Pullrite Super Stiff - too stiff?

[Tall Paul]

Got our first Pullrite in 2005 and had great luck with it.

We recently upgraded our pickup and decided to upgrade the Pullrite at the same time. It was a Pullrite authorized dealer who installed.

It’s very tight when I bring the handle back simulating a left hand turn but, concerningly, impossible to simulate a right hand turn. I know my old hitch was worn as I could always move it freely. This just seems too tight.

I understand the best way to diagnose would be to take it back to the dealer but we are hoping to get on the road before they open.

Anyone else have a Pullrite this tight?

 

[Tom Traveler]

Got our first Pullrite in 2005 and had great luck with it.

We recently upgraded our pickup and decided to upgrade the Pullrite at the same time. It was a Pullrite authorized dealer who installed.

It’s very tight when I bring the handle back simulating a left hand turn but, concerningly, impossible to simulate a right hand turn. I know my old hitch was worn as I could always move it freely. This just seems too tight.

I understand the best way to diagnose would be to take it back to the dealer but we are hoping to get on the road before they open.

Anyone else have a Pullrite this tight?

Forgive me if I'm asking something you have already checked but is your centering bolt too tight? It's the bolt on the front of the hitch that provides some initial resistance to keep the hitch from flopping back and forth when not hooked to the RV. I set mine so I have to pull with a bit of force to get it past center by hand, but can still get it to go. No issues when hooked up. It sounds like yours might be too tight.

 

[Riverbug]

Not familiar with Pullrite specifically but from experience the dealers do not always install the hitches correctly. Mine was way off once I read the manual and setup instruction. I contacted Fastway to make sure I wasn't missing something and they confirmed it seemed like the dealer didn't follow any setup instructions for our specific truck. I only drove it home from the dealer and reset everything before I drove it again so I can't say it was a noticeable difference. But I felt better knowing I walked through every step in the manual to ensure it was set up according to their specifications. If you have the manual, you might want to do the same.

 

[Tall Paul]

well guys, you were both right. Tom, I did forget the basics after all these years and did not loosen the center bolt. It was too tight but probably would have moved under the weight of the fifth wheel. I loosened slightly and will tighten as all the parts get broken in.

Once I loosened, it still did not move all the way because the cotter pins on the center nut were sticking straight up. Again, under towing it would have moved but the cotter pin could have been damaged causing problems down the road. So I fixed that and did a good thorough look to make sure there were no other issues. All good.

Thanks for your help. Now I’m going to do some arm workouts to beef up these bean counter arms.

 

[huntr70]

The correct tension on the center point SHOULD prohibit you from moving the head freely.

Unless, of course, you are a gorilla and man handle everything...LOL

There is a certain torque spec to maintain on that center bolt, but I can't remember what it is.