Are the WalMart hitches any good?

[Darren Nemeth]

The ones at Harbor Freight look shabby. Are the Made In China hitches I see at WalMart, Lowes, Meijers... for under $20 any good?

Mine is in bad shape, unfortunately welded to the trailer and bent out of wack!!!!

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

If its shot then id go to TSC (tractor supply) or some place not wally world.
A couple bucks spent here can save you a alot in long run.
Im as cheap as they come, but ill spend what i have to, to keep the trailer hooked up when towing.

As for the bent part, you can cut it off and get one of those swing away mounts then youll have the lenght back.

 

[kabcpapc]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

Try Northern Tool. They have a Reese hitch that has the handle and the bolts/nuts to bolt the hitch to the tongue. If you want to weld one on, try Academy Sports. They have a Reese hitch (no handle or bolts/nuts) much cheaper than Bass Pro. At Academy it is 14.99; Bass Pro is 21.99. Northern Tool hitch is cheaper than buying Academy and then buying the handle and bolts/nuts.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

I bought a Reese coupler from Lowes last year and it was good quality.

As far as China made,,, I wonder if you can even buy a non-China made coupler now-a-days, seems everything like that is being out-sourced....

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

If you value what you are towing and your tow vehicle then buy something reputable.
My 2 cents

 

[NYBo]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

The coupler I bought at WalMart was made by Reese, the only brand they carried (at the store near me, at least).

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

The coupler I bought at WalMart was made by Reese, the only brand they carried (at the store near me, at least).

same here, Reese only at my wal-mart, the local hitch store carried Valley products, and I never heard of them at the time, I researched to find they make bottom of the line hitches sold a discount auto parts stores

 

[SNye45]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

Try your local U-Haul. They install hitches as well as sell the parts for them

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

I bought a 4inch rise drawbar and coupler at Harbor Freight for a last minute trip, towed over 2500 miles with it with no problems.
Walmart was cheaper, but they didn't have one in stock.
It's nothing special, just a steel tube with a standard tongue welded on, I don't suppose it's anything super strong but for towing a small boat it did fine.
I've seen all sorts of brands out there lately and really haven't seen anything really special about any one of them aside from the fancy all stainless steel couplers or super heavy solid bar equalizer type hitches.

 

[Shizzy]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

The coupler I bought at WalMart was made by Reese, the only brand they carried (at the store near me, at least).

Ditto with the one locally.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

Reese, Valley, Cooper, DrawTite, they are all good. However, I think the OP was refering to the coupler on his trailer. Go to an autoparts store and pick up a new coupler...or get one at a local trailer dealership, supply house...

Around here, they can be gotten at autoparts stores, trailer dealers, Argi-Supply, Tractor Supply, Northern Tool, etc. If you are not in a hurry, try
www.trailerpart.com
www.etrailer.com
www.trailerpartsdepot.com
www.championtrailers.com

You should find what you need at any of these...

 

[rentprop1]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

yea, as for the coupler, my walmart sell those too, so does tractor supply

 

[boat1010]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

I would think if you can find the coupler at WalMart it should be OK. Not the highest quality but not the worst either. Like some of the others have said I would go to an auto parts store or if you have one around a trailer dealer. Get a good quality one. You can hardly go wrong when you spend a little more money and get a good quality coupler. The cheap ones usually work OK at first but get hard to operate after a while. The better quality ones just work better and last longer. Just my opinion.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

Northern Tool or Tractor supply should have them.
I think Northern has more trailer parts on the shelf than Tractor Supply.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

If gotten them at Menards and farm and fleet.

 

[htv]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

If you are looking to replace the coupler as pictured, I don't think it matters where you buy it. You can get a Reese, Buyers, Atwood, Fulton, etc. set them side by side and you can't see any difference except the tag. I believe they are all made by the same manufacturer.......IN CHINA

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

OOPS! Yea, I meant COUPLER!:redface:

I jsut ground mine off moments ago. No turning back now.

The reason why I ask about quality is that this one was bent way out of shape and unsalvagable. Must have been in a car accident!

I'd like a new one that will not look like this in a few years.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

Here are plenty to choose from,different weight ratings and all..

http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.catalog&categoryID=215

This is the best but probably over kill for your trailer and boat weight..
http://shop.easternmarine.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=6108&categoryID=215

 

[NYBo]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

However, I think the OP was refering to the coupler on his trailer.

So was I.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Are the WalMart hitches any good?

So was I.

You said coupler in your post. reelfishin talked about a 4" rise coupler, but i think he meant a drawbar... I was trying to correct him..

Sorry if you took offense...