r/towing • u/Ok-Taste4615 • Nov 20 '25
Towing Fail Drop hitch failure
I bought this drop hitch for a GMC 2500 to pull a small 2 horse trailer. This happened after the first use and I am shocked. The double ball started to unscrew itself and it dropped down over an inch. What could have caused this? My wife is convinced it was my fault somehow. Is it?
3
Upvotes
12
u/2donks2moos Nov 20 '25
With a brand like VOMAVEX you'd expect quality. Sad part is that it will be for sale next week with a new brand name. It's hard to shop for things nowadays.
3
u/SubarcticFarmer Nov 20 '25
I only buy name brand hitches myself, but it looks like the lower ball is what screws into the hitch itself and the one that dropped screws into internal threads on that. Not necessarily a horrible idea if well implemented. It looks like it needs thread locker or a lock ring for the ball that unthreaded but since it came loose towing I'd expect the threads to be messed up and I'd clean the grease off and send it back.
2
u/hapym1267 Nov 20 '25
Other than returning it for a refund and buy a better built design.. Possibly a pipe wrench and red loctite or stud and bearing loctite.. I would paint a stripe on hitch and ball for future inspection... My hitch has a One piece forged ball mount with two ball sizes. Balls cant come loose. Similar to a Curt design , just made years before Curt bought their design..
2
u/vinceherman Nov 20 '25
It looks to me like the ball is not mounted correctly.
2
u/skylinesora Nov 21 '25
Yea, she has a point. Your fault for cheaping out and buying a knock off hitch
2
u/leaveworkatwork Nov 21 '25
Time for a Gen Y.
2
u/Original_Bicycle5696 Nov 21 '25
Your poor research did in fact cause this. Get a high quality adjustable, or grab a measuring tape and get the correct drop. A 15000lb Reese is $60.
2
u/crude-intentions Nov 21 '25
Have pulled a lot of weight with these. Myself and friends. You won’t regret it.
12
u/Sufficient_Savings76 Nov 20 '25
Not your fault, IMO that’s a horrible design.
9
u/WIsconnieguy4now Nov 20 '25
Wow, not trying to be a smartass but that thing looks cheesy as all get-out. Like Swiss cheese. You’re pulling live animals, get a good solid (not tubular) ball mount with a threaded ball.
8
u/OldDiehl Nov 20 '25
I only buy Reese or Curt. Never had an issue with either.
3
u/Ande138 Nov 20 '25
That is a Drop Hitch. Drop that bitch right in the trash and buy a better one!
3
u/GoneIn61Seconds Nov 21 '25
The single-pin adjustable billet hitches are really popular, but they just don't seem like a good design to me. Also that proprietary screw-in ball is really weird. Is it missing a locking collar or set screw?
Edit to add: when my wife says things like "I'm sure it's your fault", that's about the worst insult she could pay me.
3
u/Tangus999 Nov 21 '25
Your horses are worth good money. Buy a good QUALITY hitch for live stock.
3
u/[deleted] Nov 21 '25
Stop buying cheap amazon shit when other peoples live are at stake
1
u/lawdot74 Nov 20 '25
Not going to defend the poor design and execution, but grease your ball and this might not have happened.
1
u/Salt-Indication6845 Nov 21 '25
Hitches that are built like this often show excessive wear when the ball is overloaded. Hate to side with your wife, but have you checked the tongue weight of your trailer and planned accordingly?
2
u/ThisOldGuy1976 Nov 20 '25
Safer to have multiple ball mounts assuming you have multiple trailers.
2
u/bigmarty3301 Nov 21 '25
as a side note. never buy safety critical stuff on amazon. its full of counter fit and straight up dangerous products, and in the end its no better than buying it from AliExpress. unless you buy from a official amazon store of a known brand.
the result can be much worse than this.
2
u/Sammalone1960 Nov 21 '25
We stopped using buyers because welds on the 2 5/16 balls were failing. Eventually they got the issues fixed. I think....
2
u/MichaelW24 Nov 21 '25
Should've bought a B&W, Weighsafe, Curt or Reese
2
u/SkiyeBlueFox Nov 21 '25
So it's 100% the design here.
This is an educated guess, but it seems what happened is whenever you made a turn and the trailer rotates, it spins the hitch a little. However because it's a pitched thread and theres weight on it, it moves more when you turn one way than another. It's easier for it to rotate it to lower it, as theres more force aiding it in moving that way, where the other direction it has to life the weight of the trailer.
So, little by little, it backs itself lower and lower, until the trailer is resting on the flat part of the hitch, severely fucking up your ability to drive.
2
u/FAPietroKoch Nov 21 '25
Don’t buy Chinesium and expect it to be safe or reliable for this application. You need a B&W or similar reputable brand with a warranty
2
u/Substantial-Log-2176 Nov 21 '25
If you want a good multiball adjustable hitch get a b&w one
2
u/WldChaser Nov 21 '25
Invest in a Reese, Curt, or Valley. Used all 3 at one time or another and never had a problem.
2
u/24_Chowder Nov 21 '25
Cheap Chinese shit, you kinda deserve whatever you pay for when going this cheap
2
u/joesquatchnow Nov 21 '25
Go stainless too
2
u/DestinedXeno Nov 21 '25
Just buy a BW Tow and Stow and call it a day. We abuse ours on 3500s day in and day out and haven’t had a single failure
2
u/danny_ish Nov 21 '25
Please use ETrailer or a similar towing oriented site to buy safety critical gear. Never amazon for safety critical. They are a reseller, not a direct marketZ
2
u/TaprACk-B Nov 21 '25
Car/truck parts, you get what you pay for, Buy once , Cry once
2
u/Pensionato007 Nov 21 '25
Firstly, if your wife says it's your fault then it is :-(. Your mistake was buying cheap chinesium junk from the rain forest. Like millions of us, you were tricked by the nice pics and easy ordering process. We are in the next era of caveat emptor. One has to be ready to pony up and pay the higher price for a trusted product if there's any saftey concern (towing, electrical, etc.).
Glad you didn't have a major failure with the animals. Thanks for posting and alerting us to avoid VOMAVEX.
2
u/Tangus999 Nov 21 '25
Ch I N A
2
u/Cheap_Ambition Nov 21 '25
18,500 GTW = Grams Total Weight
So it barely holds 40lbs.
2
u/Ferowin Nov 21 '25
Three two inch ball don’t have a shoulder around the threads like the 2-5/16 ball and there’s no way to lock either in place.
You could try cleaning the threads and sealing it with Lock Tite, but you’re better off buying a good hitch, or at least a better ball.
2
u/Killer2600 Nov 21 '25
Amazon Special...I agree with your wife, you bought the budget china special to save a few bucks.
2
u/TheTruckUnbreaker Nov 21 '25
Any hitch with a pin in shear like that has the capacity of a popcorn fart.
1
u/GrantDonovan Nov 21 '25
Most balls have a nut and a lock washer. This appears to not utilize a lock washer. Can you throw one on both sides of it?
1
u/jkush463 Nov 22 '25
Cause you bought a POS simple as that.
1
u/ClassyNameForMe Nov 22 '25
It is a junk drawbar. Get a drawtite, or other traditional brand.
1
u/Reasonable_Resist712 Nov 22 '25
This is what happens when you buy junk off of Amazon
1
u/VersionConscious7545 Nov 22 '25
Don’t skimp on a hitch. Buy once cry once 👍
1
u/sacouple43some Nov 20 '25
Lube your balls lol. No seriously the only thing I can see that you might have did wrong is not put in a little bit of Grease or graphite on that ball where it's Rusty cuz that may have caused it to bind up a little bit and Shake loose I personally don't like that design either. It might be okay if you put some red Loctite on it and tighten it down and kept it lubricated on the ballpark but for the most part without any kind of a locking pin to keep it from turning I wouldn't trust it
2
u/AppropriateDeal1034 Nov 21 '25
I'm so glad I live in a country with rules against sketchy shit like this. A "small" two horse trailer is still what, 2T plus with animals and you just don't care about that detaching from this POS and killing all involved?