Off the Ball - connection issue

[Roger C H]

I had that happen towing our boat.

I towed two trailers, the boat with a 2" ball and a cargo trailer with a 1 7/8" ball. I forgot to change balls. Luckily the chains held the trailer to the TV. We went over a RR track.

[abby]

Rossue,
Thank you for taking the time to reply in depth. I erred at the outset by referencing my coupler as an "Atwood-style" when you had already clarified that the coupler shown in John’s (in Santa Cruz) photo was a Ram coupler. My coupler looks like his, and given that he also has a 2014 21, I’m assuming that that’s what I’ve got too – a Ram. Thanks for the clarification and I apologize for confusing matters by referencing "Atwood-style".

Thanks, too, for advising that the AT80072 is a suitable replacement.

Brian B-P,
Thank you for clarifying that “only the 88xxx series of Atwood couplers are identified as having a problem with Andersen's No-Sway WD” and that the “Atwood 88xxx series are not of the yoke style”. And further that “[t]hat doesn't mean that the No-Sway won't wreck other Atwood models or other brands, only that Andersen hasn't identified a problem with them”. Your posts are always an education.

All: If I’ve digested the issue correctly, I think I have three options: 1. Leave things as they are: i.e., leave my (presumptively) “Ram” coupler in place; 2. replace it with an AT80072 coupler; or 3. replace it with a Bulldog or other suitable coupler. Given that I like the Andersen setup, what would the collective wisdom of the forum recommend? And if #3, which and why? Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Finally, thanks to the OP for opening this discussion. Glad you survived unscathed. And I hope this further discussion may be of help you.

P.S. I hoped I have “paragraphed” sufficiently.

Glenn

[tdf-texas]

Found another coupler that has good reviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UroUzQ9O9A

Here is a video for the Bulldog

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPAeg_KdlB0

Both have reviews that put them at the top of the list for trailer couplers.

[Rossue]

I believe one Escape owner with an Andersen hitch replaced his coupler with a Bulldog. Perhaps rbryan can give a review of how that combo is working.

[Perry Butler]

My father had a International Harverster dealership. One of the utility, tip-down trailers for transporting tractors had a Bulldog hitch. Dad eventually sold the dealership, but kept the trailer. The trailer was then used to haul a 2,000 gallon water wagon with pump, 55 gallon chemical barrels, and hoses. In 1993 the trailer was sold at auction. I drove that trailer many miles down the road at 40-50 mph. That Bulldog hitch was rock solid, and my guess is still being used today. All other hitches I've ever owned pale in quality compared to that Bulldog.

A little history of Hammer Blow Tool Company, original manufacturers of the Bulldog Hitch.

Enjoy,

Perry

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

My father had a International Harverster dealership. One of the utility, tip-down trailers for transporting tractors had a Bulldog hitch. Dad eventually sold the dealership, but kept the trailer. The trailer was then used to haul a 2,000 gallon water wagon with pump, 55 gallon chemical barrels, and hoses. In 1993 the trailer was sold at auction. I drove that trailer many miles down the road at 40-50 mph. That Bulldog hitch was rock solid, and my guess is still being used today. All other hitches I've ever owned pale in quality compared to that Bulldog.

A little history of Hammer Blow Tool Company, original manufacturers of the Bulldog Hitch.

Enjoy,

Perry

What an interesting story! Thank you.
This thread is most informative and I am happy the OP are fine.
From now on I will raise the trailer to see if the truck follows before attaching the WD bars and I keep the whole system well greased and lubricated.
I now remove the plate from the jack as last year one of the chains somehow got snagged.

[cpaharley2008]

You may want to keep that foot plate, in the event the trailer becomes dislodged, that plate will slide vs your tongue jack will just dig into the road, causing an abrupt stop.

[Tam2004]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

Tam, don’t mistake efforts by others, like myself, to call out or correct misinformation as a personal attack, because that’s not the case at all. This is a community of helpful people. Part of that helpfulness is clarifying for everyone information that is misleading or wrong. The hinges was a very minor example. The adjustment video for a type of coupler that Escape doesn’t use is another. Small details sometimes make all the difference, which is why some folk, like myself, pay close attention to them. Again, don’t misconstrued this as something derogatory about you. It’s not. It’s simple fact-checking for the good of all here.

I really appreciate what you said and what you are trying to do for all of us. This is not what I am talking about. It is easy to recognize when knowledgable people are working to protect us. I so appreciate this. I try not to post anything without great care and I KNOW the pressure hinge issue as I solved it after it snapped completely in two. I sure would like everyone to have a spare to use and not go through what I went through. I also had a unique experience with Transferwise that opened my eyes to the entire wiring of money issue and hidden costs - only because I went to the bank first, had a print out, and cancelled the transfer and went back to use Transferwise. It was remarkable, I saved hundreds of dollars. So, my experience is that when I carefully post something, it typically is not helpful. At least the feedback I get indicates a lack of belief. So when I saw the criticisms of the original posting on this - I just got a bit irritated. Sorry about that. All this does is cause many of us to quit trying to post.

[Farther]

No disrespect intended but have the off-ball events been the result of equipment failure or operator error?

[DT6]

There has been a lot of great discussion and anything that helps everyone be safer is always a good thing. I believe someone asked if I had a 2-inch ball. Yes, Escape installed the correct size ball when we were at orientation. Someone else I believed asked why I didn't hook up the trailer myself. The answer is I was following the process Escape put forward - however based on my experience I would recommend new owners do the whole process themselves with appropriate coaching from Escape. Using it almost full time for a month now and we are very happy with the trailer thus far!

[Tam2004]

Originally Posted by Farther

No disrespect intended but have the off-ball events been the result of equipment failure or operator error?

AND that is the crux isn't it!!!! I think that is also one of the hardest things for us to figure out sometimes. When our hitch went up and almost off last week, though we have a practice of trying to seat the ball more forward than backward, always raising it up to see if it is seated and we also look underneath! But I forgot to mention we hit a bad rut and bounced the trailer and soon after heard an odd noise and stopped to discover this. We actually expect it was mild operator error as we have noticed it seats better sometimes. It isn't perfect. YIKES. I have copied much of the most solid advice from above but always walk away feeling a bit green, even after 15 years of trailering!! We may ultimately get one of the better couplers if we hear from Escape owners who did that.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

Found another coupler that has good reviews...

I think the QuickBite design is interesting: the tow vehicle is backed into the open jaws of the coupler, which snap closed around the ball. Coupling is clearly visible and secure. The problem would be getting one... Lippert bought the product line several years ago, but it no longer appears on their website. I think this product is dead.

Update: I don't know if it is actually for sale other than direct order from Lippert, but I did just find it on the Lippert website (under towing - couplers):
QuickBite™ Coupler Model 7007 XT; 1 7/8" - 2" Ball; 50 Degree (10,000 lbs);
SKU 2127192
It may have just been missing when I looked for it previously, in the shuffle of website contents.
Update 2: the "couplers" category under Towing only appears in a mobile browser: the regular website doesn't have that category at all, but the couplers are in "Towing Parts & Accessories". Hmmm....

The original manufacturer had a whole range, with A-frame and straight configurations and material choices; Lippert only lists one size, one material, one configuration... but that is a 2" A-frame mount so it would be suitable for an Escape, and it has stainless steel components and a 10,000 pound (Class 4) capacity rating.

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I think the QuickBite design is interesting: the tow vehicle is backed into the open jaws of the coupler, which snap closed around the ball. Coupling is clearly visible and secure. The problem would be getting one... Lippert bought the product line several years ago, but it no longer appears on their website. I think this product is dead.

Update: I don't know if it is actually for sale, but I did just find it on the Lippert website (under towing equipment - couplers):
https://store.lci1.com/quickbite-cou...s-2127192.html
It may have just been missing when I looked for it previously, in the shuffle of website contents.

I found another - is Lippert is buying up everything RV?

https://frsport.com/quickbite-couple...xoC3ToQAvD_BwE

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

I found another - is Lippert is buying up everything RV?

https://frsport.com/quickbite-couple...xoC3ToQAvD_BwE

many vendors list that SKU as back ordered, or out of stock.

[JPSpins]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

You may want to keep that foot plate, in the event the trailer becomes dislodged, that plate will slide vs your tongue jack will just dig into the road, causing an abrupt stop.

Dislodged...a wonderful word, perhaps the best, describing the whole backstory of this thread! As usual, great advice to think about.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

many vendors list that SKU as back ordered, or out of stock.

I suspect that some suppliers are not Lippert distributors or dealers, so they no longer have access to product. Lippert concentrates on sales to OEMs (RV manufacturers), rather than retail outlets, but since they have an online store that might be okay... as long as you don't need to see one in person before buying.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

You may want to keep that foot plate, in the event the trailer becomes dislodged, that plate will slide vs your tongue jack will just dig into the road, causing an abrupt stop.

indeed, the footplate on my jack saved *my* trailer and jack when I had a ball-off-the-bar incident coming back from Utah a month ago... the bottom of the foot plate is pretty scuffed up but still fully functional. and, the sticker said to always remove it for travel, hah hah. NOT.

[CADreamin]

the footplate on my jack saved *my* trailer and jack when I had a ball-off-the-bar incident coming back from Utah a month ago... the bottom of the foot plate is pretty scuffed up but still fully functional. and, the sticker said to always remove it for travel

It really says that? (Too dark to look now.) No one said anything about that when we picked up the trailer at ETI.

[John in Santa Cruz]

fyi, this was my 'incident' report.... http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f1...ure-15520.html


wasn't much fun when it happened, near panic etc, but damn it worked out just fine .

I'll have to look where I saw the 'remove for travel' sticker, its probably worn off, or maybe I'm imagining things.

[cpaharley2008]

Maybe it said "remove sticker before use" instead?