The standard pintle hitch on the M416 trail is a great hitch. However, there are a few shortcomings; the pintle is REALLY noisy; in many cases the tongue is too short; for high speed highway travel it is lacking in stability; and it is really hard to back. The positive of the original pintle is that it is a multi axis hitch that will spin 360 deg. The ability of the hitch to spin is a key for off road trailer. If the trailer flips the last thing you want is it to torque the hitch and frame. To fix all these problems I purchased and had a welder install a MAX Coupler on my M416.

Installed MAX hitch

The installation requires a receiver tube to be installed in the trailer. For this installation I had a 12″ tongue extension built which allows me to run the trailer with the original tongue length or extended by 12″.

The MAX Coupler maintains the multi axis qualities of the original pintle with the added benefits of a much quieter and lighter hitch. However, the hitch is a bit of a challenge to hook-up (more on this after I have used the hitch for some time). With the extension the trailer will track better on the highway and be easier to back. If I am trailering on a tight trail where I need the trailer to track inside my own track I can remove the extension.

All said I am pleased with this upgrade to the M416.