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Thread: Tow Balls - Why So Awkwardly Complex?

  1. #1
    Lionelgee is offline YarnMaster Silver Subscriber
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    Tow Balls - Why So Awkwardly Complex?

    Hello All,

    I went to fit a 3.5 Tonne tow ball to my vehicle. I found that the tow ball nut is tapered. The nut is 32.5 mm and only fits "tow ball nut spanners" one way. They should also be torqued to 250 Nm.

    According to an online conversion a 32.5 mm socket is 1 inch and 4/16ths; accessed 26th April 2020 Conversion mm to inch and inch to mm with fraction
    This may convert down to 1-1/4 inch socket.

    This I learnt from experience:

    I only have a 32 mm and a 33 mm socket, and these are impact sockets
    I have two torque wrenches - neither of them el-cheapos and they both only go up to 200 Nm
    There is no ability for tow ball nut spanners to read torque
    There is no notification which way the taper should go? Is it thickest side to the tow tongue? Or is it the thinnest side of the taper to the tow tongue?
    The car parts supplier I went to only has on stock torque wrenches that go up to 200 Nm.

    I found only one supplier of 32.5 mm sockets on eBay and that was available in England. The Imperial version is more readily available at 1-1/4 inch in Australia.

    So how many people buy the specialist Tow ball nut spanner and have a guess what the torque setting is? Or they grab a big shifting spanner, or a set of stillsons. To the extent that there may be more non-manufacturer's specification towballs fitted travelling on the road then there is up to specification ones.

    So off I go with special tow ball nut spanner in hand to have a guess about taper directions - my guess is thicker to tongue, and what I can crank out on a cheap single purpose pressed spanner. This will have to last until I can take the tow ball into a specialist to see if they have a torque wrench that goes up to 250 Nm and has a 32.5 mm socket and get them to test my work.

    Next time I follow someone towing a trailer I will wonder how close to manufacturer's specifications their towball is fitted to?

    P.S. I now have a 350 Nm torque wrench and a 1-1/4 inch deep socket on their way via Australia Post.

    Kind regards
    Lionel

  2. #2
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    I keep it simple, plus have never seen a tapered nut.

    I have only ever used a shifter, did it up as tight as I could with my body weight, use next size up shifter when removing.

    Spring washer under the nut

    30 year and never had an issue.

    Oh, i doubt tow bar fitter get a torque wrench out.

  3. #3
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    big shifter and a spring scale...

    9.8n to the KG

    multiply out with the distance from the center of rotation and heave on with a spring scale, use a pipe on the spanner to get to an easy to work out number.

    you'll also find that 250nM is a touch light on for the bolt size on the bottom of the ball.

    IIRC it should be nearer 400nm.

    Ive also never seen a tapered nut on a tow ball. Whered you get this thing from.

    If the nut is a security nut (one designed to resist standard sockets by maing them "cam" off) you may not get away with a near enough fit of a normal socket and will need the specialist tool.

    good luck
    Dave

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    I think you're over thinking it.

    Just put a big shifter or whatever on it and do it up really tight. It's a big bolt, you wont break it, you just don't want it to come loose.

    It's a bit like wheel nuts, just do them up tight using the wheel brace supplied, you don't have to put a torque wrench on everything even if everything has a torque specification.
    Cheers
    Slunnie


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  5. #5
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    Big shifter on nut, position right boot on receiver, pull and lean back - job done.
    MY08 TDV6 SE D3- permagrin ooh yeah
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    Quote Originally Posted by loanrangie View Post
    Big shifter on nut, position right boot on receiver, pull and lean back - job done.
    Naa...3/4 rattle gun plus big socket 🤤

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    I've never heard of it Lionel.

    what vehicle is it on?

    I have seen tapered nuts in the mining game but bloody big ones and require hero impact guns to remove them.

  8. #8
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    Two 15" shifters,one for the nut,other for the flat on the ball.
    Do up bloody tight recheck after 50Km with van on,then recheck every so often.

    Move on to something thats worth worrying about
    Paul

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    Sorry not following this thread - all the tow balls I have purchased over the last 35 years have been a simple bolt up affair - simple thread, big spring washer and a bit nut - nothing special.

    Where did this unique ball come from - why not buy a "normal" tow ball from the likes of Supercheap et al.

    Garry
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  10. #10
    Lionelgee is offline YarnMaster Silver Subscriber
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    Quote Originally Posted by 101RRS View Post
    Sorry not following this thread - all the tow balls I have purchased over the last 35 years have been a simple bolt up affair - simple thread, big spring washer and a bit nut - nothing special.

    Where did this unique ball come from - why not buy a "normal" tow ball from the likes of Supercheap et al.

    Garry
    Hello Garry,

    The tow ball I bought is a Hayman Reese 3.5 tonne rated flat side I bought along with the tongue from Pedders. The HR tow ball came in an indistinct brown box. I read the label on the same tow ball at Repco. The box featured fitting instructions, including their recommended torque setting.

    The tow ball tool came from AutoBarn.

    Why do I think the nut is tapered? Because the sales reps at both Repco and AutoBarn measured them with a vernier calliper. The only thing both places had in stock that would fit the nut was the tow ball tool. The tool will allow the nut to fit the spanner in one direction only. It will not pass through both sides. It fits flush with the end of the nut - however the nut cannot pass through the tool. This side goes upwards towards the tongue. Allowing the spanner to be withdrawn downwards once the nut is tight.

    So nothing unique about: the tow ball; the tow nut; or the tow nut spanner. They are all commonly available from the majority of auto-parts suppliers.

    Kind regards
    Lionel
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