Cushion Hitches

C

Clayton 210BR

New Member
Oct 3, 2006
46
SF Delta
Boat Info
210 Bowrider
Engines
5.0L
I saw an ad in Trailer Boats for Schuck Cushion Hitches, "Engineered to absorb minor or major tongue thrust shocks". The basic design is polyurethane wrapping between the ball mount and the frame insert into the receiver. It seems like a pretty good idea, but wanted to check for some 'real world' experience. Has anyone tried a cushion hitch or have an opinion on benefits?
 
I have no real world experience with this product.

It seems like this product may reduce the effectiveness of surge brakes as a result of the cushioning. Does your 210BR bang around enough to cause you to look at this product? It may be helpful to understand what you are towing with. I see their tongue weight capacities seem to be low at 4% or less of rated capacity. Many times a good deal of movement at the hitch (rear of vehicle) is a result of poor weight distribution.
 
Hey Jermey, thanks for the reply. It does seem like my rig is banging around quite a bit on rough roads. I'm towing with a 2006 Toyota Tundra double cab 4wd. I haven't weighed it, but I'm guessing boat/trailer/extras are about 5,000#s. That should be well within the towing capacity of my truck (6,500#s). I also had this problem with my previous tow vehicle, a 2000 Chevy Tahoe 4wd, so I was not really looking at the truck as the problem. Any other thoughts or areas that I should look at?
 
A couple of things that can cause the banging around can be not enough fluid in the surge brakes (I am assuming you have surge brakes on the trailer). If there is little fluid in the surge brake reservoir it can allow the actuator to slide back and forth very easily causing the "slop" you may be feeling. Excessive tongue weight or too little tongue weight. Have you checked the tongue weight of your trailer? You should be at approx 10% of the total trailer weight (trailer + boat). If it is too much or too little it can cause uncomfortable trailering.

I could not find the 210 BR manual online but the Sundeck is 3500 dry. 1500 or so for a dual axle trailer. 300 lbs for fuel (based upon 50 gallons) and then the weight of any equipment. You could very well be at or near the 5,500 lbs mark or more depending on what you carry with you.

I ask about your tow vehicle only to understand what your setup looks like... example if you tongue weight is a little off.... you will certainly "feel" it more with a lighter weight tow vehicle such as your Tundra or Tahoe than say with a 1 ton diesel. The 6500lb towing capacity usually assumes the driver + truck (your Tundra's manual will have details). When you begin to add people, pets, aftermarket accessories.... you begin to lower your towing capacity.

I have a friend who tows a 21 foot Malibu ski boat (lighter than your 210) with I believe a 2002 Tahoe. The truck has considerable bounce in the rear when he is towing compared to what I feel when I tow my 280DA (or past 220BR) but it is normal to him. I am just throwing ideas out as it is hard to experience your towing "ride" via message board.
 
Jeremy is right about your brake actuator, If your banging is when your stopping and then accelerating its probably your actuator. If its when your driving and under power its in your draw bar or ball and coupler. I actually seen this once a 2" coupler and an 1 7/8" ball.
With aprox. 500 pounds of tongue weight it will stay on the ball.
 
Back when I was towing my '87 Sea Ray S-24 Sorrento I bought one of the cushion hitches. I was towing about 5500 pounds with a '94 Toyota Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser was only rated for 5000 pounds but it was such a solid vehicle, I had a hard time believing that the extra 500 pounds was a problem.

My trailer did have surge brakes and while I didn't notice much noise while driving down the road, I was concerned by the jolt when starting up after braking such as at a stop light. If I wasn't really careful when accelerating, I got a pretty good whang when the brake accuator extended.

The thing I used was a ball mount that had a very solid block of some rubber-like substance where the pin went through the receiver and the mount. There was just enough shock absorption to stop the noise and the shock to the whole system but not enough to affect trailer braking.

IMO it was well worth the money paid. I may not have been hurting a thing but the noise was awful and that translated to worry and the cushion gave me some peace of mind while towing.
 
NorCal, you described my exactly the jolt I get when starting starting up from a stop if I'm not careful. This is really noticable on uneven pavement. It's hard to say if this is all related to my tow vehicle since I've overhauled the entire trailer (actuator, brakes, bearing, etc.) and switch tow vechicles all in the last year. It was really bad before the trailer overhaul. Now, not so much, but still there. I'm going to give the cushion hitch a shot since it's a pretty cheap investment. Hopefully, it will help. Thanks for the feedback.
 
I finally got a chance to tow my boat with the new Schuck cushion hitch and I have to say it was well worth the price. All the stop/start clunking is completely gone and the overall ride is much improved. I would give this a bit thumbs up for anyone with towing symptoms described above.
 
I put a convert-a-ball cushion hitch on my Tundra, and it is worth the money. It eliminated the extremely harsh mechanical shock that used to occur when my surge brake actuator extended to its hard stop - when accelerating off a stoplight, etc. Note that the brake actuator still contacts its stops when extending, which is "normal", but the cushion hitch absorbs a lot of the shock and doesn't let it slam the truck frame and trailer anywhere near as hard as it used to.

There is now only a mild "bump" that occurs when the brake actuator extends and hits its hard stop.

Do note that if your trailer's surge brakes are working properly, the brake actuator should NEVER hit its hard stop when it is compressing, (when you are slowing and it is actuating the trailer brakes), so the cushion hitch should not make a difference in that direction.

And, if you want to take all the slop out of the gap between the hitch receiver and the draw bar, for the ultimate cushioning effect and NO MORE clanging around back there, do this - it worked for me:
Get 2 or 3 flat rubber tie towns, lube 'em up with suntan lotion or other non-petrol lube, and cut off the fat ends where the hooks attach. Remove draw bar from receiver. Now lay the flat rubber strips in the bottom of the receiver, and just let the excess length hang out both ends of the receiver. Grind a small taper on the leading edge of your draw-bar and lube it too. Now press the draw bar into the receiver as far as you can by hand. Then back the truck up near a curb and use a 2x6 against the curb to pry the drawbar in completely until you can get the cross pin through it. If you're picky about cosmetics, cut off the extra rubber hanging out of the receiver.

It's worked well for about a year and 20 or so round trips. Somehow I know this is going to be a lightning rod for sarcasm, innuendo, and crude redneck humor....but it works. :thumbsup:
 
Mark V said:
I put a convert-a-ball cushion hitch on my Tundra, and it is worth the money. It eliminated the extremely harsh mechanical shock that used to occur when my surge brake actuator extended to its hard stop - when accelerating off a stoplight, etc. Note that the brake actuator still contacts its stops when extending, which is "normal", but the cushion hitch absorbs a lot of the shock and doesn't let it slam the truck frame and trailer anywhere near as hard as it used to.

There is now only a mild "bump" that occurs when the brake actuator extends and hits its hard stop.

Do note that if your trailer's surge brakes are working properly, the brake actuator should NEVER hit its hard stop when it is compressing, (when you are slowing and it is actuating the trailer brakes), so the cushion hitch should not make a difference in that direction.

And, if you want to take all the slop out of the gap between the hitch receiver and the draw bar, for the ultimate cushioning effect and NO MORE clanging around back there, do this - it worked for me:
Get 2 or 3 flat rubber tie towns, lube 'em up with suntan lotion or other non-petrol lube, and cut off the fat ends where the hooks attach. Remove draw bar from receiver. Now lay the flat rubber strips in the bottom of the receiver, and just let the excess length hang out both ends of the receiver. Grind a small taper on the leading edge of your draw-bar and lube it too. Now press the draw bar into the receiver as far as you can by hand. Then back the truck up near a curb and use a 2x6 against the curb to pry the drawbar in completely until you can get the cross pin through it. If you're picky about cosmetics, cut off the extra rubber hanging out of the receiver.

It's worked well for about a year and 20 or so round trips. Somehow I know this is going to be a lightning rod for sarcasm, innuendo, and crude redneck humor....but it works. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I have used convert-a-ball for many years. They are undoutably the best ball hitch company out there I strongly recommend them a great company.
 
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