Help - Trailer Ball Mount Question

[Barracuda340]

If you get the first hitch you can always flip it around.

I picked up one of those like the one in the first pic, I will likely flip the ball around. My trailer is an old converted dodge dakota pickup bed into a trailer. Maverick may end up sitting too low for it. But then again my silverado has a 2"-4" drop on it and sits just right with the trailer.

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[commadorebob]

I have a 5" rise/drop for my Saturn that sits 12" to the top of the receiver. So, that would be about 17" total. I used that for a pop-up camper that had an offroad kit so it tended to sit higher up than my father-in-law's Seadoo trailer, which I used a 2" rise/drop for.

Part of what you need to account for is the amount of play in the spring based on the weight on the tongue (hence my 5" drop for my camper).

Get a rise/drip that isn't welded. Simply for the unexpected flexibility.

 

[Optimus]

In my case, I went with an adjustable height aluminum hitch. A bit more pricey, but then I can put the ball at whatever height I need to. It also has two different size balls built in. I confess, I do have different trailers and even different vehicles.

One hitch to rule them all.

 

[V-blue Mav]

FWIW, MY 2006 F-150 4x4 receiver hitch is almost an inch lower to the ground than the one on my XL Maverick AWD. I'd just wait until you get the Maverick before you buy anything.

Actually it's a wash. Neither are sitting on pavement so there's that factor.....

 

[FriscoTXJoe]

I just jumped in to learn about the trailer ball I need to get and I just wanted to say:

"You have a very nice trailer."

 

[bwayne]

I'd wait and once you get your truck (whenever that is! ) then do the measurements that @Maverick2022XL describes. You always want your trailer level or slightly above level at the tongue., never lower at the tongue.

I have read that you want a tongue weight of 10-15% of trailer weight to minimize sway. Check out this video.

 

[CSmith]

I have read that you want a tongue weight of 10-15% of trailer weight to minimize sway. Check out this video.

Exactly right! If you are pulling a trailer with a load of 2,000 pounds you only want 200 pounds on the hitch. That is why it is important to make sure your hitch ball is at the right height to "level out" your trailer. If the ball is too low then you are putting more weight on the hitch than you should and that does not include how well you balance your load. A lot of factors to consider when towing.

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