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Old 03-11-2021, 01:26 AM   #1
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Bulldog Hitch Upgrade?

So we went to pick up the trailer to take it home and start preliminary preparations for our long-awaited and hoped-for and as-yet ill-defined next trip.

Apparently the guy driving the fork lift that they use to move trailers around at the storage lot seized the opportunity to hit the coupler when parking our trailer the last time we dropped it off 6 weeks ago. It had a nice long time to sit out in the weather and get good and rusty before we went there today. Surprise!

They said they’ll pay for the old coupler to get ground off and a new one welded on. And they're Damn Right They Will!

Hope that it was only the coupler that got bent up – not the front part of the trailer frame. The frame is lots stronger than the coupler, being thick-wall rectangular stock. It got clobbered on a downstroke of the fork lift so the tongue jack took a pretty good hit too.

The wayward fork lift driver is no longer with the company, so maybe this little misadventure got his sorry butt fired. Planning to order a Bulldog 7,000 lb coupler from E-Trailer. The head guy at the storage lot suggested a particular trailer/welding/repair shop - about 16 miles way, yikes - and he had already called them. They specialize in trailer repair and from-scratch fabrication, so I called them and had a nice chat – they seem on the proverbial ball (pun definitely intended), but ya never know. Will go back to the storage lot tomorrow with my mechanic’s creeper and have a nice long look up the inside of the coupler ball socket and hopefully it will look good enough for a very cautious and slow 16 mile run up to the welding shop next week.

Anyhow, this looks like a grand opportunity to upgrade to a Bulldog Hitch. We'll definitely not miss the occasional struggle unhitching the original crappy coupler.

So...

I have seen lots of good things regarding the Bulldog hitches, and am seeking any input from any of you Bulldoggers out there, both good and bad. Any cautions or regrets or general hitch switch concerns or whatever else to share?

Thanks...


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Old 03-11-2021, 09:08 AM   #2
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Your timing of this post is perfect for me. After 340 nights in my 19, I’m ready to change out my crappy original latch to the Bulldog (5000# low profile latch) My challenge is finding the right shop to install it. One trailer shop said “yeah, we can do it - $100/hr. and half a day. Seems “too nonchalant for my tastes! I want the job done right, but my money not wasted by the installer.
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Old 03-11-2021, 10:33 AM   #3
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It takes about an hour to grind off, then about another to weld on. Then they need to paint up over the triangle, however you could say you would do that yourself. When I had this done in 2016 Reace said it should cost $150. It was $300.

So many contractors want to quote you time and materials to build you a house. To me that is like writing a blank check and refuse to do that.
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Old 03-11-2021, 10:40 AM   #4
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This is my second trailer I’ve changed to a Bulldog coupler and you will enjoy the end to the frustration of the ETI stock coupler. It is a positive 360 lock under the ball and you’ll feel much safer towing with this coupler.

Everything is so much better with the Bulldog, but it is different locking and unlocking the coupler. There is a slight learning curve and the coupler collar will be stiff when first installed, but it gets easier with use. You do have to be a bit more accurate when backing up to hitch, but that isn’t an issue for anyone that’s been doing this awhile.

I used a mobile welder and he came out to storage which is the way to go. Cost to grind off and weld new was $225.
Sorry about the damage to your trailer, but it may turn out to be a big positive for you.
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Old 03-11-2021, 12:22 PM   #5
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Seems the Bulldog is the only viable option these days unless you want the exact same as what Escape installs. Search for yoke coupler and the images are identical to the RAM one Escape has historically installed. At Etrailer they call it Pro Series for a 5000# model or A-Frame Trailer Coupler - Yoke Latch - Black - 2" Ball - Weld On - 8,000 lbs which at the bottom mentions part CA-5210-B Ram A-Frame Trailer Coupler - Yoke Latch - 2" Ball - Black - 8,000 lbs. While it says RAM and the Pro Series doesn't- they're both made in China.
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Old 03-11-2021, 01:30 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Great Eggstrications View Post
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I have seen lots of good things regarding the Bulldog hitches, and am seeking any input from any of you Bulldoggers out there, both good and bad.

Thanks...


Based on 40 years of experience with both types on couplers, I think you will be much happier with the bulldog.
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Old 03-11-2021, 02:29 PM   #7
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Will go back to the storage lot tomorrow with my mechanic’s creeper and have a nice long look up the inside of the coupler ball socket and hopefully it will look good enough for a very cautious and slow 16 mile run up to the welding shop next week.
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I used a mobile welder and he came out to storage which is the way to go. Cost to grind off and weld new was $225.
That coupler doesn't look too hot. Will the latch even come down to lock onto a ball? My suggestion would be to call around and see if a mobile welder would come to the storage lot like Greg did. These guys, ReadyWeld, don't look that far from you and appear to offer mobile services...
Mobile Welding, issaquah welder, seattle welder, eastside
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Old 03-12-2021, 02:33 PM   #8
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That coupler doesn't look too hot. Will the latch even come down to lock onto a ball? My suggestion would be to call around and see if a mobile welder would come to the storage lot like Greg did. These guys, ReadyWeld, don't look that far from you and appear to offer mobile services...
Thanks rubicon327 for the ReadyWeld reference, and thanks to everyone else for chiming in. After the optimistically feel-good conversation I had with the welding shop that my storage lot guys suggested, I had decided to go with them. I spent some time yesterday back at the storage lot having a good long look at my bent-up hitch, and after cleaning the grease and crud out of the ball socket and scraping off the loose paint chips, could see no signs of cracking or undue stresses (yeah, I used my special magnaflux goggles!), and the latching mechanism still operated correctly - the sliding pinch bar was still located properly and wasn't binding. I inserted a loose 2" ball into the coupler - after having to use a hammer on the flip-up hoop thing to get the latch to open far enough - and the ball could rotate freely with no binding and was appropriately pinched by the sliding bar. Everything looked good for a cautious 16 mile tow to the welding shop. It'll just be like the tow vehicle is on pavement that's level side-to-side and the trailer is on pavement that's sloping off to one side, which after all is why we have hitch balls in the first place.

In thinking about having the Bulldog hitch installed, a couple of questions occurred to me:

1 - It appears that the vast majority of trailer tongues have a 50 degree angle, and most hitches - including Bulldogs - also have 50 degree angles. I assume that you Escape Bulldoggers found that your Escape frame and your Bulldog hitches had the same angle. I have seen no indications to the contrary.

2 - Escape trailer frames (mine at least) have a short steel bar cross-member welded across the bottom of the A-frame at the very front near where the 2 main frame members converge - see image. This cross-member has a clearance hole for the tongue jack to go through, that lines up with the jack mounting hole in the coupler. The final position of the replacement coupler has to be such that these 2 clearance holes line up, else the jack can't be installed. Did you find that the hole on the Bulldog lines up with the hole in the cross-member, or did you have to take a grinder and elongate the hole in the cross-member forward or rearward? If not, that's good news, since if the jack mounting holes in the new coupler force the jack to be relocated fore or aft, I have only about 1.25" to the rear till I hit the propane tanks and only about 3" to the front till it would foul the tailgate.

Also, my spousal ground crew, in her hitch/unhitch manager role, seems to have a hard time directing me when backing up the tow vehicle trying to get the center line of the ball socket directly above the center line of the ball. Historically, we have made good use of the fact that the topology of the coupler socket somewhat resembles an inverted funnel - you can be off center 1/16" or maybe as much as 3/16" and as the hitch gets lowered onto the ball things sort of mush around (mostly tire sidewalls flexing I suppose) and the coupler finds itself centered well enough over the ball to drop down fully onto the ball, sometimes with an exciting, if perhaps somewhat alarming, thump. As I understand it, the Bulldog and other so-called "sleeve-lock" couplers are sort of a vertical clam-shell design, with one side of the clam-shell solidly fixed, and the other movable side pivoting open to allow the ball inside, and then pivoting closed and secured into position by the sliding sleeve. It would seem to me that the ball would have to be positioned solidly against the fixed side of the clam-shell, at exactly the correct height, to allow the movable side of the clam-shell to be closed. Are there any clever approaches that would allow the clam-shell to fully close and the sleeve to be moved into position even if there is some degree of mis-alignment? Maybe the trick would be to have the tow vehicle at a bit of a sideways angle so the ball is just barely gently pushing against the fixed side of the hitch and then simply fine-tune the ball height with the tongue jack as the ball backs up closer and closer to the hitch, then clamp the clam-shell closed and latch with the sleeve, then fully retract the jack?

Bonus Question: How far does the movable part of the clam-shell swing open? Enough so you can peek inside and see how well the ball lines up with the fixed part of the clam-shell?

Thanks for your thoughts, patience,and perseverance.
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Old 03-12-2021, 04:27 PM   #9
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To avoid issues with locating ball side to side, I purchased a Bal 28100 Tongue Twister Trailer Hitch Alignment Aid. Haven’t needed to adjust with it for years, but if alignment becomes more of a challenge with the bulldog, I’ll be all set.
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Old 03-12-2021, 05:35 PM   #10
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To avoid issues with locating ball side to side, I purchased a Bal 28100 Tongue Twister Trailer Hitch Alignment Aid. Haven’t needed to adjust with it for years, but if alignment becomes more of a challenge with the bulldog, I’ll be all set.
Great idea - thanks for the reference.

Going one step - or axis - further, the mind reels. Bolt this guy to a hunk of 2x8 and have at it!

Or maybe just use the good old jack wheel and accept a bit of movement when moving around inside the trailer?
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Old 03-12-2021, 06:11 PM   #11
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2 - Escape trailer frames (mine at least) have a short steel bar cross-member welded across the bottom of the A-frame at the very front near where the 2 main frame members converge - see image. This cross-member has a clearance hole for the tongue jack to go through, that lines up with the jack mounting hole in the coupler. The final position of the replacement coupler has to be such that these 2 clearance holes line up, else the jack can't be installed. Did you find that the hole on the Bulldog lines up with the hole in the cross-member, or did you have to take a grinder and elongate the hole in the cross-member forward or rearward? If not, that's good news, since if the jack mounting holes in the new coupler force the jack to be relocated fore or aft, I have only about 1.25" to the rear till I hit the propane tanks and only about 3" to the front till it would foul the tailgate.
Dave,
This was only modification I had to deal with since I didn't see this till after the welder left. I simply used a metal blade in my Ryobi Jigsaw and enlarged the back of the bottom plate hole til the jack dropped through and was able to bolt down. Smoothed the cuts with a grinding wheel on the drill. Still plenty of clearance to my tanks.
All came out well, and been on about 5 trips since.
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Old 03-12-2021, 06:23 PM   #12
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Dave,
This was only modification I had to deal with since I didn't see this till after the welder left. I simply used a metal blade in my Ryobi Jigsaw and enlarged the back of the bottom plate hole til the jack dropped through and was able to bolt down. Smoothed the cuts with a grinding wheel on the drill. Still plenty of clearance to my tanks.
All came out well, and been on about 5 trips since.

Hey Greg, thanks for the additional info. Since we both have 2015 19's, I suspect that I'll run into the same thing. How much elongation did you need to do?
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Old 03-12-2021, 08:38 PM   #13
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Mine is not a Bulldog, but a RAM. Sold on E-trailer. There were a couple of reasons I went with this one over the Bulldog. First it was less expensive but had the same rating, and second, the holes were already threaded so reinstalling my power jack would be more simple. Here are some photos taken prior to installation. The coupler does not come open very wide, but does allow ample space for the ball to slide right in. The jack hole lined right up to the hole in the cross member on this one, with no mods required. The one thing that did change was that the coupler socket was now about 1.5" further forward than with the yoke coupler. That meant (I thought) that the Andersen WDH brackets needed to be relocated. Turned out I had enough length on the chains that the relocation wasn't necessary.
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Old 03-12-2021, 10:17 PM   #14
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Mine is not a Bulldog, but a RAM. Sold on E-trailer. There were a couple of reasons I went with this one over the Bulldog. First it was less expensive but had the same rating, and second, the holes were already threaded so reinstalling my power jack would be more simple. Here are some photos taken prior to installation. The coupler does not come open very wide, but does allow ample space for the ball to slide right in. The jack hole lined right up to the hole in the cross member on this one, with no mods required. The one thing that did change was that the coupler socket was now about 1.5" further forward than with the yoke coupler. That meant (I thought) that the Andersen WDH brackets needed to be relocated. Turned out I had enough length on the chains that the relocation wasn't necessary.
Thanks for the info, rbryan4. Maybe the jack mounting hole being in the right location would constitute a good third reason for you. I'll find out when the Bulldog shows up. In any case, I ran that possible issue by the welding guy when making the appointment, and he said that they'll just fire up their plasma cutter if/as needed. Would not have looked forward to a session rolling around on my back on the creeper doing some upside-down surgery with a saber saw.

No problem if the ball socket center-line moves forward 1.5", and seems kinda weird that Bulldog would send them out with no threads cut in the mounting bolt holes - would have guessed that everyone would need the presumably typical 3/8" NC threads. Maybe they figured that people could just use nuts underneath. Hmmmm - I hope that the untapped holes aren't 3/8" clearance holes - would then have no metal there to tap for 3/8", and would then have to tap for 7/16"? I had already tried to add loose nuts underneath on the old coupler using longer bolts since I hated only having a few threads available in the top of the 1/8" thick coupler stamping, but the two frame rails block access to the underside where the holes are and the nuts would be located. Maybe get a round or square piece of 1/4" stock for the jack mounting flange to bear against, cut a big hole in the middle for the jack to go through, drill and tap 3 holes, weld it to the top surface of the coupler, and use some short bolts? Geez, it's always something. Wonder what sort of holes GregA's Bulldog came with...
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Old 03-12-2021, 10:37 PM   #15
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...and kinda weird that Bulldog would send them out with no threads cut in the mounting bolt holes - would have guessed that everyone would need the presumably typical 3/8" NC threads. Maybe they figured that people could just use nuts underneath. Hmmmm - I hope that the untapped holes aren't 3/8" clearance holes - would have no metal there to tap for 3/8", and would then have to tap for 1/2"?
I was comparing the RAM to the Bulldog in this picture, both sold on E-Trailer. As you can see, the holes are oval cutouts rather than drilled and tapped.

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Old 03-12-2021, 10:43 PM   #16
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Yes, I just used bolts, nuts, lock washers, not an issue.
If I had caught the jack holes not lining up the welder would have taken care of it as yours has Dave. Glad we could give you some advance notice on that one.
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Old 03-12-2021, 11:19 PM   #17
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I was comparing the RAM to the Bulldog in this picture, both sold on E-Trailer. As you can see, the holes are oval cutouts rather than drilled and tapped.
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Yes, I just used bolts, nuts, lock washers, not an issue.
If I had caught the jack holes not lining up the welder would have taken care of it as yours has Dave. Glad we could give you some advance notice on that one.
I was busily editing my prior post, so you guys were replying to a moving target - sorry about that. Should have been reading your replies instead! Also should have noticed on the E-Trailer web page for the Bulldog that it clearly shows slotted clearance holes. Oops.

And from what GregA says, not to worry. It makes sense - if he had to elongate the bottom cross-member jack clearance hole to the rear, that means that the center-line of the jack had moved rearwards, apparently thereby freeing up space to allow use of loose nuts below the coupler between the frame rails.

I'm gonna quit worrying about it and go watch TV now...

Thanks for your help.
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Old 03-17-2021, 01:56 PM   #18
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I received the new Bulldog hitch and will be getting it welded on in a couple of days. A "sitting-on-top-of-the-existing-hitch-but-aligned-horizontally" test fit shows that the center-line of the tongue jack will move rearwards about 3/4", so will need to elongate the jack clearance hole in the bottom cross-member towards the rear.

I chatted ahead of time with the welding shop and they'll be arc welding it on - not gas welding. Not to get too technical, but that means that the frame will see a "whole big bunch" of voltage for a nice long fat arc, and "whole big bunch" of current for a nice hot molten pool of metal. So my little electronical pea-brain is wondering what possible effect that might have on the all the electrical stuff in and on the trailer. While the frame will be used to complete the circuit for the arc welder, it will also be part of the live circuit(s) for all the trailer stuff. ?

So should I e.g. at least disconnect the battery cables while they're welding?

To those of you with knowledge of such things - please let me know if there is reason for concern.

Thanks!
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Old 03-17-2021, 03:06 PM   #19
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Mine is not a Bulldog, but a RAM. Sold on E-trailer. There were a couple of reasons I went with this one over the Bulldog. First it was less expensive but had the same rating, and second, the holes were already threaded so reinstalling my power jack would be more simple. Here are some photos taken prior to installation. The coupler does not come open very wide, but does allow ample space for the ball to slide right in. The jack hole lined right up to the hole in the cross member on this one, with no mods required. The one thing that did change was that the coupler socket was now about 1.5" further forward than with the yoke coupler. That meant (I thought) that the Andersen WDH brackets needed to be relocated. Turned out I had enough length on the chains that the relocation wasn't necessary.
What is your experience with your Ram coupler with the Andersen WDH? Do you like and recommend this combo? - Bea
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Old 03-17-2021, 06:18 PM   #20
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I have done numerous mods to our E21. Switching to a bulldog couple is probably the best. By the way, I avoid RV shops like the plague and took the trailer to a trailer shop to have it installed.
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