I bit the bullet and bought a 1 7/8" 3/4" drive socket and "T-Handle" breaker bar.
I will say that there's no way the existing ball was torqued to 450 ft/lbs. I was prepared to struggle for a while to get the old one off and it broke loose way easier that the 5/8" lug nuts do on one of my trailers!
This was originally installed by the the trailer shop that sold me the hitch.
I agree that you should be able to have a shop do it, but I also think that you either need to watch over their shoulder every step of the way or you have to **really** trust them.
