Martin,
Three weeks ago I parked my 67 Tradewind 40 miles from paved road and 60
miles from Casper, Wyoming. I found the ball behind the coupler socket and
pushing out the side. The ball socket was flattened on one side. Ware
showed that the socket had ridden on top of the two inch square post in
front of the ball. A left turn allowed the coupler to fall in front of the
socket, and straightening put caused the damage.
I could go on with the details, but I believe the fault occurred at least
100 miles before we parked. I had heard a clunk in Laramie, and I found
nothing around the hitch out of place when I looked. The socket was on the
ball. I am convinced that tongue weight and the weight distribution bars
kept the socket on the ball until the last mile of rough road.
You can't look inside a socket and see metal fatigue or fine cracks, and I
don't know what actually failed. I do know that it would be much cheaper to
replace a coupler on a 40 year old trailer in town at your convenience than
it is 60 miles from Casper. Also, you could focus better on fishing without
any thought about what didn't happen at 70mph with a loose coupler.
Most, if not all, of you will say mine looks ok, and ALMOST all of you will
be right. Good luck.
Jim Cooper
> -----Original Message-----
> For those interested.
> Herb Quade, wrote an article in the Blue Beret this month on safety,
> related to the tow bar and hitch ball replacement after 100000 miles.
> While
> I haven't towed my vintage trailer that much. I like to hang my ball and
> head on my trailer when at a campsite. Some time ago, I did this, and
> after
> cliping the ball, I turned it to the side to prevent folks from hitting
> it.
> Well, it fell out of the trailer tonuge onto the ground. I ordered a
> coupler repair kit and solved the problem.
>
> I have now idea how many miles my trailer has been towed. Some tow
> without the use of weight distribution system, which aids in keeping the
> ball and coupler in constant contact.
>
> Those with more towing experience might wish to add their comments to
> this subject.