How did I do this? - Bent Ball Mount

[CaptainLarry]

Hey Guys,

My buddy showed me his cheap Harbor Freight load compensation hitch because he thought the ball was causing wear on his mount. I paused and said, the whole thing looks bent to me.

My questions to you are, it does look bent, right? And how would one do this?

I guess I'm thinking going over a tall RR crossing might have this effect.

Larry

Moderator edit to fix picture URL's

[Bumpyroad]

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

[ferndaleflyer]

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.

[handye9]

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.

[JIMNLIN]

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.

[Sjm9911]

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.

[mkirsch]

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.

[ford_truck_guy]

Like already stated a few times... Harbor Freight is GREAT for some items.... disposable gloves, tape, open end wrench for an odd job, misc hand/non power tools tools..

I would NOT buy anything from them that was directly related to the safety or well being of my family , or anybody elses family...

want a tarp, great run over to HF.... Want a hitch, buy from someone else..

and YES - you DO get what YOU pay for

Just MY opinion

[cavie]

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.

[MitchF150]

Bet it had something to do with the dual little balls on the side and getting the trailer in a jack-knife situation and those dumb friction sway bar things that folks think do anything just bent the hell out of it... ha, ha...

Yeah, yeah... Everyone needs "sway control".... Been towing stuff with the same EAZ-Lift hitch and bar setup for almost 20 years on 2 different trailers and have yet to need to add that little ball thing...

I do like the grease zerks on the sides where the bars would slide into.. Wish mine had those... I just grease my bars manually, so it still works.. 🙂



Mitch

[CaptainLarry]

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. Certainly something odd going on there.

[CaptainLarry]

This is all great discussion. I honestly did not expect such helpful treatment. I look forward to passing this along and encouraging my friend (I wonder if you guys think "my friend" is actually me. :)) to join the discussion.

Here are the stats. He is already doing some more thinking himself.

As already stated: https://www.harborfreight.com/10000-lb-capacity-weight-distributing-hitch-system-67649.html

Make and model?

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2014-shasta-flyte-travel-trailer-floorplan-315ok-tr19997

2014 Shasta 315 - the above link says 5,800 lbs. dry, but our sticker says 6,400.

He measured 1000 pounds tongue weight nearly empty and expects his loaded tongue to be more like 1100. (overloaded)

I'll have to think through the scenarios you all have proposed and ask him about his friction sway set-up.

Thanks.

[newman_fulltime]

The sway bar was to tight or he took a hard right turn and binded the sway bar causing the bend

[Lwiddis]

No question...replace!

[BenK]

IMHO...looks like jackknifed to the left and the friction bar bottomed out and bent the left minball mounting plate...therefore since the main ball on the same plate...it also bent

[SDcampowneroper]

. 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.