Factory Tow Hitch Anti Rattle bolt

[epilot]

hi
further to my general questions about towing, the factory hitch has an anti rattle bolt, is the bolt only to be tightened when the hitch is un-laden ?
i am quite surprised about how much movement there is in the fitting with the bolt un done and read on the inet that with a trailer attached it should be loosened- seems counter intuative to me.
thanks

[Guest001]

hi
further to my general questions about towing, the factory hitch has an anti rattle bolt, is the bolt only to be tightened when the hitch is un-laden ?
i am quite surprised about how much movement there is in the fitting with the bolt un done and read on the inet that with a trailer attached it should be loosened- seems counter intuative to me.
thanks

Sometimes its better to let it move a bit and not transfer every little movement into the car.
My HR towbar had this and I never even put a bolt into it However the tongue was a fairly snug fit. It didnt rattle noticeably either. Did over 50,000k of towing with no problems

[The_Hawk]

The Multivan has a high density foam bit that stops the rattles, even when loaded up... or at least it did for the first 2.5 years. Now it's compressed just a little too far and it clunks a bit with a load on and I expect it to not stop the rattles when it compresses a fraction more.