Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[Renze]

So many crazy stories in the USA about wrong sized ball hitches or rotten frames... dont you have an MOT annually ? Here in Europe the 50mm ball is standardised by ISO B 50 X and trucks and agricultural tractors sometimes use an 80mm ball coupler. Heavier than 3500kg uses a clevis type maul coupler according to DIN standard and heavy haulage such as a lowboy behind a dumptruck uses DIN 50 pin.

And MOT takes all rusted stuff off the road... loosing trailers or hitches is very rare here.

 

[TomSeller]

So many crazy stories in the USA about wrong sized ball hitches or rotten frames... dont you have an MOT annually ? Here in Europe the 50mm ball is standardised by ISO B 50 X and trucks and agricultural tractors sometimes use an 80mm ball coupler. Heavier than 3500kg uses a clevis type maul coupler according to DIN standard and heavy haulage such as a lowboy behind a dumptruck uses DIN 50 pin.

And MOT takes all rusted stuff off the road... loosing trailers or hitches is very rare here.

Our trailer balls are not as standardized as yours. I had to look up MOT, we don't have them.

 

[4570Man]

I'm not sure what MOT stands for. In the U.S. we have vehicle inspections in some states but in all of them. We have a 1-7/8 trailer ball for very light duty stuff, a 2" ball for most trailers, a 2-5/16 for heavier trailers, probably more sizes I'm not familiar with and a pintle hitch for heavy duty trailers where a bumper hitch must be used.

 

[breadtrk]

They have the same balls there, they are listed as Metric but only the same 3 balls we have.

 

[TomSeller]

They have the same balls there, they are listed as Metric but only the same 3 balls we have.

They have 3 balls? We only have 2 . That must be the difference.

 

[3930dave]

So many crazy stories in the USA about wrong sized ball hitches or rotten frames... dont you have an MOT annually ? Here in Europe the 50mm ball is standardised by ISO B 50 X and trucks and agricultural tractors sometimes use an 80mm ball coupler. Heavier than 3500kg uses a clevis type maul coupler according to DIN standard and heavy haulage such as a lowboy behind a dumptruck uses DIN 50 pin.

And MOT takes all rusted stuff off the road... loosing trailers or hitches is very rare here.

In my province, commercial trailers need an annual Safety Check.

It does vary quite a bit by Province or State though. Practically speaking, other than towing small dual axle skidoo trailers, even if it's strictly personal use, you'd need an annual safety on dual-axle+ trailers here. Exemptions are low-speed Ag trailers, RV/camping trailers, and light-weight single axle utility trailers.

Ball size here does cause problems. An experienced mechanic I know had a trailer come off the back of his truck, loaded with 4 ATVs. Turns out, his "buddy" who borrowed the trailer previously had adjusted the coupler tongue latch too loose, and nobody noticed hooking the trailer up that day. A good example of why it's not a good idea to loan trailers.....

Rgds, D.

 

[lilranch2001]

I have learned life's lessons that it is not a good idea to loan anything.....
It just ends up causing issues that never seem to be well resolved!

 

[BigBlue1]

So many crazy stories in the USA about wrong sized ball hitches or rotten frames... dont you have an MOT annually ? Here in Europe the 50mm ball is standardised by ISO B 50 X and trucks and agricultural tractors sometimes use an 80mm ball coupler. Heavier than 3500kg uses a clevis type maul coupler according to DIN standard and heavy haulage such as a lowboy behind a dumptruck uses DIN 50 pin.

And MOT takes all rusted stuff off the road... loosing trailers or hitches is very rare here.

I don't think I'd draw the conclusion that rusty hitches or frames is a common occurrence in the US. You've seen a couple stories here but prior to this thread I don't think I've ever heard of it happening to anyone. Not saying it hasn't, but it isn't something I'd call 'common'.

Thankfully in Minnesota we don't have mandatory vehicle inspections. In the past they did have smog inspections but it was a pain in the ***, had little value, and was basically put to pasture by the better emissions capabilities of vehicles in the mid-to-late 2000's so they did away with it. It was just a money pit. And it had no other types of inspection, just smog. While I can see benefit to the concept of safety inspections for all vehicles, in general we just don't have that many equipment-at-fault issues and it would, again, be a money pit with limited value. I'd prefer to make sure people take personal responsibility for their actions and be penalized if they fail. That way the responsible folks don't have to pay for the few problem makers.

Rob

 

[dragoneggs]

I have learned life's lessons that it is not a good idea to loan anything.....
It just ends up causing issues that never seem to be well resolved!

Loaning is risky for a couple reasons or more. One, it probably means the borrower doesn't know how to use it properly and take care it. Two, likely to put a strain on any relationship. Not to mention, loaned items tend not to return home.

 

[fried1765]

They have 3 balls? We only have 2 . That must be the difference.

Yeah..... I have never known ANYBODY who actually had three?
Circus maybe ???