Trailer Ball ???

[bjblackout73]

Trying to install 2" ball into tongue and that has 1" shank so I am using the spacer provided in our boxes that icluded teh tongue and pin but when trying to tighten it seems to still be a little loose but not loose enoughthat the nut is backing off, and I am using the lock washer. I do not have a vice so I am tightenin this by hand unless anyone esle as any ideas on how to get this tight when by yourself. Am I doing something wrong that when I totate the ball oneway it spins a little??

 

[a4passata6]

Forget the spacer, it did not work for my either. I went to an RV store and bought a 2" ball with I think a 1 1/8" shaft that fit in the hole tightly wihtout the spacer and I have had no problems since.

 

[Kmvreter]

Trying to install 2" ball into tongue and that has 1" shank so I am using the spacer provided in our boxes that icluded teh tongue and pin but when trying to tighten it seems to still be a little loose but not loose enoughthat the nut is backing off, and I am using the lock washer. I do not have a vice so I am tightenin this by hand unless anyone esle as any ideas on how to get this tight when by yourself. Am I doing something wrong that when I totate the ball oneway it spins a little??

You definitely don't want the ball to spin in the receiver mounting hole. Leave the spacer in. Take it to a local garage, muffler shop, RV shop, or even the stealer, and borrow their vice for a minute. They shouldn't charge anything because you are doing the safe thing: snug it tight.

 

[Atomic 4Runner]

Hand-tightening will not be sufficient.

Go to a service station, even Firestone, Goodyear, Pep Boys or Sears Automotive, and have them use a vice to tighten the ball assembly.

There should be absolutely no play at all in the assembly when you are towing something.

 

[TechWrench]

I had the same problem when I tried to use the spacer provided by Toyota with the ball mount. If you measure them, the spacer is slightly longer than the width of the bar stock the ball mount is made of. So, when you tighten the nut on the ball shank, it doesn't fully hit the ball mount hense the loose fit. You can either take a 1/16 " off the spacer to allow the nut to tighten up, or use a large/heavy flat washer which the spacer just fits inside the hole. I prefer the washer method, it allows the load of the nut and lock washer to be spread out across the bottom of the ball mount. Just make sure you use a heady duty washer, not a fender washer.