Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[WinterDeere]

It's not a $1000 ball hitch.

Sorry... $664.

Here's what he posted:

A good quality ball coupler is only about €60 to €70. Comes with wear indicator, auto latch and latch indicator.

That's much more reasonable.

 

[ning]

Sorry... $664.

Here's what he posted:

View attachment 1058808


That's much more reasonable.

it's also not a ball hitch per se; it's the "spoon" for a "ball and spoon coupling"

still seems pricey tho lol

 

[WinterDeere]

it's also not a ball hitch per se; it's the "spoon" for a "ball and spoon coupling"

still seems pricey tho lol

Yep. I know it's not a "ball hitch", but being of similar size and complexity, and not knowing the proper name for the thing... the name of the widget really wasn't my primary point.

I've been working in, around, and for European employers and customers for most of my career. I've watched them slowly but surely regulate themselves out of business, as their regulatory costs have just climbed way beyond what sales into Europe can ever support, at least for manufacturing and test equipment.

Put otherwise, what do you think that rather simple hunk of forged steel would cost, if it were sold at Tractor Supply Company at any store in Ohio or New Jersey, and sold at the same volume as our typical trailering components? I'd guess $35, not $635.

 

[BleedingOrange]

 

[LouNY]

I have a couple of pintle (or to keep some people happy lunette ring) hook trailers and a couple of different hitchs for them;
this is my favorite one,

 

[Too many Kubotas]

We have no confusion here, fortunately.

Oh, there's plenty of confusion alright. That's one reason things have be strictly regulated and with few choices.

It's not a $1000 ball hitch.

A good quality ball coupler is only about €60 to €70. Comes with wear indicator, auto latch and latch indicator.

Like Renze said, this is only good up to 7700 lbs which is the max toe rating a light duty vehicle can have. Above that is the other style he showed.

A light duty vehicle is any vehicle with a gross weight up to 7700 lbs.



View attachment 1057712

That looks exactly like what I removed from my little dump trailer. Hated that coupler....almost as much as the really chinzy Harbor Freight ones.

With a tow ring welded in its place, life is good.

 

[Renze]

How do you guys tow 14000+ lbs Fifth Wheel Campers? Very common here.
10 Best Fifth Wheels: America's Best-Selling 5th Wheels
Then there are the giant toy haulers that can start get to 25000+, Best Constructed Luxury Toy Hauler Fifth Wheel

With a small 5th wheel. Same 2" kingpin but smaller plate. We used them on Sprinters back in the day

koppelingsschotel JOST 2" BE-COMBI - Truckonderdelenshop.nl

Opleggerkoppeling JSK 26D 2 inch. Hoogte: 120mm JSK26D merk: Jost

www.truckonderdelenshop.nl

 

[Renze]

Put otherwise, what do you think that rather simple hunk of forged steel would cost, if it were sold at Tractor Supply Company at any store in Ohio or New Jersey, and sold at the same volume as our typical trailering components? I'd guess $35, not $635.

Its not really comparable to a Tractor Supply, made in China, sold as USA product. Tractor supply has nothing that even comes close in capacity because in North America the standard tractor hitches cant take these loads. With North American scraper pans or grain carts, manufacturers often machine their own custom hitches to take these loads.

https://ashlandscrapers.com/scraper-drawbar

Thats what these K80 balls are comparable to: at least we have an industry standard in this capacity class...

My mate runs these on his manure tank, 24 ton total, up to 6 ton drawbar load. Machined, hardened, lasts a lifetime. Also his new selfloading silage trailer, with forced steering, benefits from having a connection without slop.

 

[Renze]

I have a couple of pintle (or to keep some people happy lunette ring) hook trailers and a couple of different hitchs for them;
this is my favorite one,
View attachment 1068433

I never liked them. The UK and Scandinavia have pickup hitches with the same dimensions as standard on their tractors, once set by Harry Ferguson. But when you use them dry they wear, and when you grease them they attract dust and wear. We used to have them but when silage trailers grew too big to hook behind the forage harvester when opening up a new field of corn (harvesters couldnt take that drawbar load anymore) the local contractor swapped them all out for fixed drawbars with hardened inserts in the 90s because every trailer lost in traffic due to a worn out hitch is one too many.

It may work on occasional use light duty stuff, but not in a custom harvesting outfit with 4 ton vertical load and a 24 ton trailer. Then, contact pressure is too big with these hitches.

 

[Renze]

Oh, there's plenty of confusion alright. That's one reason things have be strictly regulated and with few choices.

In the dummy category (towing below 3500kg or 7700 lbs) there is no confusion, its all ISO X-50 balls. Above that, its CDL territory anyways. There, its all DIN standards because the Germans are orderly people, their Deutsche Industrie Norm literally set the standard ahead of anyone else.