Welded vs bolted trailer balls

[Morning Wood]

One winter and that nut is never coming off.

I pretty much only use this.

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[deerefan]

If you put a lot of miles on, your better off with a bolt on coupler and ball, as the ball will wear on the hitch and the coupler can wear on the trailer if they do they can both be replaced, if the set up is a normal use trailer it would not matter as most likely they will rust out before they wear out. I use the B&W Tow and Stow set up - it gives me a 2 5/16 for the dump and a 2 for the utility, and provides easy height adjustment - nice unit, if you use a little white lithium on pins it's trouble free....

I have seen those, very nice. I do not tow enough-5-6x a year-to justify spending a lot on it. Just want to be sure what I use is safe. It seems, and my assumption may be way off, the less moving parts the less a chance for failure. That is the main reason I went with the welded ball.

 

[BrkMstr]

I have seen those, very nice. I do not tow enough-5-6x a year-to justify spending a lot on it. Just want to be sure what I use is safe. It seems, and my assumption may be way off, the less moving parts the less a chance for failure. That is the main reason I went with the welded ball.

Actually it's the quality that counts and Reese has been around for years and they make a good product - so your fine, I work in the trailer industry, visit many dealers throughout New England - New York, it is hard to believe what they show me they've taken off / repaired trucks / trailers - hitches rusted so badly you could put your finger through it with little force, couplers completely absent of any locking ability - so many people put it on and never check for rust / wear until it's to late..... My hitch goes in with never seize or a little grease on it, and it comes off the truck when it's not in use, the coupler is always oiled / WD 40 the ball always has a light coating of grease on it, Reese actually has a nice ball grease for it - I've never had a problem and never want one.....

 

[deerefan]

Actually it's the quality that counts and Reese has been around for years and they make a good product - so your fine, I work in the trailer industry, visit many dealers throughout New England - New York, it is hard to believe what they show me they've taken off / repaired trucks / trailers - hitches rusted so badly you could put your finger through it with little force, couplers completely absent of any locking ability - so many people put it on and never check for rust / wear until it's to late..... My hitch goes in with never seize or a little grease on it, and it comes off the truck when it's not in use, the coupler is always oiled / WD 40 the ball always has a light coating of grease on it, Reese actually has a nice ball grease for it - I've never had a problem and never want one.....

Thanks. I have bought a lot of Reese towing products and have not been disappointed.

 

[timswi]

Thanks. I have bought a lot of Reese towing products and have not been disappointed.

Agreed, I have a Reese vertically adjustable 3 ball welded hitch. Works great. Only complaint is slight surface rust on the chrome from storing it in my trailer toolbox. I do keep it oiled but still happened. I never leave it on the truck when not towing. Shins just can't handle that.

 

[deerefan]

Agreed, I have a Reese vertically adjustable 3 ball welded hitch. Works great. Only complaint is slight surface rust on the chrome from storing it in my trailer toolbox. I do keep it oiled but still happened. I never leave it on the truck when not towing. Shins just can't handle that.

I do the same. It only takes one time . Also, when I run thru the automated car wash, the brushes adjust for the hitch ball and do a poor job cleaning the tailgate.

 

[timswi]

I do the same. It only takes one time . Also, when I run thru the automated car wash, the brushes adjust for the hitch ball and do a poor job cleaning the tailgate.

Never understood why some guys leave the stinger in all the time..They end up rusted to the hitch or worse..Plus the pain if you hit it.

Didn't think of the car wash aspect, good point.

 

[newbury]

Think of it as a bumper saver in icy conditions. I've seen cars slowly slide in to the back of trucks, only to be kept from hitting the bumper by the trailer hitch.

 

[herm0016]

Think of it as a bumper saver in icy conditions. I've seen cars slowly slide in to the back of trucks, only to be kept from hitting the bumper by the trailer hitch.

A guy rear ended me with the hitch installed in an f150, my bumper got pushed up a bit, and he had a nice 2 in sq. hole in the front of his truck. ac condensor, rad, etc.

 

[deerefan]

A guy rear ended me with the hitch installed in an f150, my bumper got pushed up a bit, and he had a nice 2 in sq. hole in the front of his truck. ac condensor, rad, etc.

This happened to us in my 05 Chevy 1500. While it did not appear bad, it twisted the hitch and slightly tweaked the frame. He hit us doing about 25mph.

 

[nikerret]

I致e had good luck with my GenY. I use it to tow commercially. It痴 not as pretty, now, but you get the idea. The 2 5/16 ball is rated for 16k. The 2 is rated for 12k. These are big numbers, compared to a lot of the competition. The adjustability is great. I have the tow loop and the 1 7/8 ball, which both go in the hole.

 

[Motorboatin]

I have the same GenY and love it. Took a while for me to justify the cost but once I bought it I kicked myself for waiting

The only issue is if when borrowing a trailer or renting equipment. The chains are never long enough so I have to use a standard setup. This past weekend I rented a boom lift for some tree trimming and noticed the ball was loose. I could not break the rust free so a resorted to using some 7018. My vote is for welded balls

 

[ray66v]

I like that the latest draw bar I bought with a welded ball, doesn't have anything hanging down under it. (i.e. shaft and nut).

My hitch is not behind the rear bumper cover, it actually hangs down below it, so ground clearance is at the minimum.

I've used a lot of bolted on balls. None have ever loosened up for me. As stated, you need to make a serious effort to tighten it.

 

[jmc]

I think someone on TBN recommended lubing the ball because friction while turning in a certain direction tries to unscrew the ball. Made sense to me. The trick is to remember it's greasy BEFORE you handle it!

 

[shooterdon]

Isn't it frustrating that a rusted bolt you need to remove is nearly impossible to turn but the bolt on a rusted ball hitch self loosens?

I had a hitch on my old 2001 plow truck that was rusted on so badly I could not remove it from the receiver without soaking it with PB Blaster a couple of hours and smacking it with a hand sledge hammer. We have good rust in MI!!!