Securing the hitch ball

[wimpy]

A post on another subject leads me to offer a simple solution to avoid having a toad pass you because the ball separated from the hitch.

Years ago, bought a gently wrecked car which was repaired and loaded onto my car trailer. About 5 miles later, driving downhill on a secondary road with large bumps from asphalt bulges, I felt a nudge. Coming uphill @ 55 or so was a loaded concrete truck. The trailer&car combo was pushing my truck into the oncoming traffic lane & the trailer brake didn't work without electricity. Approximately 2 tons of trailer car weren't cooperating in stopping.

With about 8 car lengths to go before doom, the hitch ball stud, still in the trailer receiver, clipped the metal valve stem on the left rear wheel of the truck, immediate deflation, the truck did an 180° skid, resulting in truck on the right-hand safe shoulder of the road and trailer&car stopped in the ditch behind. Car sustained hood damage, truck only had the valve stem issue.

Bought a new ball, drilled a 1/4 inch hole below where the tightened nut would be and re-installed with a rollpin in the hole. I thought this was preferred to welding.