I had a scary experience with my new ORAC coupling on my trip back from Nyngan. The first half of the trip it was fine but about half way back it started making all sorts of strange noises (which at the time I thought was due to the lubricant being forced out due to the pounding it was getting on that road). When I looked at it this morning, I found the hitch tongue bolt was loose and could be undone with my fingers. The loose vertical bolt (which serves as the coupling pivot) was allowing the vehicle end of the coupling to bounce around. I am amazed it did not fall off, the lock washer was not even making against the tongue base. In all my years of using a ball coupling I have never had a ball work loose like this. As well as the pivot bolt problem, the rotating yoke now feels like it has significant play in it (it runs inside the steel tube) but maybe the grease was just forced out (the alternative thinking is that the tube has been deformed by the motion of the yoke). This thing is susposed to be rated for 2000kg and my little camper weighs all of 500kg. Because the vehicle end pivots on the bolt sleeve I lubed the bolt sleeve (on the outside) when I mounted it - I'm now worried that this may have caused the problem, as the grease could have gone down through the hitch hole to the nut and lockwasher. Opinions? Ideas - and I've already thought about replacing it (Hyland was my first choice but too expensive "I thought".
The yoke can now be moved around from side to side and up and down in its tube (far more than when new)
The pivot bolt lock washer failed to prevent unlocking rotation of the bolt. I also had put Locktite on the bolt and nut (which I suspect is what prevented it from coming out altogether.
