FAQ

In this article, we are going to cover some common questions on sizing a HitchClamp and our various types of clamps.  

Q: What is the difference between the HitchClamp and the Cross Clamp?

The original HitchClamp is Black in color and slides over the hitch tube to mount.  That means you will need to remove the hitch or accessory from your truck, slide the hitch clamp over the hitch/accessory then reinsert into the receiver tube.  Then install the hitch pin, then tighten down the bolt on the bottom of the receiver.  

This makes for a very secure mount and a clean look. The receiver hoop should sit flush with the front of the receiver tube.

The HitchClamp is sized based on your receiver.  If your vehicle has a 2" receiver, buy a 2" clamp.... simple as that.  If you are unsure of the size of your receiver, get out your tape measure and measure the width of the hitch bar.  This should be 1.25", 2" or 2.5", that is the size of hitch clamp you will be getting.  If you want to measure the receiver tube, measure the INSIDE of the hole. This measurement will be slightly larger than the hitch bar, so for a 2" receiver the measurement will be close to 2 1/8".  Remember that the 2" bar needs to slide into the receiver and there needs to be some wiggle room.  By the way, that wiggle room is also what lets that hitch clank around in the receiver tube, making noise and driving you to our site to save the day with the HITCH CLAMP!  

Cross Clamp:
The Cross Clamp uses a U-bolt design and hooks over the lip on the receiver tube.  If your receiver tube does not have a lip, buy the original hitch clamp instead.  

This design can be added at any time to your hitch by hooking the u-bolt around the bottom edge of the receiver tube, then adding the crossbar between the receiver tube and the hitch bar and finally tightening down the clamp.   

The receiver does not need to be removed to add the Cross Clamp.  

The great thing about the Cross Clamp is that it works with a wide variety of hitches and has a very strong clamping force. It also works with reducer accessories that are stepping down from a larger size.  

For example: if you have a 2" receiver and purchased a bike rack that mounts to a 1 1/4 hitch.  Using the reducer sleeve that came with the rack, a 2" Cross-clamp should be able to tighten down on the smaller 1 1/4 bar.  This is also true for 2.5" receivers using 2" hitches or accessories.  

 

Q: How tight do I tighten the bolt or bolts?  

A:  DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN the HitchClamp or Cross Clamp. We recommend only 25 ft-lb of torque on any of the bolts or nuts.  The clamp is designed to have some flex and if you over tighten the bolts or nuts this reduces the flex and make make the product loosen up on the road and not be as effective.  The HitchClamp is only there to stop the rattling not replace the pin.  So it you were thinking about getting out your 3 foot cheater bar and really gettin' that thing sung..... Don't do it!

Q: Do you recommend greasing the HitchClamp?

A: For those of you who live close to the ocean or where they salt the roads rust is always a problem.  We recommend washing off your hitch and your whole rig after spending time by the ocean.  You can also spray some protectant on the hitch to reduce the chance of rust as well.  We recommend the following.

 

Grease also works, however it does have a tendency to attract dirt.   

We hope this helps out!  All our HitchClamp's are built tough in the USA.

Check out our Videos section on installing both the original HitchClamp and the Cross Clamp.

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