Are you serious - these adapta balls can't be safe

[bigsub]

I lost the pin out of my adaptaball so i went to buy a new set at homedepot. I found this new fancy setup at reese that has a quickrelease knob on top of the shank stud. It has four little balls that are forced into a grove on the inside of the ball to lock. I couldn't believe it, i didn't buy it. That design can't be safe for real work. The ball spins around in circles on the balls on the stud shank. So I doubt the tounge even turns on the ball but on the little balls instead. They are going to wear out and someone is going to die. So then i stoped at an autoparts store and found a cheaper brand, I think it was colt manufacturing. It only had one steel ball to hold the ball on! This design didn't allow the ball to spin but it still sucks! What do you guys think?

[Benny]

definately sounds sketchy.

I have the pin style. I love it.

I use all sizes, but still wouldnt haul a real heavy trailer with it...

[packnrat]

just ask your self one queston:



how important is it keeping the trailer hooked up to the truck???

[wes8517]

i would never use any of them, even the pin style. i just bought a reciever with the 3 different balls i use on three sides, then i have the regular style for all my pin style trailers out at the farm, i know my ball one weighs a ton, but i trust my life with it

wes

[bigsub]

Well I have load levelers on a few trailers that have different size hitches so the tri ball hitch won't work for me. And the way my load leveler hitch is made its a pain to swap a traditional ball. I don't believe in lawsuits normally but I wanna see some shit hit the fan. How do these get SAE approved.

[cperry]

I saw this also as i was trying to set my hitch up for at least 10K lbs but i have a 2in ball. I had the hardest time finding a 2in ball that was rated for 10k, and ended up going with an 8k one. But as i was looking i saw these quick disconnect balls like you were talking about and they're rated at 10k, i don't believe it a solid steel ball is only rated for 6k and then this mickey mouse adjustable thing is 10k. Neddless to say i wasn't putting one of those anywhere near my hitch. they just look dangerous.

[CanuckJeeper]

This is what I use on with my F250, with a 32-ft flatbed bumper pull, 2 Jeeps on it:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ategoryId=7385

I know it's not rated 10k on the 2", but I use the 2 5/16" for my application. Works great.

JP

[96zjlimited]

Originally Posted by CanuckJeeper

This is what I use on with my F250, with a 32-ft flatbed bumper pull, 2 Jeeps on it:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ategoryId=7385

I know it's not rated 10k on the 2", but I use the 2 5/16" for my application. Works great.

JP

Me too

[96zjlimited]

Originally Posted by CanuckJeeper

This is what I use on with my F250, with a 32-ft flatbed bumper pull, 2 Jeeps on it:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...ategoryId=7385

I know it's not rated 10k on the 2", but I use the 2 5/16" for my application. Works great.

JP

Me too

[thecarman]

Originally Posted by bigsub

I lost the pin out of my adaptaball so i went to buy a new set at homedepot. I found this new fancy setup at reese that has a quickrelease knob on top of the shank stud. It has four little balls that are forced into a grove on the inside of the ball to lock. I couldn't believe it, i didn't buy it. That design can't be safe for real work. What do you guys think?

It DOES suck. I had an adjustable ball similar to this when I first got a trailer because I didn't know any better. It had a quarter-turn screw on top of the stud. I towed a C-20 home and when I went to disconnect the trailer from the truck, the ball stayed in the coupler! I was like "Holy crap, lucky I had enough tongue weight that the trailer didn't lift off." I thought I must have forgotten to tighten the quarter-turn screw.

The next trip I made sure to tighten that screw, and I was towing an empty trailer. I hit a bump going thru an intersection and the ball came off, detaching the trailer! I slowed down and the trailer slammed into my back bumper twice before stopping. Thank goodness for the safety chains keeping the trailer attached. I promptly removed that ball setup, and have been using the pin-style on several different trucks with no problems in the 4 years since then.

I still have that ball in the barn - I'll take a pic if anyone wants to see it...

[bigsub]

Anyone got emails for the execs of these companies?

[demonranger]

the ones with a pin through the side of the ball have been recalled due to the pin sheering off during use

the replacement are the ones with the quarter turn screw on the top and 2 small ball bearings coming out the side.

There are quite a few recalls for these things

Reese Products, Inc.

Models: Reese Trailer Hitch

Number Involved: 66,836

Dates of Manufacture: February - October 2000

Defect: Interchangeable Hitch Balls, Kit Part Numbers #57000, #57001, and #57002, which are affixed to a mounting post on a tow vehicle with a vertically aligned plunger applied through the top center of the hitch ball, can work loose. This would allow the hitch ball, and the trailer that is coupled to the ball, to disconnect from the towing vehicle, possibly causing a vehicle crash.

Remedy: Reese will provide a replacement kit to its customers free of charge. The manufacturer has reported that owner notification will begin during March 2001. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Reese at 1-800-326-1090.

[NHTSA Recall No. 01E006]

source

Check to see if you're using one of these

[Norm]

I just have two hitches, one with a 2" and one thats 2 5/16". Slide in/slide out, no fawking pin to fall out .

[bigsub]

Oh come on. The pin thru balls have to be much safer then the the quarter turn screw top ones. I swear they let anyone be engineers these days.

[bigsub]

Went to autozone today. They had some made by masterlock(the padlock company) They looked much beefier, even stronger then the pin ones. And theres no pins to loose. However it still might bounce off on a rough road w/no trailer attached.

[Eskimo]

Haven't had any problems with the Reese one I bought a few months ago...

"It had a quarter-turn screw on top of the stud. I towed a C-20 home and when I went to disconnect the trailer from the truck, the ball stayed in the coupler! I was like "Holy crap, lucky I had enough tongue weight that the trailer didn't lift off." "

There's no way for the 1/4 turn pin to come up while the trailer tongue is on it.. The tongue would have to lift completely off the ball for the pin to extend and thereby realease the actual ball. We tried to make it disconnect and it wouldn't.

Maybe something has changed since you bought yours, since mine is just a few months old, but I love it.. and I *like* having the trailer free to rotate through corners on ball bearings.

I need a 6" drop - no way those 3-sided ball things will work for me

[bigsub]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

Haven't had any problems with the Reese one I bought a few months ago...

"It had a quarter-turn screw on top of the stud. I towed a C-20 home and when I went to disconnect the trailer from the truck, the ball stayed in the coupler! I was like "Holy crap, lucky I had enough tongue weight that the trailer didn't lift off." "

There's no way for the 1/4 turn pin to come up while the trailer tongue is on it.. The tongue would have to lift completely off the ball for the pin to extend and thereby realease the actual ball. We tried to make it disconnect and it wouldn't.

Maybe something has changed since you bought yours, since mine is just a few months old, but I love it.. and I *like* having the trailer free to rotate through corners on ball bearings.

I need a 6" drop - no way those 3-sided ball things will work for me

Well if reese took the liberty to decide that no trailer hitch/towing setup needs the top part of the ball to rest on then maybe some hitch manufacturer took the liberty to not put the close tolerance in their hitch on the top which holds the quarter turn screw in. Possibly.

But more importantly I'm not an engineer but i thought bearings were supposed to have a race and I think those are better called bb's.