How did I do this? - Bent Ball Mount

capacitor wrote:
I have not read all 5 pages so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. When I bought my first trailer they said to disconnect the swaybar before backing especially if jack knifing. Could this be the reason?

Backing up with friction sway bars tightened down can damage a hitch. I ruined one doing that. Had to replace the hitch. FWIW

Yes, capacitor. I always got out and removed the sway bar before backing into a site.

I have not read all 5 pages so I'm not sure if this has been mentioned. When I bought my first trailer they said to disconnect the swaybar before backing especially if jack knifing. Could this be the reason?

CaptainLarry wrote:

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
. My guess with bending down of the 2 5/16 " main ball mount and the left lean ( possible a also forward lean? ) of the left friction sway brake mini ball is that too sharp of a left jackknife turn bottomed out the left friction sway brake which would pull on the main ball, push on the mini ball. causing both to bend their mounts as shown.
From my welders and fabricators point of view, it is not a fault with the hitch, Maybe just too sharp of a turn, the sway brake rear mount set up too close on the tongue to allow fullslide action before ending its stroke.
This would cause one to bend down, the other up and sideways proportionally to the forces.

Thank you SDCamper, I trust something like this has happened. I'm a little perplexed how the heavy ball mount bent so much when the mini-balls really did not. Maybe the tongue load played in. I've since noticed my same hitch (different make - same factory) has a little bend too, but not as much. And I certainly back mine with the sway bars occasionally - like at a gas station, but I usually turn off the anti-sway function when I
get to a campground to minimize the groaning. I did not know to go ahead at that point and remove it, so I will start doing that. I've also not knowingly jack-knifed excessively, but well, maybe I have done that too. I know this has helped my friend a lot. Thanks for the input.

The difference you could see is in the difference in height. As the mount material is the same, with the mini balls shorter on un gusseted base, the main 2" ball is taller by a factor of 2 or more, has more forces applied to it when the conditions of a ' end of stroke' of the friction sway brakes. This could expailn why both were bent,
Engineering and design are arguably done well with equal forces trending to deform each mount, but not to failure, breaking of mounts or ball shanks.
To my experience the friction sway brake recievers were set up too far forward. on the tongue to allow sharp turns, the owner was not educated on removing them before making hard turns. Its so easy, so wrong on a longer TT to turn sharper in forward and in reverse than the hitch is set up for. Not just the sway bars also for the equalizers.
Todays preference for shorter wheelbase tow vehicles also comes to mind. With the tighter turning radius on shorter WB tow vehicles, the trend to longer TT RVs, when backing the unit sharper angles of turns happen quickly,
I think at this time OP and his friend have what they need to know, he had - has a good hitch no matter who made it, its set up and EDUCATION of its use is why they posted to this forum.
Blame on its manufacture is misplaced

Previous post that said the ball shank was undersized for the hole in hitch is a good chance.

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
. My guess with bending down of the 2 5/16 " main ball mount and the left lean ( possible a also forward lean? ) of the left friction sway brake mini ball is that too sharp of a left jackknife turn bottomed out the left friction sway brake which would pull on the main ball, push on the mini ball. causing both to bend their mounts as shown.
From my welders and fabricators point of view, it is not a fault with the hitch, Maybe just too sharp of a turn, the sway brake rear mount set up too close on the tongue to allow fullslide action before ending its stroke.
This would cause one to bend down, the other up and sideways proportionally to the forces.

Thank you SDCamper, I trust something like this has happened. I'm a little perplexed how the heavy ball mount bent so much when the mini-balls really did not. Maybe the tongue load played in. I've since noticed my same hitch (different make - same factory) has a little bend too, but not as much. And I certainly back mine with the sway bars occasionally - like at a gas station, but I usually turn off the anti-sway function when I get to a campground to minimize the groaning. I did not know to go ahead at that point and remove it, so I will start doing that. I've also not knowingly jack-knifed excessively, but well, maybe I have done that too. I know this has helped my friend a lot. Thanks for the input.

Backing up with friction sway bars tightened down can damage a hitch. I ruined one doing that. Had to replace the hitch. FWIW

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

OOPS, yep. I see that now that I look at the photos again. It's been jack-knifed in both directions multiple times

dodge guy wrote:
Seeing as how they are using thin stamped steel and not forged like all others I can see why it would bend.

THere's multiple brands of hitches that look identical to this one, which isn't made out of "thin stamped steel"

CaptainLarry wrote:

It's likely the identical looking hitches marketed by different companies are all made in the same factory overseas.

There are some things I simply would not buy, or depend on, from Harbor Freight................

Charles