Rockerball trailer hitch -- has anyone tried it?

[profdant139]

This thing supposedly takes the lurch out of towing a trailer -- if anyone has tried it, we'd love to hear your opinions -- thanks in advance!

Rockerball

[drsteve]

keymastr wrote:
I don't think it is compatible with a weight distributing hitch since they use pressure between the ball and bars

It's not. From the Q&A on etrailer's page:


The Curt RockerBall Shock Absorbing 2" Hitch Ball part # C40047 will not work with a weight distribution system because the flange that gets wedged between the platform and base that stops the unit from rotating will not fit over the shank on a weight distribution system. Therefore, the Curt RockerBall must be used with a standard ball mount like the Curt Ball Mount for 2" Hitches part # C45067.

If you are looking to add a shock absorbing feature to your weight distribution system you'll want to swap out your shank with the Gen-Y Shock Absorbing Weight Distribution Shank part # 325-GH-12006.

[keymastr]

I don't think it is compatible with a weight distributing hitch since they use pressure between the ball and bars

[ajriding]

Jebby14 wrote:
my 14" aluminum fishing boat is 1 7/8
my 8 foot utility trailer was 2"
my 91 prowler (19 feet) was 2 5/16
my 08 flagstaff (23 feet) is 2"

lol, So?

[Jebby14]

my 14" aluminum fishing boat is 1 7/8
my 8 foot utility trailer was 2"
my 91 prowler (19 feet) was 2 5/16
my 08 flagstaff (23 feet) is 2"

[Grit_dog]

So I'm like your brother except 40 years would put me starting out towing a wagon behind my bmx bike or a sweeper behind my grammas lawn mower. Either way, I don't understand what "lurching" is. Never wore out a hitch ball, no grease, not sure what there is to "adjust" on a hitch really. Maybe couple times have adjusted the bottom of the latch out of idk, hundreds of different trailers.
Never hooked a wdh to my truck but I have had to drop trailers and go find a bigger truck sometimes when the truck looked like a dog draggin it's @ss across the carpet.
Never actually weighed a trailer or my truck. Not passenger trucks anyway, just commercial loads.
I consider a quiet hitch anything that isn't a pintle hitch. Some of y'all would **** your pants and think you were gonna meet your maker the first time you hit the brakes with a pintle hitch and the trailer feels like it rear ends the truck.....every time.

This is a gimmick, not unlike many other towing aids.

[ajriding]

My brother has been towing nearly 40 years. He never greases the ball, never attaches anything to keep the hitch from rattling around and just has accepted this is towing.

Me, I have perfection.
I grease the ball.
I tighten the trailer hitch to fit the ball perfectly, just enough to move freely in all direction, but tight enough that there is no play.
I use the U-bolts to tighten the receiver so it does not move, and lastly
I have a WD hitch.
I get no lurch (whatever that is) or any odd input from the trailer hitch.

I cannot imagine how rubber would improve anything in my system

[CavemanCharlie]

I don't have one and have never seen one.

My brother has a receiver hitch that has a slotted hole and rubber mounted inside of it. This is where the pin goes through . This is suppose to take some shock out of towing. I've used it and don't notice any difference.

[trail-explorer]

I sure wouldn't want my ball rocking back and forth as I was towing.

[Ron3rd]

Only rated for 7500 lbs?

[hotjag1]

Grit dog wrote:
And it's still a bad idea from an engineering standpoint.

I agree. I'm not an engineer, but common sense tells me that it doesn't sound like a good idea to have movement at the ball like that.

[Grit_dog]

And it's still a bad idea from an engineering standpoint.

[profdant139]

Someone asked why I posted this question. It's simple: I'm curious about new products. Maybe someone has come up with a better mousetrap!

And to answer another question, no, I am not getting lurching of my trailer, because I use an anti-rattle device that firmly couples the drawbar and the receiver. But maybe this new product is better than what I am using?

So that is why I posted. But apparently no one who has used this product has yet responded. I hope they do.

[Hannibal]

Someone figured out a way to complicate a trailer ball.

[Grit_dog]

No thanks, I don't consider a trailer hitch something that should move or require maintenance.
But I bet I could bend the shank on that ball given a few months using it at work!

For the same reason receiver adapter sleeves are a bad idea, this one is equally as bad. the soft rubber "cushion" provides an unsupported length that creates a bending moment in the hitch shank vs being in shear.
Maybe fine for someone doing infrequent light duty trailering, but otherwise, not good.