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After a few incidents with attempting to tow a trailer and finding vehicles with 50mm tow balls Ive been left wondering who actually uses them and who just chucks them away and buys a 1" 7/8.
I know some new caravans require them but aod imagine 99% on New Zealand trailers are 1" 7/8, so why do people not throw them in the trash unless they actually need them?
50mm ball is very common
Higher rating for a start.
There are new duofit couplings out that can fit 50mm and 1 7/8" balls
https://trojan.co.nz/Duofit-Coupling...-9b75491e9f30/
https://trojan.co.nz/COUPLING-V2-250...-f1ff6d501f82/
https://trojan.co.nz/Duofit-Override...-69d7ec1488aa/
https://trojan.co.nz/Duofit-Override...-5d3fb3959927/
trailer, boat, caravan, all of mine use 50mm. I think NZ is the only place that uses 1 7/8
I’ve got an 1 7/8 on the car, and a 50mm in the vehicle toolbox
Got caught once with a hire trailer, bloody annoying.
Most tandem axle trailers with a tractor or a digger in the 1.8T range on board should be using a 50 as they are likely to be over 2.5 tonne which is all the 47.5 (1 7/8) can take. A big double float with two hacks is also on the limit for a 47.5. A loaded treble float should be on a 50. Most caravans are light enough for a 47.5 but more often than not, the tow vehicles only have a 750kg towing capacity...
1 7/8” here, likewise most other vehicles I deal with.
#me tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Frogfeatures
I just put a 50 mm on the Ute to fit the bike rack for two EBikes, thought shit I’ll have to change the 1-7/8 on the boat trailer. Just as well I checked, the boat already has a 50 mm on it. I then realised I’ve been towing it on the 1-7/8 ball for the past 20 years without incident!!:thumbsup:
Brought a vehicle that had a standard 50mm ball from OZ with me several years back. Had a head scratch with the first trailer we tried hitching. Fortunately, as always, the wife wised up.
Just a balls up...Quote:
Originally Posted by Maca49
Just fitted a towbar to a vehicle I am using. Also bought a set of interchangeable balls in 1 7/8 and 50mm. Only takes a minute to flip a catch, rotate the ball 90 deg and remove it.....
Both my balls live under the seat in a container so that they are handy when I need them.........although at my age, thats not very often.....
There's more than one size????:D
I suppose that stops them from getting all sweaty on those long trips:oQuote:
Originally Posted by Allgood
be aware if you leave them on without trailer etc attached..they can bounce off....happened to a work wagon.Quote:
Originally Posted by Allgood
1 7/8" & 50mm have the same rating. Its not the ball diameter that determines the rating, its the threaded shank size that does that. 3/4" shank is usually 2000kg and the 3500kg is 7/8" or 1" shank. The 7/8" is usually a heat treated steel to increase tensile strength to handle the load.Quote:
Originally Posted by cambo
a long time ago, dad helped the neighbor move to the west coast from te awamutu.
had a 1 7/8 ball on the ute and had to change to a 50mm,
they got busy halfwalf thru the change and wasnt untill they got there 900km later they realised they hadn't put the nut on it(found nut in tool box), the freezer on the front with 500kg of meat in it kept it down
I was not impressed when the 50mm ball was brought out as the new standard.
It's to damned close to 1 7/8.
I've seen a number of f**k ups from people putting a 50mm coupling on a 17/8 ball.
Once worn they can easily separate with pretty shit results.
Back a week or two the Heavy Duty combination was 2 1/4".
It was pretty obvious the difference.
All my stuff is 17/8 with 1" shafts (3500kg) rated.
I do carry a spare 50mm for towing other's gear.
If you are regularly towing max legal loads a pintle coupling takes a lot of beating. Stops op from asking to borrow too. :)
This is what happened to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogfeatures
Long story short I hired a ute specifically to tow a trailer whilst away from home, went to hook up the hire trailer and it didn't fit.
The guy hiring the trailer (who was doing all this via phone) said that car hiring places in Queenstown put 50mm tow ball on all their vehicles despite every hire company he knows of using 1" 7/8 trailer hitches.
According to the hire company it's not their responsibility to know what size tow ball I'd require, despite them choosing to fit the "wrong" sized tow balls.
Every trailer I have towed be it big or small has always been 1" 7/8, seems like a complete balls up to have two different sizes both legally certified but no obvious way to differentiate the two apart and no plan from the powers at be to standardized on one of them.
1 inch and 7/8 everything.
Had one of those on the Safari. Great for towing the 3.5T covered transporter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mauser308
I tend to fit 1-7/8 balls on my vehicles and duofit couplings.
Pays to check before hooking up, the consequences can be devastating not alone exspensive.
My boat trailer came with 50mm. Had 1 7/8" on the car at the time. Boat dealer said "she"ll be right" and it was, but it so easily couldn't have been. Brand new pride and joy could have ended up in the ditch or worse! 1.5 hour drive on Northland roads too. Anyway, have an interchange ball now. Agree though, 50mm is a pain in the arse, or at least having two sizes of ball. An example of where health and safety has actually made things more dangerous?
Boat dealer said "she ll be right"
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=go...bVYnAV_ORaVRPM
I use 50 mm. Because Im metric and so is most of the world. 50 mm is everywhere now. Except when people change it back to imperial.
It seems to me that both vehicle & trailer hire businesses are covering their respective arses.
50mm on the vehicle means that if it fits it's good.
1 7/8 on trailer means that if it fits it's good.
No it might be right.
Same reason I use 1 7/8 on trailers.
Seen what happens when it goes wrong , and don't tell me the safety chain will always hold.
pennyless
Got caught out by this yesterday afternoon :thumbsup:
Work van has 1 7/8, and works happily with courtesy trailers from Bunnings, Mitre10 and Parapine.
Until the frigging lead on one of the M10 trailers drained my battery. Phoned the Mrs, she brings the ute down. In a rush to get trailer back to M10 - guess what ? 50mm tow ball on the ute and the big adjustable spanner back in my workshop, aaargh !
Bought another 1 7/8 today, and chucked the 50mm in my toolbox.
Most light trailer I've seen have exactly that. :(
Even rated chain & shackle can fail.
Saying for a friend :ORLY::innocent:
I feel your pain.Quote:
Originally Posted by ebf
Seems such a cockup to have two standards that aren't immediately obvious which is which and no plan for the country to progress towards one single standard.
Hitching up a bloody trailer shouldn't be something you have to modify your vehicle to do.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f6fcfcb52d.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by Mauser308
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Aussie must have had some weird and wonderful shit, when my brother came back from over there he had a collection of tow balls...i think there were 4 different sizes including one that had to be about 75 mm...i got to use this one once on a trailer that only me and the owner had balls that fitted, a big car transporter...some of the balls were brass which i found unusual.
Most imported and locally built gooseneck trailers use a 2 5/16" ball on the deck arrangement and there's even some 3" units in from Aussie. TWL years ago sold 2 1/4" couplings & balls, so there's plenty of variation out there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mauser308
Pommy caravan?Quote:
Originally Posted by berg243
Well, this will be of interest - was it the tow ball?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/123...iding-with-car
What interests me is the media now publishing names of people or businesses involved in incidents.
Sometimes very indirectly.
In this case before any investigation has been carried out.