Long neck tow ball.

Darian I too have a 3500kg hitch and use the tow ball that came with it which incidentally is the same height as my other 3.5t balls.
I cannot find "High Tow ball" and I am assuming that they are all the same height.

I have noticed that there is some wear on the tongue from the hitch which is a hayman reese weight distribution type.
Other forums also speak about the nut coming loose, Have you personally had this problem?
According to Hyland the problem of undoing the ball nut is caused by over tightening the hitch play adjustment and not by the weight distribution hitch.

This is a new setup and only done about 1000km, so after reading your post raced out and checked the ball and yes it is still tight
I will keep an eye on it

Regards Mike

Yes re it coming loose - my towball was fitted at the factory - I witnessed it being done up very tight though with a huge shifter. I checked it after the first short trip and all was well - later, on a longer trip I found it undone (early stage - not much play). I took it all off, cleaned and dried the lot, cranked it up very tight again, and it's been fine since. I use the HR 750 WD hitch too. If the Hyland is not entirely free of all snags in it's movement the upward pressure on the lower side of the ball will try to turn the ball - if enough accumulated turns take place in the CCW direction, that must induce it to undo. Anyway, that is just one of a number of vital hitch area factors that have to be monitored constantly - along with everything else on a trip.... it's hell :-o).

Interesting.
Agree totally on your comment of being free of all lumps and burrs.
Remember it is the clamping force of the flange that gives it it's strength. If there is rubbish about it will reduce the clamping area.
Just looking at some torque tables and find that assuming that the steel is at least the equilivant of a grade 5 bolt unf it should be torqued up to about470ftlbs which is pretty tight for even a big shifter.
When I have finished my cuppa I will go down and check my " ball torque."

regards Mike

I believe he used to..
Probably got sick of people asking "why should I pay extra for a ball when I already have one?" ;-)

The standard over-the-counter 3500kg ball (which has the longer "neck") is the correct configuration, and is what Hyland recommends...

I think you'll find that other coupling manufacturers have to supply the tow bar component, because it is specific to the particular coupling, and not a "standard" item..........

:)

Judging by the regular threads asking what ball for a Hyland, I would suggest that it is not a "standard item".

Trevor. I think it's more to do with clearance between the caravan coupling and gooseneck of the towbar when articulating rather than Kg rating.

Rob.