Hitch Ball Threads?

[jmc]

What's a new ball assembly cost- $15?
What's a custom nut cost- $5?
What's my time worth-$25/hr?

 

[RickB]

The vast majority of trailer balls are sold on price, as a generic commodity. As such, components such as nuts are going to be common, off the shelf items. The guy that laid a pitch gauge against three threads and came up with a 14 pitch probably would have called it 12 if he had tried that gauge first. He used bad methods and very likely came up with an incorrect result. Remove the nut and fill the pitch gauge across its full length.

 

[PILOON]

Shucks, after ordering on line from a reputable supplier you probably would be better off simply buying a new hitch ball from your local hardware or auto parts.
Shipping alone and min order price will kill U.

 

[WranglerX]

The vast majority of trailer balls are sold on price, as a generic commodity. As such, components such as nuts are going to be common, off the shelf items. The guy that laid a pitch gauge against three threads and came up with a 14 pitch probably would have called it 12 if he had tried that gauge first. He used bad methods and very likely came up with an incorrect result. Remove the nut and fill the pitch gauge across its full length.

Full exposure of threads, ball is off the hitch, full engagement of thread gauge.... 1x14tpi

Dale

 

[ruffdog]

This very rare aluminum 2" ball has 1-14 threads.

 

[RickB]

Bolt Depot - Threads Per Inch Table for US Bolts

See the footnote at the bottom.

 

[ruffdog]

A 14 pitch and 12 pitch is immensely different when using a real thread pitch gage.

A 14 pitch bolt is stronger but the 12 pitch nut is stronger....fun.
Ask the expert: A tale of two fine threads | Earnest Machine Products

 

[DieselBound]

I run a 2 5/8" ball off the back of my tractor's drawbar; used to pull my dump trailer. I'd struggled to keep it on because the shank wasn't long enough to use a lock washer: I could have used blue threadlocker on it, but never did- just kept checking and tightening by hand (worked well enough to get me nearly 250 hook-ups!). I was out mowing this past summer and when I was done I noted that the ball was there, but no nut! I spent a bunch of time looking around for a replacement nut. Closest I could find was something like $18 (plus or minus, but basically a LOT). I broke down and bought a new, complete ball. It all paid off as the shank on this new one was long enough that I could utilize the lock washer.

A new 2 5/8" 20k lb ball is considerably more costly than a 1 7/8" one. I vote to buy a new one and toss the old -nutless- one into the metal bit bucket.

 

[ruffdog]

The drawbar on the Boomer had a 1 1/4" hole in it for the ball to mount in. Instead of putting a bushing in it to take up the slop, I machined a custom 2" ball with a 1.25" shank. I turned it out of 4140, hardened, drawn back to about 50rc.