A hanger assembly includes a hanger bracket and an adapter formed with a head and a down rod connector. The head has a lower face seated in a socket formed in the hanger bracket and an opposing upper face, and a first axis perpendicular to the upper face. The down rod connector depends downwardly from the lower face thereof to a free end adapted to be secured to a down rod, and includes a front face facing a front end of the socket, an opposing rear face facing a rear end of the socket, and a second axis extending longitudinally thereof. There is a salient angle of less than 180 degrees between the first axis and the second axis facing the front end of the socket, and the front end of the socket is received in a notch formed in the front face of the down rod connector.

An assembly for suspending an object from a surface includes a down rod having a width, an upper end, and a lower end for engaging the object. A ball member is also provided. The ball member has a generally hemispherical body with a longitudinal axis and a bore extending through the body obliquely relative to the longitudinal axis. The ball member also has a diameter wherein the ball member is connected to the upper end of the down rod. A hanger bracket is also provided. The hanger bracket has an upper end for being mounted to the surface and a bottom end that defines a socket. The socket includes an opening through it that is smaller than the diameter of the ball member. The socket's opening defines a radius so that the ball is received in the socket such that the down rod extends through the opening.