Check your trailer hitch/tow ball!

**BiK3RChiK** · 1st September 2009, 08:02

We had a guy turn up yesterday to buy a bike with his trailer on behind. He'd just delivered a freezer from Tauranga to Kawerau on it.

With the deal done, we start to load the bike onto the trailer and all of a sudden the front pops up and here we are juggling a fully faired bike on the ramp still going up onto the trailer with the front up in the air!

We decided on the spur of the moment to continue loading the bike and then find out what on earth was going on with the trailer hitch... Well, it turns out that the large nut holding the tow ball on was GONE!

We managed to get the guy on his way with the help of the wrecker down the road providing the necessary item, without any further drama. How we managed to hold the bike on the narrow ramp in the pelting rain with the trailer swinging up is beyond me

**davereid** · 1st September 2009, 08:09

Lucky save. The other thing to be careful of is different size towballs. 1-7/8" and 50mm are both common, but a metric coupling on an imperial towball is likely to come off.

**Kiwi Graham:Me** · 1st September 2009, 08:50

Ahh, my balls are interchangeable 1-7/8, 50mm & 2-5/8 so now I have a ball for every occasion. Nothing worse than being caught out with the wrong ball eh! Oh and I went for the 1" shank option as well

**sinfull** · 1st September 2009, 08:52

Originally Posted by Kiwi Graham

Ahh, my balls are interchangeable 1-7/8, 50mm & 2-5/8 so now I have a ball for every occasion. Nothing worse than being caught out with the wrong ball eh! Oh and I went for the 1" shank option as well

I think one of my balls has given up the ghost, i need to get me some spares ! How do ya measure them ?