Stupid Is As Stupid Does

[Industrial Toys]

Mamma Always said.

So, in the middle of another job, I "just" wanted to move my dump trailer, wash it and put it away.

I used the loader fork hitch, and put a little down pressure on it because I wanted to straighten out the somewhat wonky electric jack. But the ball came out and got stuck in behind the proper place.

I knew something had happened "AND SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT TO LOOK" but proceeded to move the thing with some sharp turns.

I think they might call that a twisted testical. I never would have imagined bending that plate. That is a 2-5/16 ball and maybe 3/4" plate!


I don't know if you can see the boil on the right side of the picture as looking at it. I already used a sledge to hammer the thing halfway back. But I think the hitch is ruined. It must have created leverage between the ball and square hitch bar, with massive mechanical advantage.





If you think something isn't right. S T O P ! And investigate!

 

[s219]

Tractors sure are good at tearing stuff up sometimes...

 

[Redlands Okie]

The perfect opportunity for your to replace that with a hammer blow coupling. I realize they can also be messed up but its less likely and a safer coupling to be using also. Same for replacing that jack with a heavier duty one.

It is amazing what can happen moving something around. A little leverage goes a long way. Ouch.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I actually would like to extend the tongue on that trailer. It is a terrible trailer to back up and I can't move it around empty with my mule because the jack is in the way. It's just not anything I wanted to spend time and energy on at this time.

I am concerned how easily the hitch popped off the ball. A friend says they are adjustable underneith to fit "your" ball. Is that true as for the adjustment? The "your" ball thing makes no sense. Is my 2-5/16" ball a different size from your 2-5/16" ball?

I still remember one trailer we had for years with a CAST hitch and adjustable bolt and butterfly locking nut. I would love to have those again. Not this stamped out garbage.

 

[3930dave]

Tractors sure are good at tearing stuff up sometimes...

There was a great post on here somewhere..... hopefully it's still up......

Guy starts of with what looks like a rant "Lied to by Salesman about the cost of buying a Tractor" or something close to that.....

...... then proceeds to list all the vehicle mirrors, quarter panels, gates/posts/hardware, siding, lawn furniture, ornamental trees etc that he's demoed with his tractor.

Some days you win, some you don't......

Rgds, D.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah. A friend learned a long time ago, this isn't a good place to park your corvette for extended periods.

 

[timswi]

I actually would like to extend the tongue on that trailer. It is a terrible trailer to back up and I can't move it around empty with my mule because the jack is in the way. It's just not anything I wanted to spend time and energy on at this time.

I am concerned how easily the hitch popped off the ball. A friend says they are adjustable underneith to fit "your" ball. Is that true as for the adjustment? The "your" ball thing makes no sense. Is my 2-5/16" ball a different size from your 2-5/16" ball?

I still remember one trailer we had for years with a CAST hitch and adjustable bolt and butterfly locking nut. I would love to have those again. Not this stamped out garbage.

I had that happen once when the coupler latch rolled up and didn't lock onto the ball. I check that every time now--That was 20 years ago. Fortunately not on the highway.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Look up “bull dog hammer blow” hitches. Extremely well made and not likely to have issues with them. They come in a wide variety of styles. For a frame tongue, round or square tube, bolt one and many others.

Jacks are made that attaché to the side of the tongue. Crank them up a few turns and you can pull a pin and rotate them up and out of the way or just remove them from the hitch. They do wiggle a tiny bit but have never had one fail. Multiple trailors, heavy loads, several decades of use.


You may already know all about these, perhaps they might be of use to others.





BULLDOG - Tubular Swivel Trailer Jack - 5, lbs


BULLDOG!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Thanks. That first ref, I cut and pasted and it just came up with electric jacks.

A friend asked if maybe I want to just go pintle. Would make hooking up to a tractor easier.

I gotta say though, that with already having a battery for the dump, an electric jack is very nice. BUT, subject to damage. I bent it this time, by trying to grab a bucket load of washed stone, with the trailer not connected to anything, just wheel chokes.

 

[Redlands Okie]

I have tried to past the right darn links in there. Seem to having issues. Brand I prefer is “bulldog. “

You can surf their sight. Lots of different grades and weights and costs etc.

If you will check you also see that bulldog has spare parts for almost anything that can be torn up

They do make electric and hydraulic jacks also. My dump has hydraulic jacks and I have to admit, worth every penny. I often swap Trailors daily and will hook onto and off the same trailor several times a day.

 

[dragoneggs]

Tractors sure are good at tearing stuff up sometimes...

"Put a fork in it!"

Not sure if this post should be here or in favorite sayings. Lord knows my forks are longer than I realize.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Hard to put expensive kit on a trailer you got for five hundred bucks CDN! And man, is high quality stuff ever going through the roof. Getting stuff in Canada is becoming harder and harder too.

 

[jaxs]

Hard to put expensive kit on a trailer you got for five hundred bucks CDN! And man, is high quality stuff ever going through the roof. Getting stuff in Canada is becoming harder and harder too.

People also find it hard to replace expensive parts and tires on borrowed trailers. It's hard for me to find $500 trailers.

 

[MF RED in MT]

Hard to put expensive kit on a trailer you got for five hundred bucks CDN! And man, is high quality stuff ever going through the roof. Getting stuff in Canada is becoming harder and harder too.

It depends also on how much do you use the trailer and for what, but if it were me I would be considering a "pintle hook hitch".

Good luck,

KC

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

Attention Required! | Cloudflare

 

[Redlands Okie]

Pintle hooks are great for rough terrain. But they sure do bang and clang when used on road.

 

[Redlands Okie]

A good trailor is worth repairing correctly as best as you can afford. A trailor bought at the right price (cheap) means you should have some money left over for repairs. Fixing a expensive trailor that you spent all your money on is easier to justify but sure does get frustrating. For that matter, fixing any of them is frustrating

 

[4570Man]

Pintle hooks are great for rough terrain. But they sure do bang and clang when used on road.

A real pintle hitch rides pretty good. One of those combo hitches with a trailer ball with a latch on top bang awful. The real benefit of a pintle hitch is huge load capacity. I’ve seen them with 50 ton ratings there’s possibly higher rated ones. No other ball hitch comes close to that. There’s no real reason to run them on light duty street vehicles that don’t need the capacity or 360 degree rotation.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Not a big fan of the bang and clang. I even tap the bottom of my receiver tubes with a 1/2" NC hole to install a bolt to take the wiggle out of the hitch. Probably messes up anyone thinking of stealing my hitch too. Although I rarely leave a hitch in the truck, not being used to tow.

 

[Jstpssng]

People also find it hard to replace expensive parts and tires on borrowed trailers. It's hard for me to find $500 trailers.

I looked for several years to either find something used, or new that I liked. Instead everything I found was either rusted out junk for nearly the price of new; or if new it would be a TSC style angle iron junk, again for way too much money. I finally broke down and bought a lightweight 2990 GVWR dump trailer. The body is rather lightweight but the frame is rugged, and I can build a new top if needed down the road.

 

[JJZ 109]

Not a big fan of the bang and clang. I even tap the bottom of my receiver tubes with a 1/2" NC hole to install a bolt to take the wiggle out of the hitch. Probably messes up anyone thinking of stealing my hitch too. Although I rarely leave a hitch in the truck, not being used to tow.

Although not a cheap solution, I have a Shocker hitch being delivered today. We'll see how it goes. Shocker Air Receiver Hitches - Original | Shocker Hitch(R)
I currently have a WeighSafe. It's been a good hitch but I'm hoping this Shocker will remove some jolts, especially the ones at 75 mph or so on interstates.
Like you, I remove the hitch when I'm not towing. Not a good idea to leave an unattended WeighSafe out there. I also place a padlock in the ball lock on my business trailer quite often. Not a deterrent to a determined thief, but it probably deters the lazier ones to move on. And the trailer is always parked in view of a 24/7 camera.