Blue Ox Sway Pro

[Kylesmith3021]

I have had the blue ox sway pro1000 for a couple of years now..I went this weekend to dissassemble the hitch head to move it down 1 hole to see iff this would help my new trailer tow a little better but this happend..I could start to loosen both nuts but then they started to jam up..I even tried to tighten them back up but they would not move..with a 2' breaker bar I could not get these nuts tightened back to loosened more..I bout a 60" pipe to put on the breaker bar today and went to town loosening the nuts..they got almost to the end of the bolt and the bolts snapped inside the nuts..has anyone had this happen before to them..I even tried using my impact which did not move a thing..Does anyone know where i can get new bolts and nuts for my swaypro

[Frank G]

Go to a farm store, or a John Deer dealer. OK a Case IH dealer will work too. Take the old ones with you. If I remember correctly the torque speck is around 350 lb ft.

[sourdough]

Make sure you don't just buy a "bolt". Go with at least grade 8.

[Kylesmith3021]

This is the answer that I got from blue ox today..

We would not recommend grade 8. The bolts we recommend are ¾-10x4, Grade 5 zinc plated


Why would they say go with a grade 5 over a grade 8??

[sourdough]

"When replacing fasteners, it is generally best to match what you are replacing. Replacing a bolt with a stronger one is not always safe. Harder bolts tend to be more brittle and may fail in specific applications. Also some equipment is designed so that the bolts will fail before more expensive or critical items are damaged."



"Grade 5 / Grade F

Grade 5 bolts are hardened to increase strength and are the most common bolts found in automotive applications. Grade 5 bolts have 3 evenly spaced radial lines on the head.
Grade F is roughly equivalent to Grade 5. Grade F nuts are used with Grade 5 bolts.
Grade 8 / Grade G

Grade 8 bolts have been hardened more than grade 5 bolts. Thus they are stronger and are used in demanding applications such as automotive suspensions. Grade 8 bolts have 6 evenly spaced radial lines on the head.
Grade G is roughly equivalent to Grade 8. Grade G nuts are used with Grade 8 bolts."


Above are a couple of excerpts on the bolt grades and their uses. I always tend to go with the strongest one available. The 2nd excerpt seems to indicate that 8 is used in more demanding situation. The 1st would seem to indicate that Blue Ox is either trying to match the quality/grade of the other components in the hitch or want the shank bolts to fail first?, which I can't imagine.

From your experience with the apparently stripped bolts/nuts and then the bolts snapping in half I can only say that I would upgrade to the grade 8 and also ask for their rationale on discouraging the use of the stronger bolt.