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Jholler
Groupie
Joined: 13 Jul 2018
Location: Arkansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 99
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Topic: Check your balls!! Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 10:45am |
after 1200 miles, I was getting a LOT of slack jerking. Fresh water full, everything else empty. Hubs were cool, brakes were fine....wait, what's this?? The coupler ball retaining nut was about three threads from falling off! 😱 Guess that big lock washer wasn't as effective as I hoped! Cranked it back down with a pipe wrench, and will remember to check more often now!
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2015 rpod 179
2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE
2009-ish Chihuahua
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290
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Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 12:52pm |
If you have a 1 inch shank the torque spec is usually 250 ft lbs and 450 ft lbs for a 1 1/4 shank.
You'll have a hard time getting that much torque with a pipe wrench. Either stop in at a shop which can do that or get the right size socket and a breaker bar, put the hitch in your receiver sideways, put the socket and bar on the nut so the bar is horizontal, and stand on the bar to tighten it.
if you take the torque requirement, divide by your weight and multiply by 12 that will be the distance in inches from the bolt where you need to stand.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Jholler
Groupie
Joined: 13 Jul 2018
Location: Arkansas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 99
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Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 1:50pm |
I'll look into that, for now it's torqued as hard as a 320lb power lifter can pull a 14" pipe wrench lol.
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2015 rpod 179
2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE
2009-ish Chihuahua
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290
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Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 2:13pm |
Originally posted by Jholler
I'll look into that, for now it's torqued as hard as a 320lb power lifter can pull a 14" pipe wrench lol. |
Ok, well it sounds like maybe you can get 300 ft lbs plus on it after all. I'm an old fart with a bad back. I don't even try to lift a sheet of drywall by myself any more. I probably couldn't get more than 100 on it unless i stood on the bar.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3419
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Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 4:13pm |
I use a 3' pipe on that pipe wrench, and the pipe wrench is probably 20". Very important it is tight. a 14" wrench is nothing.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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TheBum
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Feb 2016
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1407
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Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 5:27pm |
I used a 23" box head wrench to tighten mine. I stood on the wrench about 19 inches from the center axis of the ball after calculating it based on the torque needed and my weight.
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Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
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Mirado
Groupie
Joined: 20 Oct 2017
Location: NW Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 56
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Posted: 12 Jun 2019 at 11:19am |
I had a similar incident with a previous (and much larger) trailer I owned. The nut loosened while towing, though not near so much as your case. I used what tools I had with me to tighten it up, then bought a wrench just for that when I got back home. Now I check for a loose ball before every trip.
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Miriam and Doug
2015 Rpod 181G
Silverado 1500
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crankster78
Senior Member
Joined: 08 May 2018
Location: Minn
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 163
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Posted: 12 Jun 2019 at 2:33pm |
Greetings: Always do a walk around when you start and every time you take a break. Pro truckers are required to do this by law. Check tire pressures before getting on the road. You don't want to be the person at fault.
Crankster78
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Crankster 78 R-179 2015
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codycountry
Senior Member
Joined: 26 Jan 2014
Location: Wyo
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 168
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Posted: 12 Jun 2019 at 4:39pm |
Mine came loose like that three times, even with a five foot cheater handle and two huge pipe wrenches involved. I have a friction sway bar and I think that added to the wiggling loose. Finally decided to dedicate the hitch and ball to one size and one use only, and welded the nut to the threads. It is always tight now. Problem solved.
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3419
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Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 6:03pm |
I also double nutted mine.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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