The coupler connection to the frame is one of the most important when it comes to trailer safety.
Result Of A Coupler Coming Apart From The Trailer Frame
Why Use Huck Bolts On Couplers
Huck Bolts are made out of a variety of materials, with many different styles for specific applications. Huck fasteners are most often used in manufacturing, mining equipment, shipbuilding, and agriculture, as well as in trucks, trailers, bridges, railways, and railcars, wherever vibration is present.
Unlike threaded nuts and bolts, Huck lockbolts allow no relative movement between the cylindrical collar and a threaded pin. This creates an extremely durable connection that will hold the coupler and frame together long term, even with constant vibration.
Compared with conventional nut-and-bolt fasteners, the Huck lockbolt is a permanent, high-strength joint. A Huck lockbolt has a larger cross-sectional area and core diameter than a bolt of the same size, providing 10 to 20 percent greater tensile strength, according to Arconic, the maker of Huck bolts.
Other Must Have Components
Washers are a critical element of fastener use. In some cases, the use of the washers is critical to such an extent that not using them could lead to a reduced lifespan of the product being put together. Failure of using them could therefore result in long term destruction of the product you are putting together.
The picture to the left is of the very front of an aluminum cargo trailer frame. The coupler has pulled through the frame and broken off.
1) The bolts holding the coupler onto the frame were missing washers.
2) There is no jack plate for extra strength and support.
Improper rigging of safety chains can not only result in loss of control of both your trailer and tow vehicle, but can also cause serious injury or worse if the trailer uncouples from the tow vehicle. The safety chains should never be attached to the coupler, they should always be attached directly to the frame. If the coupler comes apart from the frame and the safety chains are attached to the coupler, the trailer will become independent of the towing vehicle - This is extremely dangerous.
