equal-i-zer 10K hitch ball loose

[rhyno76]

So our hitch ball is loose after 4 trips with the new RV and from what I'm reading we're going to need a 1-7/8" socket. Problem is I have a 1/2" drive with my toolkit and all I can find online are 1-7/8" sockets for 1/2" drive impact wrenches. The manual says to torque to 450 foot\lb... so I'm guessing this needs an impact wrench. Am I going to need to buy several tools just to tighten this thing or would it be easier to just swing by my mechanic and have him do it for me?

[LFugate]

If your dealer is close take it back to them, otherwise any good garage can do it for you.

[Bama Rambler]

I bought a 3/4" drive 1-7/8" socket and a 1/2" to 3/4" drive adaptor and used my impact wrench to tighten it as it's rated at 450 ft-lbs. However if I hadn't already had the impact wrench it would have been much cleaper to run by a local truck tire place or mechanic and have them do it for me. 450 ft-lbs is a lot and you're never gonna reach that without a lot of leverage.

[rhyno76]

[QUOTE=450 ft-lbs is a lot and you're never gonna reach that without a lot of leverage.[/QUOTE]

Even if I give it a roundhouse kick?
j/k thanks for the quick and good advice LFugate and Bama..I'm off to the mechanic.

[JoeR]

With the equal-i-zer hitch, you'll also need a thin wall socket. A regular Craftsmans socket will not fit in the opening.

JR

[DaveBert]

Your local mechanic should be able to help you out to get that to 450'lbs. Also if your going to try the thin wall socket on an impact i am going to put my money on the thin wall socket breaking. I suggest get your a 1" 7/8 combo wrench to put on that ball to keep in your tool kit for when that thing loosens up again.

[mtnguy]

An impact wrench will not properly torque a bolt !!! And to torque to 450 lbs. you would need a big wrench.

Ft/lbs. is a simple formula. I weigh about 190 lbs., so if I put all of my body weight 1 ft from the axis of the wrench, that is 190 ft./lbs.

Try this: Turn you hitch 1/4 turn in the receiver so you have to push down to tighten the ball nut. Take your body weight and divide by 12. With my weight at 190, that figure is 15.8. For me to torque to 450 ft./lbs., I need to put all of my weight on a point 28.5 inches from the axis of the wrench (450 divided my 15.8). I will get a metal pipe and mark it about 28"........I need to take off about 1/2" since the bar will not go all of the way to the axis of the wrench. I will then put my hand centered over the mark, put my knee on my hand, and put all my weight on that knee....a little balancing act is needed.

You will probably need a 3/4" breaker bar and appropriate socket to use this method. If calculated correctly, I betcha this method is more accurate that a torque wrench.

[Triguy]

^^^^ I am very impressed. It sounds simple once I read it, but I wouldn't have thought of this on my own.

[DaveBert]

x2, am copying that formula for my own mechanical issues here.

[kbrown1075]

I went by a truck tire shop and they did it for free. I then put a tac weld between the nut and the thread so it won't get loose. If I need to remove the nut, just grind off the weld.