Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

[ba1335]

Hello,
I've never owned a trailer and therefore never had to maintain a trailer. I know to grease the tires but what about the receiver on the trailer? It's a huge pain to get the trailer to sit on the 2'' ball. I have to jam a screw driver in and pry the latch back so the ball will fit on. Is this just rust that can be wd-40'd out? Or is it something bigger, like my ball is to big.......never had that problem before I've dealt with plenty of trailers in the past but never had a problem with the fittings. I'm not sure if the previous owner banged the trailer into something and it may be dented or angled funny, but is there a way to open that receiver wider but still have it fully clamp tight once the ball has been engaged? Any ideas would be worth a try over my hammer and screw driver.
Thanks,
BA

 

[truckermatt]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

first, if you have post some pictures then we can see exactly what going on,

Second, The trailer hitch should have a size stamped into it somewhere, 1 7/8", 2", 2 5/16" are common sizes
It sounds like that trailer coupler it either old, rusted and bented, because you should not have to use a screwdriver to hitch the trailer up.

New couplers are semi- easy to replace and are pretty inexpensive also.

 

[raven7]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

Look up underneath the trailer coupler where the ball would go in and there should be an adjustment nut. That may or may not help your problem, but worth checking out.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

I find it easier to set the very front of the trailer on top of the ball, then pull the trailer forward (or move the car backward) and it seats itself. Going the other direction, the latch can get hung up. For a larger boat, then, lower the trailer with the jack on to the ball, then lower some more (actually raise the jack) about an inch, and seat it.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

+1. Been doing that for years with flatbottom to utility to party barge trailers and it works like a charm.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

I find it easier to set the very front of the trailer on top of the ball, then pull the trailer forward (or move the car backward) and it seats itself. Going the other direction, the latch can get hung up. For a larger boat, then, lower the trailer with the jack on to the ball, then lower some more (actually raise the jack) about an inch, and seat it.

This works great & it's exactly how I do it too.

If the latch mechanism is badly rusted or bent, you can often get rebuild kits that include a replacement latch, bolt & spring to replace the innards of the tongue.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

What size is called for, by and large most small boat trailers are set up for 1 7/8".

Really? Never seen a boat trailer with a 1 7/8 - even sled trailers mostly come 2"

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

You can look at the coupler and tell whether it has been damaged. Get down and actually look upward into the coupler and move the latch lever to see how it works. Lubricate moving parts and adjust the big nut if the yoke doesn't slide over the ball easily. Obviously an 1-7/8 inch coupler will not work with a 2-inch ball.

 

[Idlespeedonly]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

I have seen a few boat trailers with 1 7/8 couplers. The ball size is usually stamped on top.

 

[Pony]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

Really? Never seen a boat trailer with a 1 7/8 - even sled trailers mostly come 2"

Most every small boat 16ft and under that I have ever seen was 1 7/8". Drives me nuts actually because all of my non-boat trailers are 2". Thank goodness for convert-a-ball hitches......

 

[Mikeyboy]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

If the coupler doesn't appear to be bent and lubing and adjusting doesn't work you can replace the coupler. I had a similar problem on an old trailer but the coupler was welded on so I opted to buy a new coupler and just swap out the internals. It was a cheap and easy fix.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

Most every small boat 16ft and under that I have ever seen was 1 7/8". Drives me nuts actually because all of my non-boat trailers are 2". Thank goodness for convert-a-ball hitches......

Think year of manufacture has a lot to do with that. My suspicion (could be wrong) is that hardly anyone uses 1 7/8" any more, but there are still lots of twenty plus year old rigs still in service that have them.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

I keep a 1 7/8" ball on the bumper and have a 2" ball on the coupler, since I have one of each (trailers) and my bumper can handle the small boat. I have always found small boat trailers w/ 1 7/8", but I wouldn't be surprised if manufacturers are going to 2" for everything. Makes sense. That 1/8" can't make any difference either way but makes the risk of wrong fits more likely.

A 2" trailer will pop off a 1 7/8" ball. I was curious whether the 1/8 really made a difference and tried it under controlled circumstances. When the boat was being winched up, and there was a lot of upward pressure, the trailer came off the ball. it did, however, take a lot of pressure, so you might get away with it in other uses (moving around the parking lot, float on trailer, etc.) but it's risky.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

If the coupler is hanging up you have a couple things that can be done,

Lube it, as has been stated Couplers are metal and do need to be lubricated If that doesn't do it you can then rebuild it, I believe you can find the rebuild kits at most good trailer sites including this one. But in the end if your work doesn't fix the issue you may have to just replace the coupler, its not as hard as most think and its only an hour or so job if the coupler doesn't have the surge braking mechanism in the coupler itself, you can add that if the coupler housing has been bent its probably safer to just replace it.

My gut instinct is to just replace it, unless you know the history of the trailer its just wise to replace it since it is giving you issues anyway, you can then decide if you want a 1 7/8" ball or a 2" but remember the size of the ball is determined by the weight of the load your towing so be sure to check that out.

not sure I feel comfortable talking about other peoples balls.....

 

[etracer68]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

Do you really grease the tires? I would think it would slide around corners pretty good. Sorry i had to.

 

[marcoalza]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

Do you really grease the tires? I would think it would slide around corners pretty good. Sorry i had to.

You got there just before me et!
Maybe we should try and see what happens:facepalm:

 

[Mikeyboy]

Re: Trailer receiver and ball fitting.

For sure. Might make backing into a tight garage easier as well lol.