Lock Washers

[growingoldoffensively]

When mounting a new ball would it be okay to substitute internal tooth lock washers for regular spit lock washers?

[REW]

Sure,
But it may not lock as well as the conventional split washer - or it may lock better than a conventional split washer.

If you tighten the nut down to 250 ft lbs, you likely don't need any lock washers at all. Just use a 6 foot extender on your breaker bar and it is easy to get 250 ft lbs of torque out of a socket and breaker bar.


Best Wishes.

[wh500special]

It should work fine. Just make sure the bore of the hole in the drawbar is smaller diameter than that of the inner teeth of the lock washer. The teeth need to fully engage the metal to give their maximum bite.

As REW recommends, tighten the living heck out of it. You can refer to a torque chart for whatever shank size you have…most likely 1” or 3/4”. Likely in excess of 200 ft-lbf

Steve

[REW]

Speaking of torque on bolts:
When growing up out west, my father owned a cat tracked tractor.

From time to time we would need to work on the trackes.

We used the track adjusting wrench and then had a 20 foot pipe that we used to make the tracks more tight or less tight.

We would put the wrench on the adjusting nut at angle of about 50 degrees. Then, we would slip the pipe onto the end of the wrench. Then, we had a step ladder that we would climb to get to the end of the pipe. Then, we would grab the pipe and one or several of us would jump to the pipe to execute the change on the adjuster. I suppose that we would have about 250 lbs on the end of a 20 foot pipe. Yes, at times we would need to have 4 folks on the end of the pipe to get the adjuster to move.

Be safe

[growingoldoffensively]

Thanks to both of you. REW that was an interesting story. Enjoyed it! When I was in the service watched some tankers work on the treads of a tank. Added a few words to my vocabulary.

[grizz234]

What is the point of what you are doing. Have you had a ball come loose?

[Johnboy]

If you are concerned about the nut getting loose, put red Loctite on the threads.

[growingoldoffensively]

Ok, mounted a hitch on front of my F-150.

When I put a hitch guide and used lock washers the shank was a bit short. Internal thread lock washers are much thinner and worked fine. But relative to a lock washer they looked pretty flimsy. So I asked you fellas.

Your question about a nut coming loose - yes, I have. Last year. Towed my boat all the way from Rockford, IL to Lake Talquin, Florida and back in late February and early March. On a whim checked it just before I left for Pelican Lake, MN in May. I could turn the nut on the hitch ball shank by hand. Impressed me. Now using lock tight and a younger, stronger neighbor to tighten the nut.

[bubba800]

No matter the type of lock washer I use a 5' cheater pipe on the wrench and several drops of Loctite red 262. It will never budge without heat and a strong effort.

[last chance]

I was driving down the road and crossed a RR track. my boat started swaying saved by the safety chains. the nut came off the ball when I hit the tracks. I walked back to the track and found the nut and even found the 2 pieces of the lock washer. I was so surprised to find the lock washer because it was in 2 pieces. but it had ridden on the nut until it fell off. but the large lock washer had broken in the middle and let the nut work loose. I have worked on cars and machinery all my life and towed boats ever since I was 25 and I'm 70 now and in all those yrs I've never had but that one fail. I see no reason to change the washer myself. before doing that I would just switch to lock nuts. just my opinion though.