Brand New Hitch Question ?

[Rideandslide]

Just finished installing our new Husky Centerline TS Hitch, this is our first trunion style hitch. Everything went great, only had to disassemble once for angle adjustment. The area i have to work is grass, fairly level, but still not great, all done so decided to tow her up to the nearby shopping center with a flat paved parking lot to check final measurements before locking everything down, made at least a dozen or more 90 degree turns in the 10 miles or so trip, quiet , no creeking, poping, or groaning ( something the TS claims over it competition ) .
Here's the question, is this wear on the lift bracket, from the spring bar normal ? I know it's just powder coating, and friction is part of the sway control, which i have no input yet on that, just a short trip .

[GypseeDaddy]

Just installed this hitch and made my first pull (250 miles)......and it now looks just like your photos. I have the same question.....is this normal? How is your hitch brackets holding up?

[thebrakeman]

The bar is not resting flat on the support bracket. That is, it's tilted inward just a bit, so that all the load is on the inside edge, and not on the entire lower surface. As you make a turn, the bars move side to side, and the increased pressure due to the smaller surface area of that edge, means the bar's edge is gouging into the support bracket(s).

The good news is that as things wear in, you will see that wear pattern get wider. This groove will soon be on the same small angle as the bar, meaning the surface area is increasing as it wears in. If fact, I think I see it starting to touch out at those pins. As surface are increases, pressure decreases, and the wear should slow down.

I would let it wear in, but watch for corrosion issues. After things are settled in, perhaps you could have those brackets re-coated.

If I were the design engineer, I would enlarge the holes used to pin the bars at the front sockets. This would allow the bars to lay flat on the brackets in the new condition.

[Papa GLS]

Hate to keep harping, but; NONE of these & other issues with my Blue OX.