Welding trailer ball

[bead-boy]

Ummm.... the threaded shaft part of the ball is what carries most of the forces of towing a trailer. The place you welded is NOT designed to carry those forces. At least not on that style of ball.

[snoeproe]

There isn’t enough weld on it. Needs more weld.
It would be ok for the back of my Jonn Deere lawn mower but i wouldn’t be pulling my 20’ sea ray boat behind my truck with that.

[FlaJoe]

I agree. Among other things you don't know what the temper of the outer part of the flange is compared to the center. They are a lot of manufactured objects have soft durable centers and hard but brittle outer layers. You also don't know what affect your welding could have on the temper. I just don't see spending the time and expense to weld up a ball vs buying one. Not to mention the possible personal liability if something happens.

[farmshop]

For gods sake that hitch ball aint going anywhere. A kingpin on a semi trailer is welded in , altho larger much more weight is involved. Chicken Little doesn't have anything on some of the guys on here .

difference is all the king pins I have seen are dropped down through the plate and welded on top and you aren’t pulling on the weld. This welded ball would probably work on a lawn mower to move a trailer around the yard

[M J D]

I have built several coupler plates, so I'm more than aware how the kingpin goes in. What I was referring is the fact it's welded in. A hitch ball like the op posted isn't under a lot of stress, nowhere to the point that the welding " experts" are stressing over. In order for that weld on the hitch ball to break free you would have to tear the entire asz end of the tow vehicle apart. First of all there is very little leverage working against that hitch ball. If you have ever cut away a welded part you would know just how much a small amount of weld will really hold. I realize the stance of the safety police and I get it, but this is pretty absurd. I would worry much more about the hitch setup itself.

[12V71]

difference is all the king pins I have seen are dropped down through the plate and welded on top and you aren’t pulling on the weld. This welded ball would probably work on a lawn mower to move a trailer around the yard

Yes, you are still pulling on the weld with a semi kingpin. I have seen them knocked loose when somebody that shouldn't weld welded one in. I do semi trailer repairs and rebuilds on a regular basis and see a lot of stuff that shouldn't have been done. When I weld one in it's 3 passes with .035 mig.

[farmersammm]

10-15yrs ago, I'd of called it good if I welded, and only welded, the ball to the plate. Aw Hell, who am I kidding

I put this on the road God Only Knows how many years ago.



My thinking at the time...…….the weld was for a good backup, in case the nut loosened (which they sometimes do). But I didn't even come close to contemplating trashing the nut. I kept it.

Stress on a ball can be quite large actually. It's not just limited to pulling forces.

I don't get all anal about setting the controller on my trailer brakes. I usually just turn the knob until the trailer slightly outbrakes the truck. But.....that's at a gentle rolling stop at the gate. I've hit those hard on the highway, and had that trailer stretch the truck out like a rubber band

[Tbones]

I live for these posts.

[SlowBlues]

If there's any temper to the ball/body then the rest is a moot point: The 211 will do it fine, I agree more passes, and possible pre/interpass heating (keep temp up ~350-400 deg. F). I would have rounded the hexagon corners off and maybe turned the welder up to "11" depending on how things looked and felt. keeping an eye on the weld would be easy enough to remember as you need to handle it everytime you hook/unhook your trailer.

I would trust my own welds 100% over made in china welds (and chinese welds hold your health/life in their hands hundreds of times a day most days). I'd trust my own welds about 100% over something welded in any country (USA included, just the nature of the production beast), your own confidence would depend on your knowledge/skill.

You know the liability and risks involved, IMO why chance it on something that can be purchased so easily and relatively cheaply. craigslist, offerup, fb marketplace etc are full of these in great condition and at a great price in my area, I'd suggest you check them out and leave the welded ball only for around the yard stuff.

[Mike Westbrook]

I live for these posts.

Yeah I can't take it let's roll the dice on pulling a couple thousand pounds supported by hope

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[12V71]

Yeah I can't take it let's roll the dice on pulling a couple thousand pounds supported by hope

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How about we inspect a Chinese 3 ball hitch really closely? Just sayin.

[Mike Westbrook]

Rolling them dice why would it cross anyone's mind to tow with anything other than USA made heavy duty hitches I paid 32 dollars for my 20 k hitch and 20 k ball that I pull my deckover loaded with equipment without the browns creaping up my back I've built lots of dump truck receiver / bumpers but never thought I needed to weld up the hitch to save .79 cents it's just not sensible

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[12V71]

My point is there's a million of them on the road and we aren't hearing "OMG my life was ruined by a Chinese hitch ball".

[M J D]

My point is there's a million of them on the road and we aren't hearing "OMG my life was ruined by a Chinese hitch ball".

Exactly. You could beat on that welded hitch ball and you will bend the hitch, frame or something else and render the hitch ball useless, but that weld will still be there. Of course then you can fight getting that welded on hitch ball off to replace it.

[bellaireroad]

It’s doomed to fail. That pretty MIG like TIG weld is pasted on.


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[Mike Westbrook]

I'm just gun shy at work we towed a 40 k dollar orchard sprayer that weighed about 3k lbs hooked to a truck with a Curt 16 k lbs hitch it broke in half around the ball hole went down the road hit a car and a house truck was going about 40 when it broke all insurance claims added up to 162k in damage so that 20 dollar Curt hitch wasn't worth it since then I ordered all USA made b and w hitches for everything .....just saying don't tow with ****ty equipment

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[12V71]

I'm just gun shy at work we towed a 40 k dollar orchard sprayer that weighed about 3k lbs hooked to a truck with a Curt 16 k lbs hitch it broke in half around the ball hole went down the road hit a car and a house truck was going about 40 when it broke all insurance claims added up to 162k in damage so that 20 dollar Curt hitch wasn't worth it since then I ordered all USA made b and w hitches for everything .....just saying don't tow with ****ty equipment

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3,000 lbs. broke a 16,000 lb. hitch? I've pulled 19,000 lb. big balers behind my F 800 service truck with a 2x2x1/4" homebuilt clevis hitch in the receiver for over 10 years. I look it over every time I use it, and have never seen a problem.

[Mike Westbrook]

It was a daily use hitch with alot of miles case ih new Holland Kubota dealer we tow all day everyday guy hooked up to deliver new turbo mist (what I actually specialize in and hate ) about 3 mile up the road split in half no safety chain went down a big hill and was junk till it stopped harponed a Lexus flipped took out a farmhouse porch the hitch had a micro fracture under the ball these sprayers are ballanced empty so go rattle rattle bang bang up the road since then good hitch safety chain 100 gallon of water minimum

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[12V71]

It was a daily use hitch with alot of miles case ih new Holland Kubota dealer we tow all day everyday guy hooked up to deliver new turbo mist (what I actually specialize in and hate ) about 3 mile up the road split in half no safety chain went down a big hill and was junk till it stopped harponed a Lexus flipped took out a farmhouse porch the hitch had a micro fracture under the ball these sprayers are ballanced empty so go rattle rattle bang bang up the road since then good hitch safety chain 100 gallon of water minimum

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I forgot you worked for a dealer, then you know the 340 balers I drag around. The stuff I see the New Holland and Case guys pull around does make me wonder sometimes.

[Mike Westbrook]

Yeah our service trucks mostly f550 have two receivers one for trailers one offset for disc mower conditioners and some older small bailers or mowers we just got a new one with a reading body I welded 1/2 inch d rings on back for safety chains and we use b and w pinned multi ball hitches rated for 20 k

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[Kelvin]

For gods sake that hitch ball aint going anywhere. A kingpin on a semi trailer is welded in , altho larger much more weight is involved. Chicken Little doesn't have anything on some of the guys on here .

I guess it's kinda like the lottery. 999 times out of 1000, or 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 the weld would probably hold just fine.

But once in a blue moon, it won't.

So the question you have to ask yourself is: Is it worth risking eleventy bajillion dollars' worth of possible liability ... to save five bucks ... by not buying a pre-assembled hitch and allowing Reese or Tie-Down Industries or someone else to assume that liability?



IMHO, the risk-reward ratio, or cost-benefit analysis, or whatever, ain't worth it in this case.

[M J D]

I guess it's kinda like the lottery. 999 times out of 1000, or 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 the weld would probably hold just fine.

But once in a blue moon, it won't.

So the question you have to ask yourself is: Is it worth risking eleventy bajillion dollars' worth of possible liability ... to save five bucks ... by not buying a pre-assembled hitch and allowing Reese or Tie-Down Industries or someone else to assume that liability?



IMHO, the risk-reward ratio, or cost-benefit analysis, or whatever, ain't worth it in this case.

Maybe insurance underwriting would be a better career choice than welding in your case.

[snoeproe]

10-15yrs ago, I'd of called it good if I welded, and only welded, the ball to the plate. Aw Hell, who am I kidding

I put this on the road God Only Knows how many years ago.



My thinking at the time...…….the weld was for a good backup, in case the nut loosened (which they sometimes do). But I didn't even come close to contemplating trashing the nut. I kept it.

Stress on a ball can be quite large actually. It's not just limited to pulling forces.

I don't get all anal about setting the controller on my trailer brakes. I usually just turn the knob until the trailer slightly outbrakes the truck. But.....that's at a gentle rolling stop at the gate. I've hit those hard on the highway, and had that trailer stretch the truck out like a rubber band

Nothing wrong with your set up here. Your ball still has the shank and thus still has the nut on it. Unlike the OP's.

[farmshop]

When the king pins are put in from the top down the weld can fail and the pin will spin in the plate.

[danielplace]

There are plenty of manufactured hitches with the ball(s) welded onto the bar.

That is what the safety chains are for. Like you would really ever need them. Lol.

The hitch itself is welded.

It is strongest with the large shaped base that one has on it. It adds inches of weld and puts it out further of course that would be stronger than welding a small round base.

If the welds are good it is good. Not sure how hot those are melted in.