How did I do this? - Bent Ball Mount

I have used a Harbor Freight 10,000 lb WDH for the last seven years with no problem towing my enclosed 8000 lb trailer about 7,500 miles per year. My previous Reese version of this hitch (which was rated for 12,500 lbs) wore out the L-bar sockets towing 11,000 lbs in about eight years averaging about 10,000 miles per year.

That hitch pictured does appear to have damage from jack knifing the trailer rather than a material failure.

CaptainLarry wrote:
I did ask him to remove the ball. It was wiggling when I saw it but he did not have the tools to remove it at the time.

He appears to have used a reducer bushings on the ball shank. It looks like a 1" ball shank. Most WD hitch heads have a 1 1/4" hole for the ball shank.

Video: Reducer bushings on hitch balls are EVIL!!

Bumpyroad wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:
The OP didn't ask for opinions concerning the hitch brand. Bashing the hitch brand or its the brand products sure doesn't help the OP with his question.


I would look at a new hitch with the same part number and see if it looks the same.

This website needs a no brand bashing rule like one of my non rv forums that is ham radio/electronic Communication devices/etc. They have a no tolerance policy. One bash and your history. Its a great forum to learn without the "my brand is best and the other brand is junk" that is a fact of life on the website.

from reading this thread, it appears to me that this was operator error. started out as "bashing" if this meets the definition, but after discussion, operator error.
bumpy

It doesn't matter what it is! If someone comes along and finds this thread then all he bashing is good to keep someone else from making a dangerous mistake.

Seeing as how they are using thin stamped steel and not forged like all others I can see why it would bend. There are some things I would buy cheap/harbor freight, and other things you buy the best. A hitch (or any type of safety item) is not one of them I would skimp on

JIMNLIN wrote:
The OP didn't ask for opinions concerning the hitch brand. Bashing the hitch brand or its the brand products sure doesn't help the OP with his question.


I would look at a new hitch with the same part number and see if it looks the same.

This website needs a no brand bashing rule like one of my non rv forums that is ham radio/electronic Communication devices/etc. They have a no tolerance policy. One bash and your history. Its a great forum to learn without the "my brand is best and the other brand is junk" that is a fact of life on the website.

from reading this thread, it appears to me that this was operator error. started out as "bashing" if this meets the definition, but after discussion, operator error.
bumpy

I have never used a sway bar and my trailer is real heavy with 3 axels. Snapped the ball right off years a go going 70mph and hit one of them whoop-dee-do bridges near Burlington NC on I-40.....Thanks to a good truck damage was minimal. Another time on MD Rt 3 someone came South in the North bound lanes. I went in the medium and hit a tree the Reese brand hitch bent up a good bit where the ball mounted but nothing broke. Buy the best you can it may save your life.

Have bent one myself, and it was not Harbor Freight brand, it was made by Draw Tite. I forgot to remove the sway bar, prior to backing up. It not only bent the hitch head, but also snapped the small ball mount off the trailer frame.

Over the years, I've installed maybe a half dozen of these sway bar kits. All of the owners manuals had a statement about removing the bar, prior to backing up.

The OP didn't ask for opinions concerning the hitch brand. Bashing the hitch brand or its the brand products sure doesn't help the OP with his question.


I would look at a new hitch with the same part number and see if it looks the same.

This website needs a no brand bashing rule like one of my non rv forums that is ham radio/electronic Communication devices/etc. They have a no tolerance policy. One bash and your history. Its a great forum to learn without the "my brand is best and the other brand is junk" that is a fact of life on the website.

cavie wrote:
It appears that you are using 2 sway bars. My guess is you backed up without releasing the tension of the sway bars. You need to release the tension always when backing up. You also do not need two sway bars. one sway bar puts tension on the other. Add some cheap Chinese steel and you have your answer. FYI Curt is Chinese junk if that is what that is.

I agree, backed up with the sway bars on instead of taking them off. Usally when they sell the smaller kit ,its only one bar. They do help, but i had them on my pop up that was like 3500 lbs. I would get something diffrent for a heavier trailor. But you will break stuff if they are overnightined or if you back up with them on.

The Harbor Freight unit is physically IDENTICAL to the Reese 49903 model, and I have not heard one disparaging remark about it until today. It's one of their "hidden gems" and I fully expect that the damage here was done by mistake.

Even being a little bit overloaded shouldn't bend the hitch.