U-Haul torque

[bluedog225]

Interesting.

Grease it up, tighten it until the plastic squeezes out.

Done.

 

[readhead]

Nothing new. Indicator washers in one form or another have been used in structural steel erection for years. It makes a good visual indicator for the inspector that the bolt is tightened correctly.

When I was a Uhaul dealer people would call and ask what the plastic washer was for and I would say read the directions.

 

[CV428]

I call that "Design-by-litigation-avoidance"
Clear visual indicator of improper installation.

 

[bluedog225]

Interesting. New to me. I would’ve thought there’d be residual plastic under there that would creep over time.

 

[BurtEggley]

Interesting, first time seeing one. All the mounts I have came without. Torquing and checking it once in awhile were routine.

 

[four.cycle]

Yeah.
My buddy (the U-Haul dealer) had a 36-inch pipe wrench he tightened them with.

 

[CraigStu]

I guess that washer tells you that the nut is torqued to a minimum spec. But it says nothing about being over torqued.

 

[readhead]

It would only be over torqued if you kept turning.

 

[Beauregard]

I think it should be a Federal requirement to have a cotter pin in the ball shaft. I covered more than a few crashes in which the trailer detached from the tow vehicle at speed. Every one of them still had the ball in the trailer hitch, but no nut. Few people know how to properly attach the safety chains, if they are used at all.

 

[whateg01]

I guess that washer tells you that the nut is torqued to a minimum spec. But it says nothing about being over torqued.

I'd bet that under-torqued is a more common issue than over-torqued for the average joe

 

[mike93lx]

I think it should be a Federal requirement to have a cotter pin in the ball shaft. I covered more than a few crashes in which the trailer detached from the tow vehicle at speed. Every one of them still had the ball in the trailer hitch, but no nut. Few people know how to properly attach the safety chains, if they are used at all.

So a castle nut?

How do you have yours setup? Assuming you tow

 

[whateg01]

So a castle nut?

How do you have yours setup? Assuming you tow

doesn't even HAVE to be a castle nut. even a regular nut that can't spin all the way off because of the cotter pin is better than nothing.

 

[mike93lx]

doesn't even HAVE to be a castle nut. even a regular nut that can't spin all the way off because of the cotter pin is better than nothing.

Fair point.

I remove my ball mount after every use, so a loose nut would be obvious, but I know lots of people don't and also just don't pay attention

 

[Beauregard]

I see very few castle nuts being used. Makes sense, though.
The vast majority of set-ups I see are just a standard hex nut and split washer, with no cotter pin through the shaft.
Most people in the real world do not own a 1-1/4" box end wrench and tighten the nut with a large Crescent or even a pipe wrench. This can make getting proper torque difficult.
It's just not an area where most people put much thought. Tighten the nut as tight as you can, hook up, and go down the road with 3 tons or more attached to a steel shaft with a nut.
In my 20-year career on the road, I covered over a dozen serious crashes, some fatal, in which the trailer became detached.

 

[Innovate1]

doesn't even HAVE to be a castle nut. even a regular nut that can't spin all the way off because of the cotter pin is better than nothing.

Multiple ways to do it. Have some experience with homebuilt aircraft and have seen castle nuts on prop bolts. Elastic stop nuts other places or for high heat places a nut sort of like a castle nut but the points are springs that grip the bolt. Might be hard to find those in the larger thread. Seems like a little removable locktite would be simple and effective.

 

[Ike Carlson]

I don’t want plastic anywhere near my hitch. I use a 24” crescent wrench and get ‘er snug. 150-200 ft lbs and they stay tight. I pull my bobcat all over and lots of firewood.

 

[cannuck]

I don’t want plastic anywhere near my hitch. I use a 24” crescent wrench and get ‘er snug. 150-200 ft lbs and they stay tight. I pull my bobcat all over and lots of firewood.

It is impossible to spec a torque without knowing the stud size, material/heat treatment. 200 lb/ft would be close to correct for a clean, dry 3/4 UNF stud. If it was a 1" UNF at Grade 8 equivalent strength the dry torque is more like 800. So: the bottom line is go to the manufacturer and get the correct torque and follow the spec. We're talking a range of 4:1 over what you could find on a 2" ball.

Referring back to post #6 the words I would have to say about that would be horribly inappropriate in polite company.

Yes, castellated nuts would be nice, or some other positive locking device. So very few safety chains sufficient strength, decent locking hooks and properly installed.

 

[Ike Carlson]

It is impossible to spec a torque without knowing the stud size, material/heat treatment. 200 lb/ft would be close to correct for a clean, dry 3/4 UNF stud. If it was a 1" UNF at Grade 8 equivalent strength the dry torque is more like 800. So: the bottom line is go to the manufacturer and get the correct torque and follow the spec. We're talking a range of 4:1 over what you could find on a 2" ball.

Referring back to post #6 the words I would have to say about that would be horribly inappropriate in polite company.

Yes, castellated nuts would be nice, or some other positive locking device. So very few safety chains sufficient strength, decent locking hooks and properly installed.

I have no idea what grade balls are made from. I have seen some pretty soft ones. At 200 ft lbs with a lock washer, you have to exceed the yield strength of the material to make it loose. I have not had a ball get loose or shift in many years of towing. Granted, I don’t drive like an idiot at the races. I use properly sized safety chains with good hooks.

 

[andyvh1959]

Other than us here, what, 95% of people in the rented trailer towing market have NO clue what tight is. Most would just grunt it once and done, no where near what it should be. I used to train full time assemblers about properly torquing hydraulic connections (I know, trailer balls versus hydraulic connection?), a -20 size JIC Flare connection should be torqued to 133 ft-lb (1/2 Hex flat from hand snug), and many of them never tighten it to that amount. And then they wonder why ot loosens over time. Most oftern they say well it vibrated loose or came loose because of motion. Nope, was never properly tight to begin with.

 

[Ike Carlson]

Most people only care that it goes down the road. They have no understanding of safety or mechanics or anything about what they are doing. That is why you see vehicles that are run into the ground, with bad/no brakes, bald tires, broken struts/shocks, burned out coils, and sludge for oil. If it drives it works….at least to them.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I never saw the plastic washer before and even bought and mounted a ball last fall. I use a torque wrench to tighten them to the 215 lb-ft shown in the instructions.

 

[dura eagle]

I remember a magazine advertisement for Vice Grip in the 70s showing a boat trailer being pulled home with the Vice Grips holding the ball on because the nut fell off.
An advertisement like that would never fly today.

 

[ATC]

I switched to a pintle hitch for my truck/trailer.

I neutered myself