My ball looks like that. it is steel but not chromed. it has the casting flash and is just cosmetic, but if it were chrome it probably would look like it was cracked.
On edit. I now see that there is a crack that runs from the base to halfway up the ball itself! I originally only seen the base which only looked like casting flash, hence my original post.
Good catch!
* This post was
edited 08/06/08 08:27pm by dodge guy *
Wife kim
Son brandon 7yrs
Daughter marissa 6yrs
Dog shadow
07 Cherokee 32B
02 Excursion 4X4 V-10 4.30 gear
Reese HP dualcam,Prodigy brake controller,
Air lift air bags.
Better to have a bad day of
camping than a good day at work!
swebber wrote: Reese ball, 3 years old, Made in U.S.A. and it is cracked beyond the chrome. Can't say about the over tightening as it was torqued down by original dealer back in '05. I do check it each time it goes into the receiver. Miles...I would hazard a guess at 1000 miles per year.
I am at fault as it is a 6,000# ball and current TT is 7,000# plus. Never changed it after changing to the new TT. Last one was 4,500# dry weight.
That 6,000 lb is the RATING, just like the various
ratings of the TV/tire/wheel/trailer/hitch/etc/etc.
Guess the 'margin' wasn't as large as some of the other components of
any setup.
Good catch !
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
You are much better off without crome balls. Crome plating weakens the steel underneath when it is dipped in the acid bath to accept the crome plating.
I will continue to use non-plated balls, and use a bit of greese on them to they don't wear out to soon.
Good thing you noticed the crack, not the failure! It never hurts to have a ball rated at 10,000 pounds! You might have to replace the hitch mount with out that has a 1-1/4 hole in it to accept the higher rating ball. Yes a larger hole is required to accept a stronger ball.
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
The mount is part of the Reese Dual Cam HP. 2 5/16" ball and have not measured the shank. Will do that tonite but from reading past threads I believe it is 1-1/4 shank On Edit, the Reese site states that their hitch head uses an 1-1/4" shank..
Yes, it pays to keep an eye on things and in this case it was by feel when I wiped off the grease.
I wiped the grease off the ball just as I do each time I take the mount off the receiver. The ball is lubed each time it gets put on the truck. I use white lithium grease.
* This post was
edited 08/07/08 06:58am by swebber *
Steve & Tracy Webber
'07 F250 6.0 PSD LariatFX4,AirLift,Edge Insight
'07 Jayco Eagle 314BHDS "The Cramalot Inn II"
ReeseDCHP,Atwood 3500#,FlushKing,WeberBabyQ Our Pic's
We do not stop playing because we grow old, We grow old because we stop playing!
2001tundra wrote: In the picture it looks like the mounting area was never machined flat, defection will crack the flange area
I believe what you are picking up around the base of the ball is paint..I am very anal about appearance so I mask off the ball and paint the mount and bars at least once a year to keep it nice looking.
Yes chrome plating if not done correctly will have hydrogen embrittlement, which
will create micro cracks to become stress raisers down the road.
To manage that, it has to be baked for a few hours in an oven above some temp
(can't remember the exact, but 200*F rings a bell).
This is costly and too many either don't, or reduces the temp and/or time.
Good catch on the flatness and add that it also applies to the hitch head. If
not flat 'enough', there will be a potential for the ball to 'rock' back and
forth, which will work against the whole setup.
I cringe whenever someone says to just use a pipe wrench with a cheater bar or
not to tighten it up to the usual 450 or more ft/lbs...
Golden_HVAC wrote: You are much better off without crome balls. Crome plating weakens the steel underneath when it is dipped in the acid bath to accept the crome plating.
I will continue to use non-plated balls, and use a bit of greese on them to they don't wear out to soon.
Good thing you noticed the crack, not the failure! It never hurts to have a ball rated at 10,000 pounds! You might have to replace the hitch mount with out that has a 1-1/4 hole in it to accept the higher rating ball. Yes a larger hole is required to accept a stronger ball.
Fred.
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In an earlier life I designed plating processes for industrial purposes. I'm very curious as to what in the choming process you think would weaken steel. I've never heard of such a thing! I'm not sure the science will back you up.
The mechanism begins with lone hydrogen atoms diffusing through the metal. At high temperatures, the elevated solubility of hydrogen allows hydrogen to diffuse into the metal (or the hydrogen can diffuse in at a low temperature, assisted by a concentration gradient). When these hydrogen atoms re-combine in minuscule voids of the metal matrix to form hydrogen molecules, they create pressure from inside the cavity they are in. This pressure can increase to levels where the metal has reduced ductility and tensile strength, up to the point where it cracks open ("Hydrogen Induced Cracking", or HIC). High-strength and low-alloy steels, nickel and titanium alloys are most susceptible. Steel with a ultimate tensile strength of less than 1000 MPa or hardness of less than 30 HRC are not generally considered susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Jewett et al.[1] reports the results of tensile tests carried out on several structural metals under high-pressure molecular hydrogen environment. These tests have shown that aluminum and beryllium copper alloys are some of the least susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement along with few other metals.
Hydrogen embrittlement can happen during various manufacturing operations or operational use, anywhere where the metal comes in contact with atomic or molecular hydrogen. Processes which can lead to this include cathodic protection, phosphating, pickling, and electroplating. A special case is arc welding, in which the hydrogen is released from moisture (for example in the coating of the welding electrodes; to minimize this, special low-hydrogen electrodes are used for welding high-strength steels). Other mechanisms of introduction of hydrogen into metal are galvanic corrosion, chemical reactions of metal with acids, or with other chemicals (notably hydrogen sulfide in sulfide stress cracking, or SSC, a process of importance for the oil and gas industries).
[edit] Counteractions
If the metal has not yet started to crack, the condition can be reversed by removing the hydrogen source and causing the hydrogen within the metal to diffuse out - possibly at elevated temperatures. Susceptible alloys, after chemical or electrochemical treatments where hydrogen is produced, are often subjected to heat treatment in order to remove absorbed hydrogen.
In the case of welding, often pre- and post-heating the metal is applied to allow the hydrogen to diffuse out before it can cause any damage. This is specifically done with high-strength steels and low alloy steels such as the chrome/molybdenum/vanadium alloys. Due to the time needed to re-combine hydrogen atoms to the harmful hydrogen molecules, hydrogen cracking due to welding can occur over 24 hours after the welding operation is completed.
If steel is exposed to hydrogen at high temperatures, hydrogen will diffuse into the alloy and combine with carbon to form tiny pockets of methane at internal surfaces like grain boundaries and voids. This methane does not diffuse out of the metal, and collects in the voids at high pressure and initiates cracks in the steel. This process is known as hydrogen attack and leads to decarburization of the steel and loss of strength.
Copper alloys which contain oxygen can be embrittled if exposed to hot hydrogen. The Hydrogen diffuses through the copper and reacts with inclusions of Cu2O, forming H2O (water), which then forms pressurized bubbles at the grain boundaries. This process can cause the grains to literally fall away from each other, and is known as Steam Embrittlement (because steam is produced, not because exposure to steam causes the problem).
The following information describes the chrome plating / rechroming process.
(see this checklist of items to improve your project.)
1. Receiving and Inspection. The first step is to determine what work you, our customer, wants done, and to assess what will be required to achieve the desired result. Metal can deteriorate and corrode to a point where restoration is outrageously expense; after evaluating the part, we must first agree on a price, level of quality and expected completion date.
2. Stripping. Parts are stripped to bare metal; all paint, dirt, oil and grease, rust, old plating and any other foreign material must be removed. Items brought to us stripped clean will cost less to plate then if we perform the stripping step (sand blasting is a typical method for stripping parts).
3. Polishing. Polishing is the removal of surface metal using a series of abrasive wheels and sanding belts (at any plating shop, the words "sand," "grind" and "polish" basically mean the same thing). We start by using coarse-cutting grinders, working down to soft cloth buffs. The end result is a high-gloss polished metal part with all pitting, scratches and impurities removed.
4. Wiring and Racking. We use hooks, racks, copper wire and other methods to hold parts in the plating tanks; this also provide electrical contact to the part.
5. Cleaning. Parts must be surgically clean before plating -- the slightest spec of dirt, grease, oil, buffing compound, rust, or other foreign matter will cause a reject. In our shop we use an elaborate series of soap, acid and water solutions to guarantee a clean, spotless surface.
6. Copper Plating and Buffing. Parts are copper plated and then buffed to a brilliant shine. This is an important step in the process, as copper offers an added layer of corrosion protection and helps to fill-in polishing lines and pits. (While copper is very thin, many layers of coppering and sanding can slowly build-up surfaces. In fact, copper can be used to level and fill much like a painter uses primer and block sanding.)
7. Wiring, Racking and Re-cleaning. The processes of steps 4 and 5 are repeated before nickel plating.
8. Nickel Plating. It is the nickel which provides the deep luster of a chromed part, in addition to providing another layer of protection for long-lasting chrome. Parts remain in our nickel plating tank for about an hour.
9. Chrome Plating. Chrome, the final plating step, is actually a protective coating over the shiny nickel which prevents the nickel from tarnishing.
10. Final Inspection. Parts are cleaned and inspected; some parts may require minor buffing
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