Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Anonymous
This is the type of break I have seen. Avoid these things at all costs.
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This thread got me to thinking and looking into things.
The ball mount with the recessed hex is a terrible design. They take a 3/4" thick bar and machine it to 5/8" thick in the recess. So you've lost material thickness AND you've created a sharp stress concentration at exactly the place that the pictured one broke.
The ones with heavier load rating are 1" thick bar with no recess.
Very few are made in the USA. B&W seems to be the exception but they are more expensive which is why you won't see them on the rack at Walmart. Their 16,000 lb model looks bulletproof.
Eric