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Old 05-21-2014, 12:56 PM   #1
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What happens if you use smaller ball?

My husband was about to load the trailer to the truck and I told him that was a smaller ball. We could not find the other receiver with the bigger ball. I kept insisting that is the smaller ball. So he was suspecting at some point, someone helped themselves and removed our receiver with the big ball from our truck. Sheesh!!!!
So I am curious, what happen when you use the smaller ball?
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:10 PM   #2
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So I am curious, what happen when you use the smaller ball?
That's something you do not want to do, ever. The coupler will come off the ball, and you will not like the results. Stop him from towing the trailer with the smaller ball!
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:13 PM   #3
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Time for a trip to the auto parts store to get the right size ball!

You don't want to lose your trailer going down the road when you hit a bump!
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:14 PM   #4
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Just make sure your safety chains are good and the emergency brake-a-way cable is good. That way when you loose the trailer it will follow you down the road and might save you from the lawsuit of it hitting oncoming traffic.

This is NOT an option you want to take.
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:39 PM   #5
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Auto parts store away!!!

Yep!!!!
My husband went to the store and brought back new gear. So when he de-winterized and went towing the trailer, he was lucky then. Whew!!!! Common sense was telling me not to try it. So you all confirmed my suspicions.
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:47 PM   #6
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We accidentally hooked up our equipment trailer to the truck with the wrong ball. The first dip in the road the trailer came off and hit the truck . Thankfully we were going slowly and the trailer was empty. ( We had been on our way to get those large, round bales of hay) We had the correct ball in the back of the truck so things worked out.
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Old 05-21-2014, 01:55 PM   #7
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My first question is how come you are not using a weight distribution hitch? They make locking hitch pins to keep stuff from getting stolen. You don't want to go out on the road with a ball that is too small. It will jump off the ball and bad things will happen.

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Old 05-21-2014, 02:04 PM   #8
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What is a weight distribution hitch? I will google it, cause the receiver he bought is shorter than the other one.
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Old 05-21-2014, 02:12 PM   #9
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Googled it. What a lot of paraphenilia or however that is spelled. For real? We've never had a problem, so I don't understand. Which I really don't understand. We tow with our full sized Chevy truck. So what am I not understanding?
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Old 05-21-2014, 02:18 PM   #10
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No sag

I looked it up. The trailer does not sag the truck. We have never had any problems towing, no sway or such. Plus we have heavy duty everything on the truck plus tow package stuff. I don't know if that makes a difference, but never seemed to be issues, unless......... my hubby continued using the small ball. Is he one lucky dude there.
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Old 05-21-2014, 03:00 PM   #11
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Is he one lucky dude there.
Yeah, your trailer could of ended up in someone's living room.
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Old 05-21-2014, 03:41 PM   #12
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Wrong ball= fall off Airstream. What is your definition of heavy duty?

W/D and sway control are generally accepted as essential safety equipment, not superfluous equipment. All it takes is one bad event, and you have the potential to hurt or kill my family as you come down the road!
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Old 05-21-2014, 03:43 PM   #13
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By the way, tow package is available on a Fiat 500. It is simply a place to stick a ball and plug in lights.
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Old 05-21-2014, 04:04 PM   #14
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What are you considering a Full Size Chevy Truck? If it is a 2500 or 3500 I would agree but if it a 1500 I would not agree.

While you have never had a problem of sway it is something you plan for rather than react to.

If you are in fact using a 2500 or larger TV you might want to look at the Andersen hitch. My suggestion may bring forth all forms of negative comments but I make this suggestion based on firsthand experience and 40+ years of towing. The Andersen will provide the assurance you want in this area.
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Old 05-21-2014, 04:12 PM   #15
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Weight distribution is necessary to move some of that weight that you just placed on the ball back on the front wheels of your truck, This is an issue even if the truck does not squat with the trailer on it. Especially when the tongue weight is over 500 lbs. The only good thing about using a non weight distributing hitch is that the ball is not far from the bumper. The farther the ball is away from the rear axle, the worse sway becomes. Also single axle trailers are worse about swaying than tandem axle trailers. At some speed your trailer will sway and can cause a wreck. The other advantage is that a weight distributing hitch puts the ball away from the truck so you don't have to worry about jack knifing the trailer such that it hits the truck while backing and does several $1000 worth of damage. The bad is that it increases the need for sway control because the ball is now a foot away from the receiver instead of a few inches. There are real expensive hitches that eliminate sway all together but they cost almost as much as a used trailer.

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Old 05-21-2014, 04:27 PM   #16
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I want to back things up…
What exactly is the smaller size? 1 7/8"? Is the bigger 2" or 2 5/8"? This is rather important stuff not some kind of testing one's luck. Towing on a ball too small is simply foolishness and puts everyone on the road around you in danger. Your hitch is a 2 5/8" ball and you are dragging a lot of weight down the road. Please take this stuff seriously.
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Old 05-21-2014, 05:17 PM   #17
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I want to back things up…
What exactly is the smaller size? 1 7/8"? Is the bigger 2" or 2 5/8"? This is rather important stuff not some kind of testing one's luck. Towing on a ball too small is simply foolishness and puts everyone on the road around you in danger. Your hitch is a 2 5/8" ball and you are dragging a lot of weight down the road. Please take this stuff seriously.
Uh, isn't that 2 5/16"? Don't think I've ever seen a 2 5/8" ball.
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Old 05-21-2014, 05:26 PM   #18
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yes thank you for the uh, correction. I am easily befuddled since I feel real Airstreams have 2" balls.
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Old 05-21-2014, 08:01 PM   #19
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Hahahaha!!!!! Love it!!

"Real airstreams have 2" balls"
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Old 05-21-2014, 08:43 PM   #20
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Back before the internet imparting all of this wisdom on towing was available, we used a chunk of rubber from an inner tube (remember those?) on a 1-7/8" ball when pulling a trailer with a 2" hitch. Never even a close call!
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