Welded vs bolted trailer balls

[Rebeldad1]

I like the 3 ball welded unit but only use it when moving trailers with my tractor. They are not weight rated high enough for my on the road trailers which are 11,700, and 2-14K trailers. All my trailers are 2 5/16" but I sometimes borrow my neighbors utility trailer with a 2".

exactly. pretty much a 3 ball has very limited weight rating. I have one for the tractor and it's great for moving stuff around the farm or light weight trailers.

there are hitches with flip balls made for heavier trailers that are used daily. they just arnt as cheap.

 

[RoyKing]

It depends on the steel in the ball and how hot they got welding it. It could get soft or brittle. If you tighten the ball enough it won't come loose. I put the receiver in upside down, get my 3/4" 55 inch breaker bar and 5 foot piece of pipe and sit on the ground and pull until the breaker bar bends about 10 degrees. I also use blue locktite. To remove I let the air 1/2" impact smack at it for about 30 seconds, it doesn't move but now the breaker and pipe will loosen it.

 

[whistlepig]

I have always tightened mine with a 16" Crescent wrench and a 3 foot cheater bar and have never had one come loose

 

[lostcause]

I just bought a Curt 45900 height adjustable 2" and 2-5/16" flip hitch. 14k weight rating, and if you have or need more the 45902 version is a 2-1/2" drawbar that is rated for 20k not super cheap, but a lot more convenient than having multiple drawbars with different ball diameter and drop or raise for each one.

i've had a lot of different ones over the years and they've always been bolted. i've never had one loosen up, but around here if they can make a season or more without loosening, they will rust on and you will be all set. tit won't loosen without high heat. If I were worried, i'd go bolted and foul the threads. I'll always go bolted because bolted will generally show fatigue before failure - loosening clunking. bending, etc. Welded will often just catastrophically fail without warning.

 

[JimRB]

I have a 3/4" 40 inch breaker bar. I put my 175 pounds on it and I can get it good and tight, not sort of tight. I have not had a ball come loose. Think of 3x175 pounds just standing on it will give me 500 pound feet of torque or more. That is about right for a 1.25" shank ball. What some people think is tight may not be tight for the ball. The smaller shanks do not take as much torque.

 

[4570Man]

exactly. pretty much a 3 ball has very limited weight rating. I have one for the tractor and it's great for moving stuff around the farm or light weight trailers.

there are hitches with flip balls made for heavier trailers that are used daily. they just arnt as cheap.

I’ve got a 3 way that’s rated for 10,000 pounds. Maybe that’s not the best money can buy but it’s definitely better than average. There’s only a very select few hitch and ball combo that’s higher.

 

[FTG-05]

You'll never see a bolted ball on a U-Haul truck.

Have no clue if that makes any difference, but I noticed several decades ago, and now I can't help but look at all of them. Yep, all welded.

 

[workinonit]

I expect some or most of that is that stolen balls get expensive. For Uhaul.

 

[ruffdog]

Do greased balls have a reduced chance of the nuts loosening?

 

[BrkMstr]

If you put a lot of miles on, your better off with a bolt on coupler and ball, as the ball will wear on the hitch and the coupler can wear on the trailer if they do they can both be replaced, if the set up is a normal use trailer it would not matter as most likely they will rust out before they wear out. I use the B&W Tow and Stow set up - it gives me a 2 5/16 for the dump and a 2 for the utility, and provides easy height adjustment - nice unit, if you use a little white lithium on pins it's trouble free....