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The Truth about Trucks

"Popup CC1 & CC2 Cushion Coupler" for a Heavy Duty Softer Ride with a built in ball guide.

New Popup coupler on the Cushion Glide Coupler, allows you to hook and unhook your trailer without climbing in the bed. Just pull the remote cable to allow the coupler to slide over the ball or to release the ball. It's spring loaded, tapered to the socket, for easy ball alignment and even has a grease zerk. "Fulton is my favorite gooseneck coupler", says MrTruck. Click picture to enlarge.

When I review a new product, I like to use it on other folks trucks and trailers. Not that I wouldn't mind keeping all this cool stuff, but I want more opinions from the real world. Kenny Brown volunteered to help me evaluate this new Cushion Glide Coupler on his 20' aluminum stock trailer. Installation of the new cushion coupler was a snap, just loosen the two adjustable coupler tube wedge bolts and the old coupler falls out, watch your toes. Slide the Cushion Glide Coupler up the neck tube and retighten the two wedge (set) bolts and you are ready to go. I did measure first were the old coupler was, so I have a place to start adjusting the new cushion coupler. We used model CC1 with a 4000# tongue weight rating.

Kenny Brown's rig, a 03 Ford F250 8' bed, diesel with factory "camper package", B&W ball hitch and 20' box Exiss aluminum stock trailer. The unit was setup relatively level. We setup the Cushion Glide Coupler down about an inch more than the standard hitch, raising the front of the trailer, to be level when loaded with 2 to 3 horses as Kenny's most common load and not be too high in the front when empty, so as not to affect the trailer brakes.

The one thing I was concerned about, is with the larger head on the coupler, would there still be enough room to lower the front of the trailer with the adjustable neck? I could see that raising the trailer would be no problem. We drove the trailer with a couple of horses (2500#'s) loaded in the front compartment, to give us an idea of where to adjust the coupler for a heavy load. When I had the coupler adjusted to be level on the loaded trailer, we still had 2 inches of adjustment left between the coupler top Timbren rubber spring bracket and the gooseneck tube. And two inches is a lot, so I was satisfied that Rehme Mfg. did their homework measuring goosenecks and trucks. More.... With a standard gooseneck coupler, you have a fairly solid connection between the truck and trailer. The Cushion Coupler will cushion the impact between truck and trailer. Inside the coupler is a solid steel square shaft that slides in a rubber type sleeve similar to a torsion axle. This part of the coupler also absorbs shock as does a torsion axle, with three Timbren rubber springs doing most of the work. Timbren rubber springs are a popular aftermarket truck overload. Many truck manufactures use rubber springs to cushion their suspensions. The Timbren rubber cushions have a lifetime warranty.  Order the CC1 $623 & CC2 $691

Hitch shows how much room we had left for adjustment, if we needed to drop the front of the trailer. The Timbren rubber spring guide bolts come up when your loaded. We were properly adjusted here, turning the coupler clockwise for the bolts to have clearance with the safety chains and neck gusset brace.

Here we didn't have the coupler adjusted and were too close to the safety chain with the rubber spring guide bolt. It was approximately 60 degrees F and we had 2 1/4" of the guide bolt sticking up with the loaded trailer. With the empty trailer, the guide bolt only stuck out 3/8".  We'll review this again this summer at 90 degrees F and see if the softer rubber improves on the already good ride. But I'll ride inside with the AC on and take pictures out the rear window.  S  More....

Kenny and I both drove the truck and trailer with the old coupler, the new coupler empty and loaded with 2 horses (approximately 2500#'s) in the front compartment and then split up with the heaviest, 16 hand Quarter Horse in the rear compartment. I didn't see a big difference with the empty trailer before and after we added the Cushion Coupler. We crossed a railroad track and could see some movement in the Timbren rubber springs. Loaded you could feel a difference in an improved ride with Cushion Coupler. We drove on pavement and dirt roads.   Order the CC1 $623 & CC2 $691

The standard coupler.

The new hitch, Cushion Glide Coupler

The biggest difference I could see was in slowing down, speeding up, starting and stopping. The Cushion Coupler took the shock out of the movement. Have an improved ride is nice but reducing the jerk between the truck and trailer impressed me. I drive in heavy traffic in Denver and try as you might to allow room between you and other drivers and the gap just keeps filling in with those little cars. So when your truck pitches forward in a panic stop, this coupler can help cushion the jolt and rebound from the sudden stop.

It even matches the color of your gooseneck and your spare tire! The bottom of the Cushion  Coupler is tapered inward ball guide to allow easier ball hookup, even if you aren't perfect at backing up your trailer. Now of course the ultimate test was Kenny Browns wife, Sandy. She drove the truck and trailer at the end of our grueling test drives while Kenny and I rested in the barn near the refrigerator. And Sandy's quote was "the hitch makes the truck and trailer ride better." What else can I say except that Kenny just got back from a 2000 mile trip from Ft. Collins Colorado to Farmington and Clovis New Mexico and back, hauling a couple of mares (approximately 2400#'s) using the CGC. This long term test was successful, Kenny noticed less horse motion from the trailer verses other similar trips. He also stated that his F250 felt more like the stability you notice with a dually.

For less stressful trailering, the CC1 is dramatically less expensive than an air ride hitch, no maintenance, it's automatic and easy to install. Proven to be a strong heavy duty coupler, the tests of the Cushion Coupler at U-Haul Tech center in Tempe, AZ for its ability to support the proposed SAE test loads without breaking or separating from the hitchball, passed all the different trailer load directional force tests dramatically beyond what you could do to the hitch in the real world.

Most folks have their trailers loaded most of the time, but if you do pull an empty trailer often, you can add a spacer under one of the three Timbren Rubber Cushions. Using a "1/4” to "3/8" washer under one cushion, would soften the ride when pulling empty or with a light load. As the load increases it kicks in the other 2 cushions. The rubber cushion will still compress over the spacer washer when loaded, but will soften the empty trailer ride.  Ask for the spacer washer when you order.  Set the coupler at the proper height loaded and leave it alone, it will ride a little higher empty but not enough to matter, you have to take in account that the trailer when empty is also running a little higher- it equals out.

If your truck has air suspension, which helps the ride, you still have a fairly solid connection between the truck and trailer. The Cushion Coupler will still cushion the impact between truck and trailer, inside the coupler, is a solid steel square shaft that slides in a rubber type sleeve similar to a torsion axle. This part of the coupler also absorbs shock, as does a torsion axle

The CC1 was designed as a direct replacement for you're current coupler. It is about 1/2" taller unloaded than the current Stallion or Hammerblow models but it shortens up loaded so it will have to be set a little lower than a solid coupler, so a person with a tall truck can level out the trailer which they couldn't do before. The CC in its current configuration should fit all trucks coming out of the factory today.

Also for the best deals on Timbren truck springs visit  www.cushionglide.com

 Order the CC1 $623 & CC2 $691

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