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I think people should be measuring the height on their vehicle with it loaded. If you load your vehicle with several hundred pound of gear plus people that back end is going to drop at least a couple or more inches. Plus the tongue weight of the trailer. I see a lot of setups going down the road where the hitch is to low.
@EddieG Yes, the truck and trailer should be fully loaded as you intend to travel, and they both should be level as you travel down the road. The truck should not be sagging without the trailer hitched. The 200 pounds of gear you mentioned should not create any significant sag. Now compare the truck receiver to the trailer coupler. if it does not match, then use a ball mount whose offset matches the difference between your truck and trailer. If after hitched up you have sag at the back of your truck, then you need a weight distribution hitch to move some of that weight back to the trailer and to the front axel of the truck.
Top of receiver on Jeep Grand Cherokee is 21. Bottom of coupler is 18. Would need a 3 inch drop but we have a 3 1/2 “. Trailer is approx 3000 lbs and tongue weight approx 300. Since I’m only off 1/2 inch, do you think there would be a problem? Tow capacity is 6200 lbs.
@Terri A 1/2" difference will not make a difference. The 300 pounds of tongue weight should not move you much. If after fully loaded (truck and trailer) you then see sag, then you may want a weight distribution hitch, especially if this is a travel trailer that may catch the wind.
I need a 1.5 in drop but they don't sell any. Just wondering if I could us a 2" drop as there lots of those. Thank you in advance for any help.
If the trailer that you are towing has a really light tongue weight, I would go ahead and go with a ball mount with a 2 inch drop as it will get you closest to level. If the trailer that you're towing has a heavy tongue weight that is going to sag the rear end of your vehicle, then I would lean more toward a multi-ball mount that doesn't have any rise or drop, like the TowSmart Multi-Ball # TS74FR . If the rear of your vehicle sags about an inch when the trailer is loaded, a ball mount with no drop will still help the trailer tow level.
I had a hitch installed on my subaru impreza 2006, which I bought from this site with a 1 1/4" receiver. I need a 16" hitch height to tow a 'droplet' trailer but I'm having trouble finding something with enough rise for a 1 1/4" receiver. What are your recommendations? The hitch height seems to be at just over 9" to the top at this point. I cannot seem to find a ball mount with 6" or 7" of rise for a 1 1/4" receiver.
I have a solution for you, but this will only work if the trailer you are wanting to tow has a coupler that fits a 2 inch diameter hitch ball. If this is the case, I recommend using a drawbar with a 5 inch rise, like # 36065 , partnered with the Curt RockerBall Shock Absorbing 2 Inch Hitch Ball # C94CR . In addition to improving the experience of towing a trailer, this hitch ball also sits 1-1/2 inches above the ball mount thanks to the rocker base. This would make the total rise of your ball mount and hitch ball 6-1/2 inches. However, if your trailer coupler fits a 1-7/8 inch hitch ball, unfortunately we only have standard hitch balls that don't offer any additional rise. So a 5 inch rise is the tallest we could get in that situation.
If I’m within 1.75” of being level with a straight lock n roll hitch, do I need to buy the 2 1/2” drop receiver, or am I ok with the straight receiver that comes with my trailer? Taxa Trailer height is 21” and my 4Runner is 19.25”. Thanks.
I would get the drop receiver so that you're within 1" of level instead of almost 2".
My trailer (magic tilt) sits at 14 and the hitch (Mercedes 2018 gle350) sits 15.5". I can't decide what drop I should get. the Minimum is 2" but with extra tongue weight not sure if BM20 or BH20 would be the right fit.
Either one would work just fine for you. The main difference between the 2 ball mounts is that one of them has a 1" diameter hole for the shank of the hitch ball while the other has a 1-1/4" diameter hole for the shank of the hitch ball.
Muy interesante el tema. Gracias me ha servido mucho para mi proyecto.
I'll be towing a 2021 Nucamp tag xl boondock (teardrop) with a 2012 Kia Sportage which I believe the hitch receiver is at 13". Per manufacturer the trailer tounge height at level is 21 inches. Which type of ball mount do you recommend?
From what you said that means you need a ball mount with an 8" rise. You could use part # C45112 or one of the adjustable options in the selection that I've linked for you.
Helpful Links
dept-pg-trailer_hitch_ball_mount-sf-adjustable_ball_mount-pc-rise_~_8_inch.aspx
i will be towing a 2014 spark with a tow bar behind my 2015 Itasca sonova class a motorhome do you have any reference and how much of a drop down reciever i will need???
I honestly have no idea. I do have a different help article that you can check out though which I am attaching. This is geared more towards the measurements needed for a tow bar setup as opposed to the ball mount setup that you're looking at with this article.
Helpful Links
Ken, Sorry, but I meant the adjustable part to be a given, but would I likely need a 6" or 10" drop?
There are several heights of trailer tongues, so recommending a specific drop would be difficult. You should try to find a ball mount that has a sizeable range to account for those differences.
I just bought a 2021 Silverado 2500 with the Z71 package. This truck sits higher than most 1500's I've seen. The top of the receiver is 23 inches off the ground. I believe I need a drop hitch, but don't have anything to compare to yet. I expect to rent a trailer in a month or so and want to be prepared. I also plan to buy a camper 3-4 years down the road. Is there an 'average'? I'm guessing a 6' adjustable drop, but don't want to buy one, then something else later because this didn't work.
You could get an adjustable ball mount. They give you a couple of positions so you can match them with a variety of trailer heights. I've linked to a list of them below. You'll just need to match what size hitch you have and what size ball you're expecting to use.
Helpful Links
dept-pg-trailer_hitch_ball_mount-sf-adjustable_ball_mount.aspx
How does this take into account for the weight of the trailer weighing down the tow vehicle. Would make since that you would need to measure with the trailer with a slight decline front to back as when the hitched the tow vehicle will dip a bit. Maybe not significant enough to make a difference. Thoughts?
While it is true that there will be a slight decrease in the height of the nose of the trailer, it really shouldn't be that significant to make a difference. Also, if your trailer weighs at least half the curb weight of your tow vehicle you should really be using a weight distribution system anyways which would keep everything level.
@JonG Ok. I don’t think I’ll have an issue but it’s a good suggestion to check curb weight. Thanks for your help.
@AaronC Happy to help!
My trailer sits at 18.25 and my hitch sits at 18.75 does a half inch difference matter?
If you're already within 1/2" of being level then I wouldn't worry about that. In all actuality your setup will probably be level once you hook up since the back of your vehicle will likely have a little bit of sag to it with the weight of the trailer tongue weight pushing down on it.
@JonG that's what I thought but just wanted to check! Thanks for answering
Do these measurements also apply for an RV and TOAD?
Yes and no. A recreational towing setup is a little different because the tow bar is going to connect straight to the base plate kit as opposed to a hitch ball sitting inside the coupler. The same principle will apply for a recreational towing setup though. You will want to take these measurements and make sure that your tow bar is within 3" of being level. Here is an FAQ about the tow bar side of things that you can check out.
Helpful Links
If the drop is 7" should I choose a 6" or 8" drop?
I'd go with a 6" because your tow vehicle will naturally have a little drop once the tongue weight is applied.
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