Crooked ball?

[ccastillo2305]

Hey guys and gals,
I just installed a new shank for my WD hitch and i noticed its crooked. Ive untighten it realigned and it still does this is it normal?

[JRTJH]

Is it possibly an "optical illusion" caused by the decal on the tow bar being installed crooked ??? Or, Reese could have welded the vertical bar slightly off center and not perfectly aligned.

If you're concerned, make a mark on the tow bar as close to the truck receiver as possible, make a mark on each end of the hitch head, adjacent to the 1/2" holes where the sway bar balls are located, measure from each "extreme end" of the hitch head to the centerline mark on the draw bar. The measurement should be the same if your marks are accurate and the hitch is "straight".

All that said, if the hitch head is slightly off center, it won't really matter since the WD bars are adjusted individually and the sway control is a "friction bar style". A slight difference in alignment won't affect towing, but could make a difference when turning, possibly 58 degrees on one side and 60 degrees on the other... Chances are you won't notice any functional issues with the hitch.

[ccastillo2305]

Thats a relief. I just want to be sure this won't put any unwanted stress on the hitch. The original set up had a very slight lean to one side (my ocd noticed) but it wasn't this noticeable.

[wiredgeorge]

If you are ever stranded, just click your heels together and say "I want to go home" over and over. Of course, home had best be Kansas!

[ccastillo2305]

Hahahaha definitely would not help since im from houston.

[flybouy]

Between the crooked sticker on top and the cement stress relief Crack below it's like a Rorschach inkblot test. Place a yardstick or straight piece of board, angle iron, etc. along the shank and have another look.

[ccastillo2305]

It is slightly to one side the stickers make it worse but it does have the slight angle to one side

[flybouy]

It's a ball and the trailer pivots on that ball. So if that ball is a 1/8" or even an inch off center line then the only effect would be the trailer would "dog leg" that amount off center from the TV. That would be an "insignificant" amount an not detectable by the driver.

[ccastillo2305]

Great. Even with it being off centered it wouldn't create additional stress on the hitch correct?

[travelin texans]

If you look from the side the ball should also be tilted towards the RV a few degrees if adjusted correctly. This tilt should be enough that once the bars are attached with weight applied they are parallel to the frame, not angled up or down.

[66joej]

If that is the type of hitch where the ball assembly can be adjusted up/down then perhaps you can loosen those large through bolts. There may be a bit of play in the holes to realign the ball straight with the shank. Tighten back to recommended torque specs.

[flybouy]

Great. Even with it being off centered it wouldn't create additional stress on the hitch correct?

Not that small amount. It should be fine.

[sourdough]

It "looks" a bit crooked but I'm not sure that it is appreciably. When looking at the pic the top (right) side of the hitch appears to be further away from the line of the shank than the bottom (R) although it could be the picture angle. Is there something under that top flange? But, at the end of the day, if I look at the angle of the hitch shank coming from the truck and try to plot a line down the center of it, it looks like the center of the ball is going to be very close. As has been said, with the crooked stickers etc. it's really hard to tell plus it won't make any difference when towing with it as close as it appears to be. Back in TX folks have balls mounted in various places on their bumpers and all kinds of hitches that aren't centered. The trailer doesn't care; it's going to follow behind wherever the ball is. It will make a difference if your sway bars are crooked.

[ccastillo2305]

Thanks everyone for your help . Ya the sway bars load without an issue.

[BadmanRick]

This appears to be definitely off center. This is typically not up to Reese Standards. I would contact the dealer where you purchased it from and contact Reese. They should send you a new one.

[fjr vfr]

This appears to be definitely off center. This is typically not up to Reese Standards. I would contact the dealer where you purchased it from and contact Reese. They should send you a new one.


I agree. Even if it's not a safety or handling issue. If it's a recent purchase why not try for a new replacement?

[ccastillo2305]

I purchased the shank separate from the rest due to the drop needed. I will give Reese a call given both are still their product and see what happens. My biggest concern is safety as I have a few trips planned in the next few days.

[LHaven]

Let's not forget the appreciable amount of fisheye introduced by a smartphone camera lens. I mean, have you seen the size of the nose on my dog?

At this point, I would be dragging out the metal carpenter square, or the plexiglass draftsman square, and adding it to the photo. And by that I mean taking another photo, because testing the original photo for square is just going to encounter the same fisheye problem