Bet Your Towing Illegally!!!!! So Check Your Balls!!!!!!!

[nwut05]

Ok, so Let me explain,,,, Up until a year ago I been running a New Holland t1510 with loader Ballasted rear tires approximate total weight of say 5000 lbs Not exact just estimate. So i been pulling it around with my 1500 chevy no problems pushing the limits with 16 ft trailer but no problems. Then I go get A New Holland Workmaster 60 f.e.ll and Ballasted tires. Estimated weight 7000 lbs give or take. Realizing I needed a larger pull truck I found a 1985 ford 350 with the 460 and C6 trans Plenty of payload/gvwr of 15000 lbs. Then i got to looking at my trailer its a 20 ft hauler with a 7500 lb rating and it has a steel deck. So now i got to find me a trailer because 7000 plus 2000 lbs estimated trailer is more than 7500 lbs......:thumbsup: But in my quest i have ran into an interesting find that i think most people overlook.... The Receiver and ball and pin, now my f350 has a bumper hitch class 5 rated for 10,000 lbs. and 14000 with LOAD LEVELERS INSTALLED. So I got the receiver ........ But do you realize that most 2" hitch tubes are rated for 5000 to 7500 lbs. and then they are held in the receiver by only a 5/8 pin and that pin may or may not be rated for more than 5000 lbs. and on top of that the ball themselves may only have a rating of 5000 or 7500 lbs stamped on them,,, heck i just looked at a 2 5/16" ball at a local parts store today that only had a 8000 lb rating. Now i am no stickler here and have over loaded farm equipment to "get er Done" more than once but after looking around and only finding a few 2" hitches actually rated for 10,000 lbs. I'm taking a second look at a lot of towing stuff.

So CHECK YOUR BALLS!!!! and I bet you, and me, for now, are towing Illegally weather it be your Receiver, Your Hitch, Your Ball, or Your Pin that's the weak link It's worth a look and cheaper than the possible lawsuit after the accident to...... FIX IT NOW......

And YES to those of you who want to say it I know....Just get a Gooseneck...My reply Check you GVWR'S You may be surprised after you take your truck and trailer weight out just how little you can legally haul and don;t forget to take your weight out too ... But this is not the debate!!! Receiver Balls and Hitches are.......

 

[4570Man]

I came to the same realization a while back. I’ll be buying a heavier hitch receiver, with ball, and getting a new hitch on my truck.

 

[lincmercguy]

Yep, anything with a 1" shank probably isn't rated for towing anything but small utility trailers. I usually have better luck finding the heavy duty stuff at a farm store rather than an auto parts store.

 

[ultrarunner]

Same old story as only being as strong as the weakest link...

I always use forged balls...

I have one ball that is only rated for 1500 and a lot for 2000 and some for 3500

 

[bcp]

In 2 inch standard balls, Etrailer shows a range from 2000 pounds to 12,000 pounds.

Hitch Balls | etrailer.com

Bruce

 

[millerellis]

the weak link? i realize the ratings not there but how many have really failed??? the shear value on that 5/8 pin is plenty.

the real weak link in the buget trailers everyone buys that have a given rating because of axle size alone and not trailer design.


i'd be far more worried about your 7k trailer being 1k overloaded than the ball or pin thats holding it in being overloaded the same %. especially if your 16' trailer really only weighs 2k. my 20' 10k trailer is over 3k and is underbuilt. or think about all the 7k enclosed trailers going down the road, most weigh close to 4k, you really think they have less then 3k in side them. nope. for example i've never ever ever seen a contractors trailer that wasn't loaded way over its rating. i had to special over my enclosed, and went with 7k axles for a 14k gvw.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Your right about the "hitch pins".. I've never seen one BREAK.. but I've seen ALOT of bent ones.!!!

 

[mcfarmall]

I bought a forged hitch extension at Menards that's rated for 17,000 lbs. As far as the pin goes, if you're really worried about that, get a 5/8" grade 8 bolt and put in there. Balls are another story. As you said, most are only rated for 10,000 lbs even with a 1" shank.

I haven't a need for one over 10k (yet) but I wonder if you might have better luck finding a highly rated ball on-line.

 

[TheMan419]

All I am saying is do not google 塗ighly rated balls?

 

[nwut05]

Thanks for the replies and general discussion, that was the goal just to make some of the new guys and old veterans maybe rethink what they are towing with and around. Like you say the Box trailers with the 3000 lb inside of them....or the campers going down the road with everything and a kitchen sink in them haha.
I have been checking online and around locally and have found a few acceptable balls and shanks for my towing application. My trailer, yes i am looking at upgrading as soon as possible to at lease a 14k equipment trailer just trying to get the funds together to do that.