Trailer Hitch Conspiracy

[Ductape]

OK... what gives??? I volunteer to pick up one of those rental boom-lift (snorkel-lift) contraptions from the home improvement store for my sister, since her Volvo wagon wouldn't cut it. They are adamant that you must have a minimum 1/2 ton with a trailer hitch with all components rated for a 6000 lb minimum. No problem.... i've got an F-350. My trailers both use 2 5/16th balls, the lift uses 2". No problem, right? I go to Wal*Mart... pick up a 6000lb ball.... no problem. Ball mount??? EVERY one they sell rated for only 5000lbs.?? Lowes..... 5000lbs !! The tractor dealer (who sells alot of landscaping trailers/ deckovers).... 5000lbs. NAPA store... 5000lbs. TSC... 5000lbs. H D .... 5000lbs. What gives???? Is there not a mass produced ball mount rated over 5000? OK... i know i can find one on the internet, but i needed it today, as the rental lift was supposed to be available today. I scoured four towns and easily a dozen places that sold trailer hitches. Is this the same as the "eight hot dogs per package but six buns per package" deal the grocery stores use?? Why do they bother stocking a 6000lb ball???

 

[Adiredneck]

I bought mine at TSC.

It's been my experience that Once you break the 5000# mark, the shank of the ball mount ups to 1 1/4" (although I have seen the 6000# balls mike you mentioned in 1" shank). My 2 5/16 ball & the mount are 1 1/4" shank & rated for 10,000#. It was pricey at around $50.00 for the pair, but it won't be failing on me anytime soon. I have pushed them both to about 13,000# so far with a load of pine & hemock logs.

The mount is usually solid 2" steel. Mine happens to be hollow, but has a second piece of smaller square stock welded in the middle. The flat section where the ball mounts to is also wider.

Just a guess, but I would suspect most weight distribution mounts would be rated for 10,000# too, although I have never used one.

 

[Ductape]

Yes.... TSC had one rated (i think) for ten thousand pounds, with an inch and a quarter hole. TSC also had but ONE ball to fit ......... 2 5/16ths ! It didn't help me.

 

[skipmarcy]

Yes, you have to jump up to pricier mount to get the rating you need. For my 14k flat trailer I have to use a 6" rise mount rated at 10k and have a 2" 10k rated ball with 1 1/4" shank. The mount shank is solid steel and with the 6" rise it has a heavy gusset welded to it too. It's a Hidden Hitch brand mount and I have about $75 in the mount and ball. I never load this trailer over 10k even though it's got 14k axles. For my 12k dump trailer I use a straight mount - Draw Tite solid steel shank rated for 10k with a 2 5/16" ball with 1 1/4" shank. This trailer I have run as high as 13,200 lbs. several times with no worries. I have about $70 in this mount & ball.

 

[mjncad]

I don't tow very often, and when I do, it is usually a rented trailer of some kind. I didn't want to start a costly and space consuming collection of ball mounts and ball diameters, so I bought this Buyers hitch when Northern had it on sale a couple of years ago.

I'm real pleased with it.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_245756_245756

 

[Skyco]

Try finding a drawbar rated for 14K I have a dump trailer rated at 14k and had a very hard time finding a drawbar and ball rated that high. The one I finally found is a solid completly forged unit made by Chicago Hitch rated at 15k and it cost me dearly. I've been unable to find another when I've recommended it to others.
Here is the deal- liability
So suppose one deems a 10K drawbar adequate for their minimal use of their 14K trailer.
So one day it breaks and the trailer kills someone. Unlikely but could happen.
The family sues you.
Think ANY civil court is gonna let you off light?
So Mr. Trailer Tower you knew you had a hitch rated at less than the load and used it anyway, on a public highway. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury you should award Mr. Victims survivors millions!
It doesn't matter that his insurance is only good for half a million, he has a farm and a house and vehicles and investments.
Scary huh?

Thats why I go to the trouble to make sure ALL my stuff is up to spec......I'm not saying this is right, just the way the world is today.

BTW Ductape- they have sleeves to put the smaller shank ball in the larger hole- TSC should carry them too...
So what happened? Did you get the trailer?

 

[Ductape]

No rental lift yet. The Depot had seven people in line for it, and when my sister couldn't get there within a half hour of when it was dropped off by the last renter, they gave to the next in line. Maybe we'll get the next one today.

I ended up with a ball mount from a small pickup cap dealer, that looked like it had been sitting in his showroom for many years. Its rated at 12,000 pounds. Had to buy the shank sleeve @ NAPA..... and used my ball from Wal*Mart. TSC only has the sleeves to go from a 3/4 to 1" shank.

This is the hitch i think i'll end up with. It has so many features i like. Locks in place, corrosion resistant (which us guys in the salt belt like), anti rattle, relatively light, etc. Its much cheaper on ebay though.

http://www.amazon.com/Diversi-tech-Adjustable-Aluminum-Hitch-Diversitech/dp/B000P9H04A

 

[Ductape]

Skyco,
Is your reciever a 2 1/2 inch ? Last fall i was looking at heavier hitches (the hitch that was on my truck when i bought it is a Valley 7500 [10,000 WD]) because i was looking at deckover trailers. The few i found that were above 10,000 (12,000 WD) jumped up to 2.5. I think they were in the $3-400 range.

 

[Builder]

If you want to put a permanent end to your trailer hitch woes, just go to the folks at Putnam. They make what all of us are looking for in trailer hitches.

 

[Skyco]

Skyco,
Is your reciever a 2 1/2 inch ? Last fall i was looking at heavier hitches (the hitch that was on my truck when i bought it is a Valley 7500 [10,000 WD]) because i was looking at deckover trailers. The few i found that were above 10,000 (12,000 WD) jumped up to 2.5. I think they were in the $3-400 range.

Yup- it is a Reese Titan V, probably had it 10 years now on my 96 F350. Don't recall exactly but I remember it was much more expensive than the regular duty receiver it replaced....

 

[wushaw]

What Builder said...Putnam has it all.
http://www.putnamhitch.com/main-nav1.html

 

[PA hayseed]

Well, thank you all for the information. I was just searching for hitch components for a new trailer. Guess I found a source that will give me what I want.

One question though, Is pintle better or just different? I've seen plenty of balls on bigger trailers than mine.

 

[AlanB]

And when you are all said and done with that, look at the cross pin that holds it all together.

I can't find ratings on any of those at all.

 

[swines]

And when you are all said and done with that, look at the cross pin that holds it all together.

I can't find ratings on any of those at all.

Ball hitches are rated by the diameter of the shank. For a 2-inch diameter ball, the shank sizes have the following load ratings:

3/4-inch shank = 3,500 pounds
1-inch shank = 6,000 pounds
1 1/4-inch shank = 8,000 pounds
1 3/8-inch shank = 8,500 pounds

For the hitch pins - they're rated for the class receiver (I, II, III, IV, V). Generally, a 5/8-inch hitch pin is rated for use with receivers including Class V = 15,000 pounds.

You can usually get Reese hitch parts at RV dealers or from U-Haul centers. If you have time to order, try etrailerpart.com.

 

[Skyco]

And when you are all said and done with that, look at the cross pin that holds it all together.

I can't find ratings on any of those at all.

I don't know how much force is needed to shear a 5/8 pin of even mild steel, but I bet it is considerably more than the force that could ever be generated by towing or braking...you aren't trying to lift the trailer with it after all and you have to shear it simultaneously in two places

 

[Ductape]

I bought a locking pin some time ago. It did have a weight rating on the package. Though you are right.... i don't know that i've ever seen one with a weight rating stamped into it. Skyco is right though... it would take an amazing amount of force to shear a 5/8 pin.

 

[AlanB]

While I realize that it is captured on both sides, just how much force do you think it will take to shear that 1" pin on the bottom of the ball that shows being rated at 6000 lbs in the post above?

Or is the pin diameter effectively doubled because it is through two sides?

But either way, when I looked for one that is "rated" as we are concerened with checking it all, I could not find any.

Kind of like the whole tie down chain thing with the grade 70 etc. chains and the "rated" binders etc. Then you tie it into what? a piece of 1/8" mild steel stake pocket welded to the side of the trailer by the guy they trained to be a welder that morning.

I guess my point being, that I find it odd, how this piece, that piece and the other thingy has to be rated / stamped / marked etc. And the one pin that is literally holding the entire contraption together, has no markings or rating's on it.

More food for thought, then anything I guess.

 

[Skyco]

All good points. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a snapped off trailer ball. But I still buy one rated higher than my loaded trailer just to be safe.