1974 boler

[iaian]

i have a 1974 boler that i bought one year ago my wife and i just recently took the boler out camping for the first time.my fatherinlaw who was going camping with us was concerned about the size of ball i was using for my hitch, for my hitch ball size should i be using a 17/8 ball or a 2" ball for my hitch wich is the rite and correct size?

iaian

[Lainey]

My 1970 used a 1 7/8", but you never know...each could be different

[Sharon Herman]

i have a 1974 boler that i bought one year ago my wife and i just recently took the boler out camping for the first time.my fatherinlaw who was going camping with us was concerned about the size of ball i was using for my hitch, for my hitch ball size should i be using a 17/8 ball or a 2" ball for my hitch wich is the rite and correct size?

iaian

My 1979 Trillium uses a 1 7/8" ball.

[Brian B-P]

Although it can be difficult to read, and you might not know it was there if you were not looking, couplers normally have their size stamped right into the metal. With any luck, there is not so much paint slathered on top over the years that it is unreadable.

[Doug Mager]

I could be wrong, but I think most (at least the older ones) glass trailers were 1 an 7/8ths but this could also be an overall trailer size issue. (Bigger trailer =Bigger ball??)

If you tow other trailers, you might want to have the same sized ball on all hitches.

One could also assume that Bigger IS Better.

IE: The bigger ball and shank the stronger it is.

[james kent]

My 84 uses a 1 7/8. Bigger may be better but with a 13 footer mabee a 2" might be overkill. I used to tow a big bowrider with a big engine ,about the weight of a 17 footer. That trailer used a 2" ball and I couldn't tell any diference in towing ability. After all, sizewise, there's only 1/16' difference alway around.

[Brian B-P]

In this case, bigger is stronger; my 2" coupler is good for 5000 lb (much more than the GVWR of my 17' Boler); and only the heaviest 13' Boler would need any better than the weakest 1-7/8" ball...
but the important thing is that the coupler fit the ball properly so it stays securely coupled. With only 1/8" of difference, it's easy to hitch a 2" coupler to a 1-7/8" ball and not realize the problem until perhaps too late.

I'm still at "read the coupler" on this one, although I suppose if you can't adjust the coupler to work with a 2" ball, it must be 1-7/8"...

[iaian]

well thanks for all the replies and i will stay with the 1 7/8 ball on hitch for my boler .

cheers, Iaian

[douglas bytelaar]

i have a 1974 boler that i bought one year ago my wife and i just recently took the boler out camping for the first time.my fatherinlaw who was going camping with us was concerned about the size of ball i was using for my hitch, for my hitch ball size should i be using a 17/8 ball or a 2" ball for my hitch wich is the rite and correct size?

iaian

both are correct it will towe better with a two inch ball but make sure you use the proper gvw ball and a little hitch grease goes a long way

[Gina D.]

but I think most (at least the older ones) glass trailers were 1 an 7/8ths

My 13 ft Burro was a 2" coupler.

[danny mcmillan]

My 13 ft Burro was a 2" coupler.

well kids, when I got my 73 boler, it was a 1 7/8, but totaly unsafe. I ground it off and changed it to a 2". Now it matches my Surfside and my utility trailer and almost every other thing I really need. I really don't know why the 2" isn't the standard. Its not a big thing to imagine why all lightweight trailers couldn't have been the same. Its not a real cost cutting thing, but somewhere in the back of my memory I think I smell an engineer.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Back in the good old days 1 7/8 " was a nice round number...
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

Yep, Alf is right, standard size in the good-ole-days.

I can see changing it for a convenience factor, but what's "unsafe" about 1-7/8" I have a 5,000 lb ball from U-haul....

[danny mcmillan]

Yep, Alf is right, standard size in the good-ole-days.

I can see changing it for a convenience factor, but what's "unsafe" about 1-7/8" I have a 5,000 lb ball from U-haul....

sorry Donna, I should have been more clear about that. what was unsafe was that the coupler was actually broken. I changed it to 2" for convenience. I'm sure that 1 7/8 is strong enough to do the job, I just get a bit annoyed when things aren't standardized.

[james kent]

Wow!
There must have been some real pressure to fracture a solid steel coupler. Unless it was one of the lower production types with the shaft running through it. I have seen that type warped oval from the weight of the tow. I was told once to only use the solid type and have never had a problem. What caused the coupler to break? Pulling tree stumps with a chain wrapped around it???