Dangerous Trailers.org presents Dangerous Tow Bars Worldwide and In New Zeland.wmv

[techdavey1000]

Those drawbars look a bit under-engineered to me considering the size of the Utes they are being fitted to. In particular those tow-balls all have different ratings, some are as low as 500Kg! The determining factor is the thickness of the threaded bolt. In Britain virtually all tow-balls are rated for 3.5 T and I have only heard of one failing. The failure happened because a rusty coupling had been mated with a rusty ball. The two seized and twisted-off the neck of the ball. Grease is cheap!

[techdavey1000]

More trailer thoughts. In Europe it would appear that the NATO hitch is illegal because its unapproved and its not a 50mm ball. As soldiers usually carry guns this demerit is overlooked. Some countries do allow civilian versions of the NATO hitch and ratings of 12,000 pounds are common. Note also that the trailer regulations in the USA often differ from state to state. The situation is so bad that trailers which are legal in one state can be illegal in the next and vice-versa. Fine$ 4U OK$!

[techdavey1000]

Take everything with a large grain of salt as IMHO the regulations wherever you live will have defects. In Europe for example it is mandatory for new trailers to have auto-reversing brakes. Just a minute what use are these brakes when one is reversing a boat down a slipway? Over here the excellent stainless steel US/Australian marine disc brakes are illegal! Note that 400 ton mine trucks are always chocked when parked as relying on the brakes is asking for trouble. Good luck!

[mickblock]

So the ball failed AND the the safety chains failed? Sounds like safety chains weren't used to me.

[l337pwnage]

@mickblock I saw a vid for one of these countries that showed a "safety chain" that simply was a loop that dropped over the tow ball. Seemed like a pretty pointless "safety chain" to me. That could have been the case here.

However, I have no idea how you "snap" a tow bar other than -extreme- abuse. Of course, It could be that we(USA) have stiffer tow bar standards, which is difficult to believe, IMO. We let almost anything on the road, lol.

[techdavey1000]

@l337pwnage Yes I agree with you on that one as numerous trailers built to French regulations just have a loop of chain or wire to drop over the tow-ball. I always modify these and use a shackle instead. Other defects are paper thin hollow draw-bars which will crush at about 2% of the UTS of the bolts. If tubular spacers are inserted it is possible to torque-up the bolts properly. Another good dodge is to fit grease nipples to the hubs and remove the inner seals of the "sealed for life" races.

[l337pwnage]

@techdavey1000 I believe all U.S. states require a safety chain to two separate points, but I could be wrong. All of the trailers I've used,except CMV 5th wheels, have had 2 chains.

That draw bar setup sounds a bit different. If you are talking about the removable bar with the ball on it, ours are usually held in with just a pin retained by a hair pin clip.

I'm familiar with the 2" receivers (it's what I use) and the 1/2" X 2" solid bars, but I've never used the 1.25" receivers.

[ThePodpie]

get fucked whoever is making these stupid ass videos. big govt loving loser

[nonamejoe56]

What you refer to as tow bars are called balls and ball mounts in North America.