Boat trailer comes loose - tragic.
It just happened not far away from me, I do not see any chains .... http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/boat-trailer-slips-off-truck-fatally-strikes-si-cyclist/ar-AAeiF5A?li=BBgzzfc
Forum Discussion
majorgator wrote:carringb wrote:
...Hitch balls are strongest when they are in compression from having tongue weight on them. That's why all heavy-duty tow bars don't use hitch-balls.
Huh:h Can't imagine any universe in which that makes sense. Or how its even relevant to this accident.
I did not state that was relevant to this accident. I simply stated that is why I don't like combination ball/pintle hitches. When a hitch ball is loaded for/aft without tongue weight, it is a simple bending load. With tongue weight, the combination down force and for/aft force becomes more of a shear force, where the ball is much stronger (Or any other fastener for that matter). This is why hitch balls should not be used to attach a tow strap.
