Troubleshooting Excessive Movement After Towing with Adjustable Aluminum Ball Mount # DTALBM7000

Question:

Using DTALBM7000 Ball Mount upside-down to meet connection height of heavy approx. 9,200# Arctic Fox 32 travel trailer with about a 1,200# hitch weight. Using the larger 2-5/16 ball. Pulling with an 05 Ford F350 CC LB 4x4 6.0L diesel with factory Trailer Tow pkg and factory Class V hitch tow-rated for 12,500#. Just completed a 3,000 trip pulling the trailer - disconnected and noticed that the DTALBM7000 Ball Mount now has lots of slop in the receiver, both forward and backward, as well as, side to side. It was pretty tight when I started this trip. I attributed the tightness to the 2 anti-rattle balls. Could they be jammed and cause this slop problem? Or something else causing problem? Fords 2 into the receiver originally a 2 1/2 appears to still be tight and in good shape. Maybe I need to do some maintenance on the ball mount if so, what or should I even be concerned? Thanks!

asked by: Al M

Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at Diversi-Tech regarding the problem you are having with the Self-Locking Adjustable Aluminum Ball Mount, # DTALBM7000. There are a couple of things that may be causing the slop you are experiencing in the ball mount.

First, if any sand or other find debris finds its way under those ball bearings on the top of the shank, that could cause them to not pop up all the way. What you can do is push them in and clean them with a small fine bristle brush to remove the debris. If for some reason the ball bearings pop out of place, you will just need to insert the spring and push the ball bearings back into place using a 1/4 drive socket wrench with a 1/4 inch socket.

Another thing that could be causing the problem is if when using the ball mount upside down like you have explained, there could be a part of the receiver that rubs on just the right spot and that will wear out the ball bearings quickly. If there is any grooving present, that is another indication that the receiver is rubbing into the shank. You will need to be certain you stay under the 1,500 pound tongue weight capacity as overloading the ball mount can cause excessive wear and grooving.

Also, have too little tongue weight to where the ball mount bounces in the receiver can cause excessive wear and lead to the problem you are experiencing. Regarding the ball bearings, my contact stated that if they are not popping up into place like they should, there is not cause for concern. But if you find grooving on the shank, you should not use it until the reason for the grooving is determined and eliminated.

expert reply by: Michael H