[A/S] Hitch receiver Failures

["Harvey Barlow" <harveybarlow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In addition to the incident reported by a list member and recently posted by
Hunter, there was a letter to the editor, if I remember correctly, in the
recent issue of "Trailer Life" magazine.  A trailer owner wrote that an
aftermarket hitch welded to the frame of his Ford E150 van separated from
the van's frame at low speed dropping his trailer tongue on the pavement.
According to the writer, his hitch had been welded to the frame of his tow
vehicle instead of bolted as is recommended by hitch manufacturers and  the
welds broke.

I remember a discussion at a WBCCI rally about five years ago when one of
the international officers who, of course, pull their trailers thousands of
miles each year attending rallies, had also experienced a broken factory
hitch receiver.

I suppose we should all be reminded to inspect our hitches receivers and
hitch components several times each year.

Harvey