Ram ball slippage

[dsiekman]

I've got a couple ram ball mounted rocket launchers that I am experimenting with. I'm not impressed so far. The rods I was using are short - about 5'. When dragging a small umbrella rig the tubes pivoted down to parallel with the deck just under the weight of rod and drag from the rig. The ball was as tight as I could get it. Anyone else have this issue? Any ideas?

[J.A. Veil]

Doug -

I have never owned or used a Ram mount so I don't have first-hand experience. It sounds like you need to increase the friction. What about cutting a sheet of thin rubber (e.g., from an inner tube) and wrapping the ball with that before clamping down the mount. There are probably lots of other materials you could use to accomplish the same goal.

[PigPen]

Can try red kind of loctite. I'm having similar issues with my transmission mount and may resort to that as well. I'm getting some rust stains as well from the threads.

[dsiekman]

Doug -

I have never owned or used a Ram mount so I don't have first-hand experience. It sounds like you need to increase the friction. What about cutting a sheet of thin rubber (e.g., from an inner tube) and wrapping the ball with that before clamping down the mount. There are probably lots of other materials you could use to accomplish the same goal.

Thanks, John. I'd been thinking more abrasive like sandpaper or emery cloth, but rubber is probably a better option. I run my brag fairly loose so I'm not concerned about the torque when a fish hits.

[dsiekman]

Can try red kind of loctite. I'm having similar issues with my transmission mount and may resort to that as well. I'm getting some rust stains as well from the threads.

I think the ball is slipping inside the plastic mounts, not the threads coming loose.

[RavensDfense]

They are a pain in the @ss. I bought two also. I had mine mounted on a gear trak with a screwball. Roughing the ball with sandpaper doesn't work. It only gets worse when a fish hits, unless your drag is nonexistent. I toyed with strapping them to the railing, but eventually took them off and installed scotty flush mounts. Much better setup for trolling.

[dsiekman]

They are a pain in the @ss. I bought two also. I had mine mounted on a gear trak with a screwball. Roughing the ball with sandpaper doesn't work. It only gets worse when a fish hits, unless your drag is nonexistent. I toyed with strapping them to the railing, but eventually took them off and installed scotty flush mounts. Much better setup for trolling.

That's how I had mine mounted, too. I did find a forum post from our friends down under. They suggested making sure the "slot" was not parallel to the direction of the line. Makes sense. They also suggested roughing up the socket, not the ball. Also makes sense but I could see that being short lived. I may replace with Scotty mounts before (or during) this weekend's tournament.

[dsiekman]

I'm also toying with running them forward. There was a thread on that awhile back. That way if a fish hits they will pivot back towards me.

[sparky1423]

From my experience, ram balls are great for mounting and adjusting accessories like a FF or camera mount. I don't trust them for trolling, I use Scotty's with slip disks. I had more of a wobbling problem with the ram ball, not so much with slippage

[YaknBass]

i use the ram ball mounts when trolling (recommended from a reputable yak site) i wanted to purchase the scotty mounts...followed thier advice... mine turn when a fish strikes. not happy with the set up. i used the gear tracks and don't want to screw the ball down so tight i cant comfortably remove them...if i was to do it over i will go with the scotty mounts. to mount something that is not subject to torque, i think they are fine... otherwise not so good mho.

[Skidsteer]

Sounds like you've all used single-point mounts for the RAM ball. I had similar problems last year but went with the round bases with four screws for this year. No problems so far. I like the adjust-ability of the RAM rod holders.

[dsiekman]

Sounds like you've all used single-point mounts for the RAM ball. I had similar problems last year but went with the round bases with four screws for this year. No problems so far. I like the adjust-ability of the RAM rod holders.

My issue is actually between the ball and socket. The mount itself is solid.

[kevinfry]

What size ball? The mounts with the larger rubber ball rather than the smaller metal balls seem rock solid. On my adapted mount the plumbing cap unscrews a half turn with a big fish on. But the mount never does move inside the socket.

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[kevinfry]

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[YaknBass]

I agree mounts are rock solid...But it you attach a rod holder to the mount the rod holder is the question....subject to slippage twisting ... turning ect...I have not experienced that from lure drag... But when a reasonable size fish strikes...the rod holder turns or twists back. I dont think it is the best setup for mounting rod holders...for stability...wonderful range of adjustments...But not stable under stress or torque...they simply move...under stress....great for mounting fish finders,ect not rod holders...again imho.