Help finding an aluminum hitch ball

Larry Fine

Larry Fine

Joined
Aug 21, 2018
Messages
7,721
Location
Richmond, VA
Bike
'01 & '96 11, '07 13
Can anyone help me find a 1-7/8" aluminum hitch ball? I have one that came with the trailer and 1300 hitch I bought.

The seller said he got it from Rivco, so I called them, but they said they don't carry one or know anything about it.

It's dark gray, not chrome, and I think it's powder coated, but the finish is not as important to me as the weight is.

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
 
Interesting, just browsed Amazon and everything is listed as chrome, chrome steel, or stainless steel.
From curiosity, why the aluminum spec? Weight savings?
 
SDGeorge said:
Looky here...this might be what you are looking for:

https://www.amazon.com/Rivco-1-7-Hitch-Ball-GL18007-C/dp/B0068EVLQO

Rivco 1-7/8" Hitch Ball GL18007-C​



BrandRivco
Item Weight1.9 Pounds
Vehicle Service TypeStreet Bike
MaterialAluminum
Finish TypePowder Coated
Click to expand...
Yes, I found that one before. Rivco said that listing is from 2011 and has not been updated, but they assure me that the chrome one is steel.

The unavailable link in post #3 is the only one I can find. It says part # GL18007-B or -BLK.
 
Larry Fine said:
Yes, the weight difference is quite a lot.

Click to expand...
According to @SDGeorge's link (all I have to go on), the difference is .03 lbs. Sounds to me like the 'aluminum' ball has a steel core.

Just for giggles, I grabbed a couple of steel hitch balls from my bin in my garage. The 2" ball weighed 1 lb 12.7 oz and the 1 7/8" ball weighed 1 lb 10.1 oz. That is a difference of 2.6 oz. Both had 5/8" shanks. Even if your aluminum ball weighs 1 oz, putting a two pound weight on the bracket on your bike is not going to make a lot of difference.

Wear will probably not be an issue w/ an aluminum ball because I think you posted that you trailer your bike to far away rallies. This suggests the trailer will be hauled for shorter trips.
 
Just for my brain, you're going to put a bike and trailer on a trailer and tow it to where you're going, and you need to shave a couple of ounces off, am I following close here? If I am, try dropping a waist size, you'll feel better and not have to worry about the weight of the ball hitch.
 
Buy what you want if you can find it.

But out of curiosity, why an aluminum one?
 
Yeah, I saw that. Save a pound, maybe 18 oz! I thought the weight savings was an attempt at humor. :o-o: How about an aluminum trailer too?
 
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Ron said:
Yeah, I saw that. Save a pound, maybe 18 oz! I thought the weight savings was an attempt at humor. :o-o: How about an aluminum trailer too?
Click to expand...
Like motorcycle frames, you'll need aprox 5 times the material to achieve nearly the tensile strength of steel... blowing any weight savings into oblivion... ;)
 
To answer your questions, the guy I got the trailer from also gave me the ST1300 hitch with the aluminum ball on it. He made it sound like the weight saving made a difference.

I didn't have a 1300 at the time, so I moved that ball to the Denray on my '01 1100. Now that I have a 1300, I wanted to put the 1300 hitch on it, with another aluminum ball.

You guys are making me realize that the ball weight pales in comparison to the tongue weight. So, if I find another aluminum ball, I'll buy it. If not, I'll use a regular steel one.

Thank you all for your input and searching. This is what the aluminum ball that I have looks like. The Rivco part number is/was GL18007-B or -BLK:

https://www.amazon.com/Rivco-Products-8in-Hitch-Trailer/dp/B0068EVLI2


1721916981888.jpeg
 
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