2004 - Volume #28, Issue #4, Page #26
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Cushion Coupling Smoothes Out Gooseneck Trailer Ride
When Mr. Truck checks out a new product, such as the new Cushion Glide Coupler from Rehme Manufacturing, he takes it out and runs it. In this case, that meant hooking it up to a friend's 20-ft. aluminum stock trailer.
"Installation was a snap," says Mr. Truck. "Just loosen the two adjustable coupler tube wedge bolts, and the old coupler falls out. Slide the Cushion Glide up the neck tube, retighten the two wedge bolts, and you are ready to go."
He set the new coupler about an inch below the standard hitch. This would raise the trailer to a level position when loaded with 2 to 3 horses, a standard load for his friend.
"My one concern was with the larger head on the coupler. Would there still be room to lower the front of the trailer with the adjustable neck?" recalls Mr. Truck. "I could soon see that raising the trailer would be no problem. We still had 2 in. of adjustment left between the coupler and the top Timbren rubber spring bracket and the gooseneck tube. I was satisfied Rehme Manufacturing had done their homework."
Ball hookup was easy with the unit, thanks to the inward taper of the bottom of the coupler. Driving with the empty trailer was not that different, though movement could be seen in the Timbren rubber springs as the trailer crossed a set of railroad tracks.
Loaded with a couple of horses (2,500 lbs.), the improvement was significant, says Mr. Truck. He and his friend drove the rig on pavement, dirt roads, and even in heavy Denver traffic.
"The biggest difference was in slowing down, speeding up, starting and stopping," he says. "The Cushion Glide Coupler took the shock out of the movement. Having an improved ride is nice, but reducing the jerk between the truck and trailer impressed me."
Mr. Truck explains where the hard work in the coupler is done. "A solid steel square shaft slides in a rubber type sleeve similar to a torsion axle," he says. "This part of the coupler also absorbs shock as does a torsion axle, with three Timbren rubber springs doing most of the work."
The CG4000 (600 to 4,000-lb. load) sells for $544 plus shipping. The CG8000 (4,000 to 8,000-lb. load) sells for $667.
To learn more about Mr. Truck and the Cushion Guide Coupler, go to www.MrTruck.com.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rehme Manufacturing, 1449 Co. Rd. 1590, Rush Springs Okla. 73082 (email: sales@cushionglide.com; website: www.cushionglide.com).
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