I know this is probably asked a lot, but I don't care.

Anyway, I have an '05 supercrew lariat 4x4 at stock ride height. I'll be pulling boats and campers that I rent from the outdoor rec center, here on base. What drop should I get? And I need the 2" ball, correct?

Thanks.

 

You cant go wrong with a Reese hitch.

 

You screwed up not buying a truck with the tow package. Just plug in trailer hitch to Yahoo and you'll find lots of hitch outfits. Problem is and depending on how much you want to tow you probably should have a trans cooler installed. That's included in the tow package.

There's no way to guess at hitch height until you have the truck backed up the trailer. If the trailer has dual/triple axles then the ball hitch height has to be dead right level with the trailer axles. If not it's easy to put more load on one axle or the other and you want them all carrying the same load. Until you know how much the tongue weight of the trailer will lower your truck you can make an educated guess at what receiver you'll need.

 

Moved to towing forum

 

T_Bone -

Any receiver hitch you install will be pretty much the same distance from the ground; you adjust trailer tongue height by using ball mounts with different drops/rises. Could be you'll need more than one to cover boat and camper trailers.

As for ball size, it depends on the trailer you rent; could be 1 and 7/8" or 2".

Steve

 

Reese and Draw-Tite are one now so either would be fine. I have used Valley brand hitches and had no problem as well. Heavier is better - and not usually that much more expensive.

As for hitch ball size that is specific to the trailer. Most trailers under 5000 lbs use a 2" hitch ball (some lightweights use a 1 7/8" ball) so that will be specific to the trailer you are towing.

Drawbar drop is also trailer specific. You want the trailer you are towing to be as close to level as you can reasonably get it.

Sorry I can't be much help - I tow four or five different trailers and have two drawbars that seem to cover all of them but I have to change hitch ***** to match the trailer I am pulling.

Dave / Believer45

 

Umm, I have the tow package. Maybe I worded my question wrong. I'm wanting to know which adapter to get. You know....the square plug thing with a ball on it, that plugs into the square hole on the truck. But I need to know how much of a "drop" I should get. Comprende?

Thanks

 

T_Bone -

Like Dunk said, you need to check the trailers to see what the coupler height is when they're sitting level. Until you do, there's no way to tell what ball mount to buy for proper drop/rise. Also, the ball size will be stamped on the couplers. Comprende?

Steve

 

I will go out on a limb and give you want a general rule of thumb that has worked for me, get a drop that will put the ball at 17-18 inches from the ground. Plus, with the trailer attached that will still give you enough ground clearance off-road to get over mild obstacles with 31 inch tires. From renting various trailers including a car tow dollies, that 18 inch height seems to work the best, generally speaking.

So, for my truck I had to get a ten inch drop. A 2" ball, as previously noted, should work for almost anything except for stuff over 5K, then you need 2 5/16.

If you need to use two different ball sizes, get a ball that has a place for the wrench at the top to help hold the ball (Masterlock makes one that I use) or get a kit that easily allows you to change ball size by removing a pin. I use 2" the most, though I do have a trailer that uses 1 7/8.

Drop by the rec center and scope out the markings on the trailer tongue to make sure they use 2" before you buy. Reason for saying this is the larger trailer ball requires 450 pounds of torque to properly apply, so you are better off having two different ball hitch drops each with a ball (2" and 2 5/16) then trying to swap ***** all the time. Especially since the lock washer will totally tear up the washer at 450 pounds and make it a use once only item for the lock washer and flat washer.

 

Rebocardo -

1" ball shanks require 250 ft-lbs of torque; only the 1 and 1/4" shanks require 450.

Steve

 

T_Bone -

You could also look into getting an adjustable ball mount; some of them come with 2 ball sizes already installed. That way you're covered no matter what trailer you wanna tow. I think they start around $60.

Steve

 

Go to Ebay and do search for "Alumistinger". What you are looking for is called a ball mount. If you are running a stock truck then a 2" drop will probably put right at about 18" like mentioned above. If you figure 26-27" high tires, plus another 6-8" the springs will hold the trailer frame higher 18" should put you in the middle and level..

 

Dunk -

Those are good-looking ball mounts!

Steve

 

Thanks for the good advice. I'll go out and measure the height, but a 2" drop and 2" ball sounds like what I need. I rented a pop-up camper from the outdoor rec and it was a 2" ball, which seems big for a light little trailor. I would have guessed it to be 1 7/8".

 

I've found that with my F350 4x4 with stock suspension and 33" tires, a 4" drop is about right for most trailer's tongue heights. A ballmount with a 500/5000 rating, a 1" ball shank hole and a 2" ball should cover most utility trailer and small boat towing needs. Check out www.etrailer.com for all sorts of ballmount choices.