[muscle_collector]

this makes 3 of them I have had break in the last few years. china made steel maybe???? luckily this time I was driving my Kodiak 5500 and only pulling an 18' flatbead with heavy chains and it was empty. I couldn't even feel it but my eye caught it swaying in the mirror. this mount was pretty new also.

[400 4spd.]

I'd be sending a picture of that to Reese. That kind of stuff can be deadly.

[60man]

I don"t go for dropped ball mounts for heavy chit.
They can flex and break...
I would call the manufacture and get his take....JMO
I would be upgrading the whole hitch to a class 5 and a load distribution deal..

[goatless]

Uh-oh, that looks like the same one I've got right now.

[PonchoV8]

Whoa, that's scary to think about.

[Simple Man]

Reese is moving most production to Mexico.

[GoatDr]

Get a B&W hitch made 5 miles down the road in Humboldt KS. Owned and made in the USA.

http://www.turnoverball.com/products...ableballmounts

[1beautifuldaughter]

SCAAAAARRRRRYYYYY And people always tell me I worry too much

[JLHarper]

Like Troy said, straight is safer (no angle welds)...my 10K 2 5/16 bar/ball weighs about 18lbs or so.....they are straight piece of steel stock.

I'd stick to USA made if they are breaking.

[muscle_collector]

on my 2 5/16 mounts, I use a 20000lb mount and a 30000lb ball. but this is just a 2" one and because of the height of the truck I have to use a drop mount to get the tongue down a bit. but one of the others I had break was the straight 20k / 30k combo forged steel. ( I was using it on my f450 pulling a 42' trailer )
I guess I have been very lucky that nothing tragic has happened. thank god for this.

[PonchoV8]

One Memorial Day around noon I saw a boat sitting on top of it's own tow vehicle in the ditch.
Bad way to start a summer.

[Drag Star Le Mans]

I know of 2 that have broken, and 1 was a Reece.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Never seen that type of carnage.

Hard to tell by the picture - but possibly you were using a large bore mount, with a small shank ball ? Or small bore mount and small shank ball.

You probably already know - but in case not - you want the large bore mount and the large shanked ball for highest capacity. They make 2 sizes of bores and shanks.
Some places might limit your selection.

Glad you didn't have any damages or consequences.

[sleepy]

It's the new (lazy) design. They have taken metal off the top and bottom in the shape of a six point nut so the ball can act like a second wrench to tighten and loosen without two wrenches. Thin spot in the metal will break every time.

[Chris65LeMans]

2 motorcyclists (in 2 separate accidents a few years apart) were killed by runaway trailers on the highways. Scary stuff, indeed.

[Keith Seymore]

Yes - except mine was one of the big cast weight distributing ball mounts (for the load leveling bars).

I had just towed from Detroit to Atlanta and parked in my pit spot. I was visiting with my buddies when we heard a loud "bang", like something had fallen over in the trailer. We looked around and didn't see anything - until I started to unhook the trailer. One side of the casting had fractured all the way through.

So - instead of making test passes on Friday - I spent the day chasing a ball mount so that I could get home on Sunday night.

K

[The Boss]

With all the hauling you do Gary I'm amazed you haven't switched to a 5th wheel.

That's scary!

[SRR]

Originally Posted by sleepy

It's the new (lazy) design. They have taken metal off the top and bottom in the shape of a six point nut so the ball can act like a second wrench to tighten and loosen without two wrenches. Thin spot in the metal will break every time.

Yep, time to buy a more HD version.

[TheSilverBuick]

Being the 3rd one, I'd be looking at possibly over torquing of the ball hitch on installation. Though admittedly I'd expect the threads to snap before the hitch, but compression then twisting do strange things.

[Sirrotica]

For heavy hauling a gooseneck or fifth wheel are the only things I use. Bumper mounts get a ton of strain with a heavy haul, and 20 feet between the ball and the trailer axles is a bunch of leverage. If the 2 are on different planes and the swivel of the ball gets into the point of a bind there's going to be a tons of force on that hitch. The part of the hitch with the hole in it is the weakest link of the chain and where it will break first.

Beside that a fifth wheel,or a gooseneck tow much better on the interstate at speed, no sway or wiggle like a bumper hitch has, no need for an equalizing hitch either.