i have a car trailer and i am looking to do some upgrading.

Right now it has an old school coupler. The coupler is a adjustable and can be used for a 1 7/8" to 2" ball.

I want to change it out.

I was wondering if i should go with a pintle style hitch or just a standard locking coupler.

Those of you who have the pintle style do you guys like it? How does it track the trailer?

Is it sloppy?

Thanks

It's a bit sloppy you hear it a bit when you're turning. It's not as bad as I thought it would be.

I used to tow with a pintle all the time. I liked it and you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was closed and locked.
Me personally I would just go with a standard 2" connector as not everyone has a pintle setup.

This must be a fairly light trailer. I prefer 2-5/16 with either a flip lock or bulldog slip collar.

I tow pintle at work and I'm not that fond of it.

I would also suggest a 2 5/16 inch ball hitch.
On a car trailer, I suggest a weight distribution hitch. Set the car a bit further ahead on the trailer, hitch weight = stability, and level the truck and trailer with the equalizer bars. Smooths out the ride for you and the car. Also the W/D hitch will hold the socket on the ball and stop the movement between the two.

A second thought....is the trailer frame strong enough for a W/D hitch. If not go with a 2".

i have to measure the square tubing. But i believe i will only be able to use a 2". I could not find anything 2 5/16 under 3 inch squere tubing.

Pintle hitches are handy for easy hookup but are notoriously sloppy due to their nature. When it comes to anything where stability is necessary pintle is out of the question IMHO as a direct result.

Pintle hitches are still used with some class 8 equipment (typically the FedEx / UPS doubles/triples you might see out there) but if you look really close you'll see that they're also often equipped with a snubber in the hitch that takes up the slack aiding in stability and stopping the forward and backward snap in acceleration/deceleration that is often present with pintle hookups.

....in other words...go with a ball. 2 5/16'ths if you can (as mentioned), or 2" otherwise.

Allow me to further explain my pintle experience. It was always used when hauling very heavy equipment - Backhoes, drill rigs etc. I do not think it would ever be a viable option far a car hauler.

My open car trailer is 2" ball with no load leveling. With our trucks if the car is loaded correctly trailer is very stable. My enclosed trailer is 2 5/16 with load leveling (1200 lb). I just towed my open car trailer (06 Impala on it) to upstate NY from Florida, my dad said he couldn't even tell the trailer was back there. Mother said she could because she heard and "extra set of bumps" from the road....LOL.