive or destructive to really test the weld quality. Welded cross pipe may not have the same ultimate strength as cast or machined pieces, but both those processes are expensive, especially on a small scale. Between the pipe he used and the weld process he described (plus the weld looked great), I have no doubt that the part will meet the strength requirements plus a significant margin of safety. Considering the all inclusive cost difference, this part was probably less than $50 to make, while other options would have been hundreds if there isn't a mass manufactured part that's close enough to what he's making.

[@jinglingbabygarage7030]

Love how you make what you’ve got work! Used your Harbor Freight bender ideas on my channel, worked great!’Thanks

[@erikbrown8036]

fantastic build. on your vertical 1" G8 bolt that connects to the truck I would respectfully suggest a double shear connection; in that you add a piece of either 3/8" plate or 1/2" plate at the top section where the bolt would drop into the collar to capture the bolt in two points. I don't think based on how you built this that it would ever be an issue but work hardening of where the bolt contacts the drop hitch could become an issue with road miles in mind-similar to tire carrier woes. Otherwise an amazing design that is far more robust than what is on the market.

[@JeffSeamanest]

I 100% agree with your comments at the end of the video. I'm putting together a small, off-road capable trailer, too. I don't have the skills to build the trailer, so I ordered my trailer and am modifying the sleeping quarters using the skills I do have. With that in mind, I thought I'd offer some food for thought. Part of my plan is to use the Lock n Roll system and I've started ordering parts from them, but I've read some general concerns about using an articulating hitch on the highway. I'm not sure how valid some of the concerns are, but I still think some of the concerns may be valid, so I also have a solid 2"x2" bar with a standard 2" coupler that I plan to use primarily for highway use. It may be a bit more time consuming to swap out hitch setups when I head off-road, but I like the idea of having both hitches, both for safety and redundancy. Just a thought to share. Looking forward to watching this build.

[@ColeVanWeezy1991]

It reminds me of a hinge 👍 I like how you set it down low to take the leverage off the bolt that was well thought through 💯 looks and works nice!!!

[@jtdehaanjr]

Awesome start to what I'm sure will be one of my favorite series! Been wanting to build my own offroad trailer! This is going to be cool!

[@chadliggett286]

Brother, Awesome video! Good advice for most! Especially the ones that can't weld! Shouldn't be building anything until they get certified as a welder! They make a Breakaway Switch for trailers and that's why you have safety chains! Best Regards!

[@slaptybachumdybum]

It's a bushing , a bad ass homemade bombproof bushing.

[@Scoobienorth]

I hope this trailer is a tandem axle setup. Most build singles because they are fine for weight but 2 axles ride better, give better angles, some redundancy if an axle has issues, and as Matt’s offroad recovery and trail mater show in truly tough going the tandems get around better and easier to pull. Building custom axles with beefy hubs would be cool to watch.

[@jaybuilder8298]

Good advice on the safety! I’d like to have one for the farm not for traveling

[@kevinlange7319]

Thats a TON of work for something easily purchased thats probably safer and better from Max Coupler. In fact I had a Max Coupler and never really saw a need for it. Guys were running standard hitches on the same trails no issue and less likely to roll over and take your Jeep with. Food for thought. Sometimes its just better to buy something.

[@popperbits]

Nice work on redesigning a pintle hitch! I imagine this will be quite ar bit quieter though

[@erikschutzman2402]

Ohhhhhh, exciting, I have been waiting for the trailer build