50 MM ball for hitch

[Jonathan St. Cloud]

Anyone know where I may purchase 50 mm ball for hitch? Have ALKO stabilizer for trailer, which needs a 50 mm ball.

[Papa3[_2_]]

On Monday, May 25, 2015 at 8:44:26 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> Anyone know where I may purchase 50 mm ball for hitch? Have ALKO stabilizer for trailer, which needs a 50 mm ball.

eTrailer for one. http://www.etrailer.com/Balls/Tow-Ready/63912.html Need to make sure the shank works with your bar, but there are a couple of 50mm options and the prices are good.

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

On Monday, May 25, 2015 at 8:44:26 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> Anyone know where I may purchase 50 mm ball for hitch? Have ALKO stabilizer for trailer, which needs a 50 mm ball.

I believe I use a 1 7/8" ball for "Euro" trailers.

[Mark628CA]

If you are using the ALKO sway stabilizer that clamps tightly to the 50 mm ball, be sure you have a way to ensure that the ball cannot rotate, or the nut will become loose. I have installed several of these, and I machine a flat surface on the base of the ball and weld a steel bar across the hitch surface to preclude the ball from rotating.

These hitches work very well, but only with a 50 mm ball. US 2 inch is a bit too big and 1 7/8, while it fits in the hitch, is too loose for the clamp to work.

[[email protected]]

50 mm hitch ball, with 1 inch shank.

http://www.hitchcorner.com/trailer_balls.htm

GX

[[email protected]]

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 12:19:27 AM UTC-5, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
> On Monday, May 25, 2015 at 8:44:26 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
> > Anyone know where I may purchase 50 mm ball for hitch? Have ALKO stabilizer for trailer, which needs a 50 mm ball.
>
> I believe I use a 1 7/8" ball for "Euro" trailers.

Don't do that Charlie! There's too much play between your ball and a 50 mm. Why don't we just go metric???

[Steve Leonard[_2_]]

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 9:12:58 AM UTC-5, wrote:
>
> Don't do that Charlie! There's too much play between your ball and a 50 mm. Why don't we just go metric???

Just too many years of being "different", I guess. Besides, Herb. To go from 2 inch to 50 mm would require shrinking our balls. :-)

Steve Leonard

[Dave Nadler]

On Tuesday, May 26, 2015 at 2:17:37 PM UTC-4, Steve Leonard wrote:
> Besides, Herb. To go from 2 inch to 50 mm would require shrinking our balls. :-)

A much-discussed topic in New England these days ;-(

[SoaringXCellence]

I bought a 50MM tow ball from W&W several years ago. they still list one for $24.95.

[John Firth[_4_]]

At 05:47 27 May 2015, SoaringXCellence wrote:
>I bought a 50MM tow ball from W&W several years ago. they still list one
>for $24.95.

Or, take a standard 2" ball to your local machine shop
and have them skim the 0.8 mm from the waist area.

JMF
>

[PBA]

I've done 2,000 miles on a 1 7/8" on my euro trailer with no problems. In a pinch you can buy this from AutoZone.
Anyone had trouble with a 1 7/8" on a 50mm hitch? It is 2.375 mm smaller in diameter.

[Papa3[_2_]]

I looked at this a while ago and found a remarkable variation in the equatorial measurements on balls stamped 1 7/8. Some were much closer to 2"; some were almost a full 1/8 under (i.e. closer to 1 3/4). I've heard stories of trailers coming off an undersized 1 7/8, but I don't know if the stories were backed up by actual incidents or just stories made up by active imaginations. Regardless, since 50mm balls are readily available, why not just pair them with 50mm couplers when you have one?

[Tony[_5_]]

On Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 7:21:37 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
> I looked at this a while ago and found a remarkable variation in the equatorial measurements on balls stamped 1 7/8. Some were much closer to 2"; some were almost a full 1/8 under (i.e. closer to 1 3/4). I've heard stories of trailers coming off an undersized 1 7/8, but I don't know if the stories were backed up by actual incidents or just stories made up by active imaginations. Regardless, since 50mm balls are readily available, why not just pair them with 50mm couplers when you have one?

No kidding. I have a 2", 1 7/8", and 50mm in the car all the time.

[Dan Marotta]

Depending on your hitch that might not work.

I took my 2" ball to a friend at Moriarty and he machined it down to 50
mm at the waist. It wouldn't work. So he rounded down the upper half
of the sphere to 50 mm. It wouldn't work. Finally he machined the
entire sphere down to 50 mm. Then it worked. This was on my LAK-T5
trailer which has a spherical socket of 50 mm.

On 5/27/2015 12:38 PM, John Firth wrote:
> At 05:47 27 May 2015, SoaringXCellence wrote:
>> I bought a 50MM tow ball from W&W several years ago. they still list one
>> for $24.95.
> Or, take a standard 2" ball to your local machine shop
> and have them skim the 0.8 mm from the waist area.
>
> JMF

--
Dan Marotta

[Dan Marotta]

It works OK but there's a lot of clunking due to the slop. With a worn
hitch you might lose your trailer.

On 5/27/2015 4:37 PM, PBA wrote:
> I've done 2,000 miles on a 1 7/8" on my euro trailer with no problems. In a pinch you can buy this from AutoZone.
> Anyone had trouble with a 1 7/8" on a 50mm hitch? It is 2.375 mm smaller in diameter.

--
Dan Marotta

[Steve Leonard[_2_]]

On Wednesday, May 27, 2015 at 6:26:55 PM UTC-5, Tony wrote:
>
> No kidding. I have a 2", 1 7/8", and 50mm in the car all the time.

I have gone even one further. I have a 1 7/8" slight drop, 50 mm slight drop, 2" slight drop, and 2 inch up-turned. No fun having to get out big wrenches to flip things over, and I have one pretty low trailer that really needs the 2 inch dropped hitch. Oh, and if I am there and you left your cobra trailer keys at home, come see me. I can get you in. For a small fee. :-)

Steve Leonard