safety tip: check hitch ball periodically - Fiberglass RV
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Old 10-24-2011, 03:52 PM   #1
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Name: Roamin’
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safety tip: check hitch ball periodically

Hi everyone, I just got back from a 2,000 mile trip and found partway along that my hitch ball was loose. The nut was halfway down the shaft! I had not noticed it, or looked at it to be honest. I will be checking this from now on, along with the lug nuts and tire pressure. UHaul said it hadn't been installed correctly (not torqued properly) and replaced it and the drawbar, as the hole in the drawbar had become eggshaped. Just thought I'd pass it along in case anyone was as naive as me!
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Old 10-24-2011, 05:59 PM   #2
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Ah, this happened to me also! It freaked me out...mine was not as bad off as yours, so I had a big strong man friend of mine tighten it and it has been good since. YES, definately check it regularly!! Great post!
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Old 10-24-2011, 06:01 PM   #3
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Heidi, safety reminders are always welcome. Complacency can be a killer!
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Old 10-24-2011, 06:09 PM   #4
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drill a small hole thru the shaft and nut and wire nut the nut. like what they do on motorcycle's in races.
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Old 10-27-2011, 04:37 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monica M View Post
Ah, this happened to me also! It freaked me out...mine was not as bad off as yours, so I had a big strong man friend of mine tighten it and it has been good since. YES, definately check it regularly!! Great post!
Same thing happened to me, but just a bit loose, not a real problem yet. I now check it every time I put the trailer on the hitch just to make sure it is still tight.

To get the ball on really tight, you can put the drawbar in the hitch rotated 90 degrees, so that the ball and attached bolt are horizontal to the ground instead of the usual verticle. That way you can get a lot more torque tightening (or loosening when necessary) the ball by being able to put your weight on it. If the nut is to the left, then yanking down tightens it. If the nut is to the right, then yanking down loosens it.

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Old 10-27-2011, 05:20 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
drill a small hole thru the shaft and nut and wire nut the nut. like what they do on motorcycle's in races.
Yes!!! I've been doing this for years on a variety of fasteners that are subject to stresses that may cause them to loosen with catastrophic results.
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Old 10-29-2011, 08:32 PM   #7
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Great advice. My drawbars are removed between uses and placed in storage. They are carried by the hitchball each time and inspected going both ways. We also check the wiring, lights, chains, coupler, hitch, and tire pressure before each trip.
We test our water system and appliances and run a checklist on windows, doors, vents, and locks, Even checking the lid on the toilet and the stock of toiletries, first aid kit...ETC.
While some of these are more crucial than others, I always find it easier to make adjustments in my nice warm shop with all the tools and parts, than along side the road in the dark and rain.
Which reminds me... weigh your propane tank. A twenty pounder will weigh about 18lbs empty and about 38lbs full. before we got a guage we always kept the ones under 25lbs for home grill use.
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Old 10-30-2011, 06:06 AM   #8
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A good product for securing all threaded fasteners is called lock tight. It is a liquid that is applied to the threads before the joint is made.

There are two types, One of them is blue in color and is used when the nut is NEVER! intended to be un done. The other is red and allows disassembly in the future. They are reliable if applied to clean surfaces.
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Old 10-30-2011, 07:02 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Bud Kennedy
A good product for securing all threaded fasteners is called lock tight. It is a liquid that is applied to the threads before the joint is made.

There are two types, One of them is blue in color and is used when the nut is NEVER! intended to be un done. The other is red and allows disassembly in the future. They are reliable if applied to clean surfaces.
Bud, I think you got the colors reversed.
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Old 10-30-2011, 08:41 AM   #10
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yes red locktite is for the never want to remove fasteners....
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Old 10-30-2011, 08:51 AM   #11
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Ooh, thanks especially for this tip. I have been wondering how I can tell. I use it so little, I'm still on the original tank, and was supposed to be Scamping this weekend and with the cold temps was thinking I needed to swap it out anyways.

. weigh your propane tank. A twenty pounder will weigh about 18lbs empty and about 38lbs full. before we got a guage we always kept the ones under 25lbs for home grill use.[/QUOTE]
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Old 10-30-2011, 08:55 AM   #12
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U-Haul hitch ball

The UHaul system has a sort of white plastic washer between the ball and the nut that is supposed to be compressed and the outside rim breaks off when it is torqued tightly enough. This is according to UHaul a good system and shouldn't have glue or anything. There is also a cotter pin inserted in a hole drilled through the bottom of the ball shaft, also done by UHaul. They have all kinds of claims that this is a superior system, and I'm not inclined to mess with it, although I will check to see that it stays tight from now on.
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