Please Check Your Balls… And Nuts.
WTH!
As we were leaving Katzs marina with Mista B’s new boat, Alan yelled. STOP! This may have been the STOP that saved lives and some true heartache. A little simple moment that still sends chills down my spine. Even in this heat. Alan with his keen..Young ..eye.. BTW we need more young people, noticed that my nut had worked its way down the shank of the trailer Ball hitch. There, I tried to say all that without giggling. But its dead serious. But how did this happen?
The hero! and Mr B
Well, turns out.. And it was my ignorance, when I got a new temp trailer hitch for the new F250, it had a 3 inch hitch. And I used a ball that was designed for a smaller hutch. WHO KNEW THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE? The ball shank was a tad smaller and so no matter how tight I made it. And I did. It had wiggle room to move around. And work its way loose.
Trailer safe!
Its simple, and yes one of those things because its so simple you think you are doing the right thing. But we all know the one truth. The more you think you know about something, the more you learn how much you don’t know. I share my ignorance with all of you to help. I am fine being made fun of if it saves a life, boat, or weekend. And I am forever grateful to Alan, and the Katzs Gang, for seeing details that make a difference!
With 8 kids, 14 Grandkids and 2 great Grandkids, I figure loose balls have cost me well over a million dollars!
Priceless. Thank you Grant for the early morning humor.
Yes, having the right shaft size (on your ball) for the hole (on your hitch) is very important! You don’t want any extra slop.
I always consider it a good day when Troy shows up…LOL. Thumbs up!
I have a cotter pin that keeps the nut from working loose.
I have a collection of 2” balls with three different shaft sizes.
Lock tight, the blue stuff not the red.
Allen is a great guy, the kind of person to keep this hobby/ sport going. And he always has his eyes open!
After using the correct shank size to ball support and careful tightening of the nut it’s a simple thing to augment locktite with a quick punch into the exposed threads to prevent nut movement. If you ever need to change you’ll need a vice and long breaker bar. I’d suggest a second ball support with your other ball size as a safer alternative. There, I said all that without a single snicker or smile.
Try a receiver that pivots and has three balls then you always have the right size balls in your hand LOL
I’ve come very close to that potentially tragic situation a few times. In addition to checking the assembly before every trip, I have become very aware of clanking noises when stopping/accelerating at intersections. If something doesn’t sound right, stop and check it out. The boat you save may be your own…
Matt, glad you and Mr. B are o.k.(as well as the new boat). BTW, the “headline artwork” is killer!!