Replacing Ball Receiver on Trailer - Fiberglass RV
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Old 02-26-2015, 10:35 AM   #1
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Replacing Ball Receiver on Trailer

Hi, I looked around and couldn't find a thread dealing with this, forgive me if I over looked it...

I have a Trillium and the ball receiver part of the trailer, where the 17/8" hitch ball locks is old, rusty and barely functions. I'm thinking I'd like to get it removed and replace with a 2" receiver there, then replace the ball on my truck.

Is this something others have done? I'd take it to a welder, but are there any pitfalls to doing this? Will it weaken the connection to the Tow Vehicle? Any insights would be welcome.

Don
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Old 02-26-2015, 11:02 AM   #2
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Don, lots of people have done just this, and in fact I am contemplating doing it on the '76 Trillium I am working on. A good welder will have it mounted more than strong enough.

This is the one I am thinking of getting from Princess Auto.
Class III 2 in. A-Frame Trailer Coupler | Princess Auto
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Old 02-26-2015, 11:15 AM   #3
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Thumbs up this will be bitter

[QUOTE=trilliumdon;506746]Hi, I looked around and couldn't find a thread dealing with this, forgive me if I over looked it...

I have a Trillium and the ball receiver part of the trailer, where the 17/8" hitch ball locks is old, rusty and barely functions. I'm thinking I'd like to get it removed and replace with a 2" receiver there, then replace the ball on my truck.

Is this something others have done? I'd take it to a welder, but are there any pitfalls to doing this? Will it weaken the connection to the Tow Vehicle? Any insights would be welcome.

most people do this going to 2" ball
it will be fine
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Old 02-26-2015, 01:31 PM   #4
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Just did mine this year on our Boler
Bottom of the page is a pic of the install.
I changed the style of coupler used in order to make the hitch a little longer. Plus I wanted the coupler to be bolted to the trailer. I wanted it bolted so it would be easy to replace in case I twisted or otherwise hurt it.
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http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...-55601-13.html
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Old 02-26-2015, 06:46 PM   #5
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Don, that's a pretty standard change out. I have 2" couplers on everything, even a little 4 x 8 foldup. Got tired of changing the balls out.
One other thought, don't know what you tow with but if you have a problem with clearance with the jack while connected, this would be a great time to have a longer coupler done.
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Old 02-26-2015, 08:52 PM   #6
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Depends on whether you want to deal with welding. On the forums (all over the net) the hitch portion has often been described as the spoon and fork. The spoon portion is where the ball lands, the forks are the portion that hooks around the ball. If the spoon is good (not elongated, cracked, etc) but the forks are worn... you can purchase a new hitch assembly and take it apart. Put the new forks and hitching mechanism into the spoon.

Does this make sense?
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Old 02-27-2015, 06:49 AM   #7
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Often times rust makes metal parts appear far worse than it really is. Have you sprayed it down with WD-40 and a wire brush?

Unless a lot of the metal is gone, it's probably OK with a bit of cleanup and a shot of rustoleum.
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Old 02-27-2015, 10:09 AM   #8
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I made it my life's mission to change every 1 7/8" hitch trailer that came into my possession to a 2” hitch. And I was doing it to until I bought my old Scamp with a perfectly good 1 7/8” hitch and just can’t bring myself to change it. But someday I will find a reason and will not only change it to 2” but will raise it up and also elongate the hitch a little for jack and tailgate clearance. All that said, I would think about what other things I might want or need while I was taking it to a Welder. I know I had to reinforce the frame of my Scamp where it had rusted through on the bottom for example.
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Old 02-27-2015, 01:32 PM   #9
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Lucky the boler we have was built with a 2" but do have a frame repair to do at the door step
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