Pintle Hitch
Buyer’s Guide, Comparison and Advice
There’s no point in having a muscle truck with a pintle hitch that can’t take the heat. This is probably why you’re here because Class 4 trailer hitches are more often than not; mounted on full-size pickup trucks and SUVs.
They have a 2″ x 2″ receiver tube opening and generally have a weight carrying up to 10,000 lbs. gross trailer weight capacity.
Anyone can use them
In agriculture, construction, and even military applications, pintle hitches are your go-to, trusted product for specialized towing.
Notorious for their simple design and high weight capacity, even your mother could hook one of these babies up (with supervision, of course).
Simpler and stronger
Because their design is so simple, pintle hitches can have thicker metal construction and more secure coupling – turning your truck into the ultimate tow vehicle!
So, we’re going to look into two all-American companies; CURT and Shocker Hitch, both well-known for their pintle hitch manufacture and see what they have to offer.
CURT pintle hitches
Dependable, reliable connection for trailers and large trucks
These hitches provide a secure towing connection for hauling heavy-duty trailers. Curt pintle hitches and pintle mounts are built for specialized towing in construction, agriculture, commercial and heavy-duty settings, and even military applications.
Heavy-duty towing equipment for every situation
CURT has a variety of pintle hitch options, including ball and pintle hitch combinations, pintle hooks, pintle mounting plates, and lunette rings, as well as bolt-on pintle hitches and receiver mount pintle hitches to ensure secure coupling every time.
CURT pintle hitch options
The pintle hook fits any lunette ring with a 2-1/2″ inside eye diameter, and it comes with a safety pin for secure coupling.
The heavy-duty towing done with pintle hitches brings wear and tear on your towing equipment, and to prepare for this, CURT uses a quality finish on all of their pintle mounts, lunette eyes, and combination pintle hitches.
Ball and pintle hitch combination
The ball and pintle hitch combo is a cross between a ball hitch and pintle hitch, serving the purpose of a pintle hook, as well as a standard trailer hitch ball mount.
The CURT combination pintle hitches come with standard tow ball mount sizes and can be used to couple to a trailer coupler or a lunette ring.
They can be bolted onto a pintle mount or installed in a trailer hitch receiver.
Pintle hook hitches
The CURT pintle hook is your standard pintle hitch towing option. These pintle hitches are made from solid steel and rated to tow heavy-duty trailers.
Each CURT pintle hook hitch comes with a locking arm for dependable towing security and more secure coupling.
Pintle mounts
CURT pintle mounts allow you to attach a pintle hook or ball and pintle hitch combination onto your trailer hitch receiver.
They offer basic pintle mounts for simple attachment, as well as adjustable pintle mounts for easier trailer levelling. They also offer deep-drop pintle hitches for large pickup trucks and lifted trucks.
Lunette ring
The lunette ring or lunette eyes are the coupler side of a pintle hitch connection. The lunette rings come in standard sizes to fit any basic pintle hitch and CURT combination ball hitch.
They have fixed bolt-on options and vertically adjustable lunette rings for level towing with large trucks.
CURT ball and pintle hitch combo
The advantages of the CURT ball and pintle hitch combinations are four-fold. We’ll list them below with a bit of detailed information for each.
Two towing options
Each CURT ball and pintle hitch combination has two coupling options (look at you being spoilt for choice).
The standard trailer ball can be coupled to a trailer coupler or a lunette ring. This means your tow vehicle can be versatile, and the trailer ball can be interchanged to fit different size couplers.
Locking arm
CURT ball and pintle hitches are equipped with a locking arm that closes over the trailer ball, securing the lunette eye connection. The locking arm is easy to operate with an integrated handle, and each pintle hitch combo comes with a safety pin for added security.
Forged steel construction
To ensure maximum towing capacity and strength, as well as you confidently get the job done, the pintle hook hitch combinations are made from solid forged steel.
The receiver pintle hitches and pintle mount hitches are both constructed this way so that you can depend on them to not let you, your truck, or your trailer down.
Durable corrosion resistance
These hitches look at rain, dirt, UV rays, and road grime exposure and thumb their noses at them! And even though these are your pintle hook enemies – baying for death to rust; the pintle hooks and ball hitch combinations are finished with a black powder coat for lasting corrosion resistance.
Pintle Hitch buying options
We’re not here to tell you what to buy, but we sure can help you make the right decision along the way. Check out our selection below.
CURT 48010 Class 4 Receiver Mount Pintle Hook (2 1/2" Receiver Mount Pintle Hook)
The CURT Class 4 receiver mount pintle hook has a whopping 5-star rating from 120 votes. It sports the following features:
Spring-loaded locking arm
Lunette eye coupling
Solid, forged steel construction
Fits various receiver tube sizes
CURT 45907 Adjustable Pintle Hitch Combination, 2-Inch Receiver, 6-Inch Drop, 2-5/16-Inch Ball, 13,000 lbs
This bad boy comes with a hefty price tag of $408.35, but oh, is he worth it! Check out the specs below.
Highly versatile, because it’s adjustable!
Smooth towing, because it has a built-in, anti-rattle feature that deters vibrations, chucking, and rattling at the coupling point.
Powerful build.
Precise fit. It’s perfect for most class 3, 4, and 5 hitches.
Weather-resistant.
CURT 48231 Pintle Hook Hitch 60,000 lbs, Fits 2-1/2 to 3-Inch Lunette Ring, Direct Mount Only
This punchy little dude delivers and also doesn’t break the bank. A win for anyone who needs to be towing something!
Versatile towing, because it can tackle any heavy-duty truck towing and can be coupled to virtually any lunette ring.
Secure connection, because of the spring-loaded arm which locks down onto the hook and is secured with a safety pin.
Dependable strength. Solid forged steel construction and delivers a superior towing capacity.
Weather-resistant.
Direct mount.
CURT 48411 SecureLatch 2-Inch Ball and Pintle Hitch Hook Combination, 20,000 Pounds, Mount Required
This guy makes you want to rush out and tow something even if you don’t need to, because it’s worth it, and you’re worth it! Check out why below:
Auto-locking. Just back up and strike the backplate. Drop the lunette ring, and the primary latch auto engages. Just insert the secondary safety pin and Bob’s yer uncle!
Reduced chucking. A unique cupped design holds the ring tighter to reduce play and chucking noise.
Superior strength.
Durable finish.
Standard fit.
ShockerHitch pintle hitches
These guys have a massive selection of adjustable pintle hitch ball mounts, shocker air pintle hook receiver hitches, cushion pintle hitches, and shocker air trailer tongue pintle ring mounts.
These military-style hitches are great for contractors, around the farm, and for off-road use, or of course you, the average American who needs to tow something, and tow it well.
ShockerHitch pintle hitch options
This mounting attachment has either a 0-4″ or a 2-1/2″ to 6-1/2″ drop ring. It has a towing capacity of 16,000 lbs and a 1,600 tongue capacity. The hook fits 6″ OD x 3″ ID pintle rings.
It is designed to work with Shocker Air Receiver Hitches, Shocker HD, Shocker XR & XRC series ball mounts and Shocker Impact cushioned ball mounts.
Works with Shocker Air receiver hitches, Shocker XR & impact series ball mounts.
Shocker Pintle Hook ball mount attachments.
Works with 6″ OD x 3″ ID pintle rings.
Choose Drop range of 0-4″ drop or 2-1/2″ to 6-1/2″ of drop.
16,000 lbs Towing Capacity & 1,600 Tongue Weight.
Shocker XR Pintle Hook Drop Ball Mount 4″ Drop to 4″ Rise
The Shocker XR pintle hook hitch ball mount provides the ultimate versatility, and the people agree with a complete 5-star rating. The XR pintle hitch has built-in adjustability with maximum versatility for your towing needs.
This pintle hook mount is heavy-duty and is designed for a better fit with your pintle ring.
HD adjustable pintle hook ball mount.
8 adjustment holes.
4″ rise to 4″ of drop.
Designed for a nice, tighter fit with your pintle ring.
12,000 lbs towing capacity and a 1,200 lbs tongue weight.
Premium black powder-coated finish of the base frame.
Choose either a 2″, 2-1/2″, or 3″ receiver hitch shank.
Works with all their other ball mount adapters attachments.
Includes adjustable base frame, pintle hook attachment & 2 ball mount pins.
Shocker Impact Cushion Pintle Hook Ball Mount 12,000lbs, Fits 2-1/2" Hitch, +1-1/2" Rise to 6-1/2" Drop
The Shocker Impact cushioned pintle hook ball mount is designed for heavy-duty contractor towing to cushion the towing experience. It is the ultimate in versatility and smooth towing experience. Ideal for heavy-duty contractor, farm, and off-road towing.
Dual cushioned adjustable pintle hook ball mount.
7 adjustment holes that can be flipped around more drop or rise.
12,000 lbs towing capacity and a 1,200 lbs tongue weight.
Pintle hook designed for a tight fit with your pintle ring. Impact cushion hitch base frame also works with all other Shocker Hitch ball mount attachments
Shocker 20K Air Pintle Ring Trailer Tongue Mount 20,000 lbs, Vertical Channel Mount w/HD Pintle Ring
You best believe this bad boy delivers. In fact, it should sweet talk you and get your coffee while it’s at it. But in its defense – it does have an airbag.
Right? A hitch with an airbag? Who knew? What a unique option to have for towing. Check out the mind-blowing awesomeness below.
Air Ride Towing: Built-in airbag for a smoother towing experience with built-in height and weight adjustability.
You “just add air” for heavier loads. It absorbs everything!
20,000 lb rated towing capacity with heavy-duty pintle ring for using with pintle hook – 2,000 lbs tongue weight rating.
Quickly mounts to the trailer tongue. Great for end dump trailers, equipment trailers, etc.
Smoother safer towing. Improves your ride, reduces wear & tear on your truck and trailer.
Pintle hitch buying conclusion
Clearly, there is a vast array of options available to anyone who takes their towing equipment seriously. And the good people of CURT and ShockerHitch have taken their expertise to the next level in designing hooks for everything from a regular vehicle to a tank.
Okay, maybe not a tank (do they even have trailer hitches?). But you get the drift. Enjoy finding the right (hitch, not tank) for you!