safety guidelines — TRAILERS
the ball andcoupler system. All bent or broken coupler parts must be replaced before towing the trailer.
THE TOW VEHICLE, PINTLE HITCH AND PINTLE COUPLER MUST HAVE A RATED TOWING CAPACITY EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THE TRAILER gross vehicle Weight Rating (gvWR).
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE PINTLE HITCH BE OF THE SAME SIZE AS THE PINTLE COUPLER.
The coupler size and load rating (capacity) are marked on the coupler. Hitch capacity is marked on the hitch.
WaRnIng
Be sure the LOAD RATING of the pintle hitch hook is equal or greater than the load rating of the pintle eye coupler.
WaRnIng
A defective pintle hitch not properly fastened can result in uncoupling, leading to death or serious injury.
Be sure the pintle hook is securly tighten to the tow vehicle before coupling the trailer.
Coupling Trailer to Tow vehicle (pintle Coupler)
Slowly back up the tow vehicle so that the pintle hitch hook is near or aligned under the pintle eye ring coupler.
Using the jackstand at the front of trailer (tongue), turn the jackstand crank handle to raise the trailer. If the pintle eye coupler does not line up with the pintle hitch hook, adjust the position of the tow vehicle.
OPEN the pintle hook locking mechanism (Figure H). Place the hook inside the eye coupler. CLOSE the pintle hook mechanism.
Be sure the SIZE of the pintle hitch hook matches the size of the pintle eye coupler.
WaRnIng
A worn, cracked or corroded pintle hitch hook can fail while towing, and may result in death or serious
PINTLE
HOOK
TOW
VEHICLE
TRAILER
TONGUE
SAFETY CHAIN
MASTER LINK
injury.
Before coupling trailer, inspect the pintle hitch hook for wear, corrosion and cracks.
Replace worn or damaged pintle hitch hook.
Rock the pintle eye coupler to make sure it is secured tightly to the hitch.
Wipe the inside and outside of the pintle coupler. Clean and inspect it visually for cracks and deformations. Feel the inside of the coupler for worn spots and pits.
Be sure the coupler is secured tightly to the tongue of the trailer. All coupler fasteners must be visibly solid against the trailer frame.
Raise the bottom surface of the coupler to be above the top of the pintle hitch hook. Use the tongue jackstand to support the trailer tongue. Wood or concrete blocks may also be used.
| PINTLE |
| RING “EYE” |
SAFETY |
|
CHAIN | IMPORTANT! |
|
CROSS BOTH
SAFETY CHAINS
Figure H. Attaching Safety Chain (Pintle Hitch)
Insert a pin or lock through the hole in the locking mechanism.
Be sure the pintle hook is inserted completely through the eye ring and the locking mechanism is engaged. A properly engaged locking mechanism will allow the coupler to raise the rear of the tow vehicle. Using the trailer jack, test to see that you can raise the rear of the tow vehicle
Lower the trailer so that its entire tongue weight is held by the hitch.
Raise the jackstand to a height where it will not interfere with the road.
MLT25 SERIES LIGHT TOWER • operation manual — rev. #0 (11/28/12) — page 35
