Could have been very nasty!

[getinmerry]

Hi all,

I thought someone in here might find this interesting.

Last week I cut down a small 3" diameter pine tree in my yard. I left about 4 feet of trunk sticking up so I could use it as a lever to rip the stump out with my truck.

I attached a chain to the tree up high and attached a tow strap to the chain to absorb some of the shock when I pulled.

I put the hitch into the reciever and attached the strap to the ball (2" Reese with 3/4" shank). I got into the truck put it in gear and crept up to take up the slack. The lines tightened and "PLINK!"....something broke. The chain went limp.

I figured that I broke the strap. I got out to find that the BALL HAD BROKE OFF THE SHAFT!! I couldn't believe it! I just towed my 5000lb boat last weekend with that ball! It could have very easily broke while towing.

It litterally took about 30lbs of force to shear that ball off. I hadn't even started to pull yet!

Has anyone else ever had a ball fail like this? It make me nervous...very nervous to tow anything ever again.

BTW- this was a new ball (less than a year old) and kept in the truck when not in use, so corrosion is not the issue.

Chuck

 

[j_martin]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Look closely at the break. I suspect the bolt had a corrosion/stress fracture most of the way through before you pulled on it.

I'd take pictures of it and send a ransome note to the manufacturer. Should be good for a new ball and a steak dinner, I'd think.

hope it helps
John

 

[getinmerry]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

There was a stress fracture about 7/8 of the way through the shaft. I took out the last 1/8 when I tugged on it.

However- I installed the hitch and ball myself. I used a 3/4" drive torque wrench to tighten the ball down to manufacturer specs. I didn't use a long pipe, impact gun or any other means that would result in the fracture.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

some times there are just bad castings.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

I'd reply, but I'm heading out to inspect my hitch ball right now.

 

[AnonymousBoater]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Reese's are made in China...

I looked around all the local places for other manufacturers and could not find any...bleh. Never really did get to looking on the internet. Maybe I will.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Breaking off a hitch ball by misuse isn't that hard to do and doesn't necessarily mean that likely to break off when you were towing. I do a lot of 4WD'ing. One of the big recover no-no's is to use the hitch ball as a recovery point. They are easy to snap off. Lots of people have been injured from yanking on a hitch ball with a strap only to have the ball break off and become a missle.

 

[TommyA]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

I tow a tandem trailer with tractors and all kinds of other equipment. I inspect the ball often but I still make sure that the safety chains are in good shape and attached correctly.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Pulling a #5K trailer you?re lucky to be putting 500 lbs of force on that ball.

How did you come to the conclusion that the ball snapped with only 30# of force?

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

I'd take pictures of it and send a ransome note to the manufacturer. Should be good for a new ball and a steak dinner, I'd think.

How would that note read?

Dear Reece:
Recently while pulling out a stump with one of your hitch balls...

I'm glad that didn't happen while you were towing, but I'm also wondering how many other stumps you've pulled out that way...

 

[j_martin]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

How would that note read?



I'm glad that didn't happen while you were towing, but I'm also wondering how many other stumps you've pulled out that way...

No, it would read, "Look at this picture of your hitch ball that failed at under 100 lbs when I was testing it."

No matter what, the stress crack shouldn't be there, and it is a manufacturing defect.

 

[j_martin]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Breaking off a hitch ball by misuse isn't that hard to do and doesn't necessarily mean that likely to break off when you were towing. I do a lot of 4WD'ing. One of the big recover no-no's is to use the hitch ball as a recovery point. They are easy to snap off. Lots of people have been injured from yanking on a hitch ball with a strap only to have the ball break off and become a missle.

Back in the 70's, we had a school bus driver pay with his life when he got stuck in the muddy country road and a helpful folk with a 4 x 4 tried to jerk him out using his hitch. Ball got the bus driver in the head.

 

[642mx]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Back in the 70's, we had a school bus driver pay with his life when he got stuck in the muddy country road and a helpful folk with a 4 x 4 tried to jerk him out using his hitch. Ball got the bus driver in the head.

My Dad knew a guy who was killed the exact same way. The ball snapped and got him in the temple.

Always use a tow hook when pulling something out, not the ball.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

What brand ball? Where was it made?
I've had a few el cheapo balls crack or bend but haven't had any problems with any of the big name heavy duty balls.
Was it a cast or forged ball? (they are usually marked).
Did it break at the neck or the base of the threads?

The worst that I've had happen to a ball was one that pretty much self destructed on a cross country trim with a very heavy trailer which had far too much equalizer bar pressure to allow a too light truck to carry the weight.
It wasn't the fault of the ball.

I've had a few no name China made tow balls bend over slightly after a good shock from a bump or driveway curb and one that did come apart, but didn't unhitch. That one looked like they had cast the ball over a carriage type bolt and the casting disintegrated but the bolt remained and held on to the coupler. That was a case of buying the first ball I could find while away from home after buying a trailer that took a larger ball than I happened to have with me. It was ok on the trip home, and for a few after, but when I failed to swap it out for a higher grade ball when towing a fully loaded trailer, it failed.

 

[guy74]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

Gee, of all the things I've broken, I've never broken a hitch ball. Believe me when I say it hasn't been from lack of trying, guess I must have high quality hitch balls.

 

[getinmerry]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

I'm glad that didn't happen while you were towing, but I'm also wondering how many other stumps you've pulled out that way...

It was the first stump I've pulled. I normally use the wife's truck with the hooks, but she wasn't home.

The thing that bothers me is that I hadn't started to pull it yet. All I was doing was idling with my foot on the brake to take out the slack. No real pressure at all. In fact, the reason I was using a strap attached to a chain is to absorb some of the shock.

This was a tiny stump. I ended up pulling it with my Suzuki 500 four wheeler. There is no way it should have broken.

The ball was a Reese 2" ball with 3/4" shaft. It broke right at the base of the ball where it meets the shaft.

The entire hitch system on the truck is less than a year old and has only been used about 5 times since I bought it. I keep it in a cloth bag in the truck when not in use and spray it with WD40 before putting it away. Believe me, there was no misuse involved. I am very meticulous with all my mechanical stuff.

I think what bothers me most is that probably 50% or more of the hitches in use in the US are Reese. They are sold EVERYWHERE! (WalMart, KMart, Sears, Uhaul, etc). How many other "lemons" are endangering people on the roads every day?

Chuck

 

[bjcsc]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

The entire hitch system on the truck is less than a year old and has only been used about 5 times since I bought it. I keep it in a cloth bag in the truck when not in use and spray it with WD40 before putting it away. Believe me, there was no misuse involved. I am very meticulous with all my mechanical stuff.

Well given that information your situation is scary indeed. I think that you should definitely let Reece know what happened and where you had the hitch installed. They might be able to ID that ball into some type of batch or lot number and your letter may end up saving someone's life...

BTW, you would be much safer leaving the nylon out of your pulling technique and just using straight chain. Nylon and tow straps are light and store tremendous amounts of energy. Chains store significantly less energy in that type of application and are heavy. If a chain fails it will just drop instead of whip...

Seriously consider writing the letter...

 

[getinmerry]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

I always use the heavy moving blanket over the chain/ strap trick to help eliminate the possibility of snap-back, but I didn't think that would be important here.

I am considering a letter to Reese, but I don't think it will do much good since 1.) I was "misusing" the ball
2.) I installed it myself
3.) I bought it at either WalMart or KMart (can't remember now)

Chuck

 

[tommays]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

My ball says made in USA could you see if yours says were it was made

 

[dingbat]

Re: Could have been very nasty!

If nothing else I learned something about balls from this thread.

I had always assumed that each ball diameter had a specific shaft diameter. I didn?t realize that you could get a 2" ball with either a 3/4" or a 1" stud which is scary in itself to me. The 3/4" stud is rated to #3500 where as the 1? shaft is rated to #6000 lbs.

I wonder how many other people are dragging around trailers in excess of #3500 using a 2" ball with a 3/4" shaft?