Choosing a Ball Mount with Enough Rise to Tow a Trailer Level with a 2014 Honda Civic Sedan

Updated 10/04/2016 | Published 10/03/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

(241)

$195.16

T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector

(214)

$72.77

1-7/8" Hitch Ball - 3/4" Diameter x 2-3/8" Long Shank - Chrome - 2,000 lbs

(2619)

$14.79

2" Hitch Ball - 3/4" Diameter x 1-9/16" Long Shank - Chrome - 3,500 lbs

(2619)

$17.30

Curt Class II Drawbar - 2-5/8" Rise, 3-1/4" Drop - 7-1/4" Long - 3,500 lbs

(2273)

$32.39

Question:

I have a 2014 Honda Civic Sedan non hybrid or Si and Im looking to purchase this Curt trailer hitch to pull a 4x6 utility trailer with roughly 800lbs grand total weight. With the height of the Civic Im wondering if I should have an adapter that will raise the height of which the ball will attach? Does that makes sense? So that the trailer isnt sitting too low.

asked by: Coty

Expert Reply:

Yes, that makes perfect sense. What you are talking about is rise and drop. If the vehicle hitch is lower than the trailer coupler with the trailer level then you will need a ball mount with a rise to compensate. If the vehicle was higher the ball mount would need to have a drop.

To figure out the rise you will need you can use the trailer jack to make the trailer level then measure from the ground to the bottom of the coupler. Then you would compare that to the hitch measurement taken from the ground to the top of the receiver opening.

Since you do not have the hitch yet we can estimate it to get pretty close. When we installed Curt hitch # C11391 on a 2013 Civic it was 11-1/2 inches. It will be similar on your 2014 Honda Civic. So if the coupler height was 16-1/2 inches you would need a ball mount with a 5 inch rise. I have included a link that explains these measurements.

The recommended ball mount for this hitch is # C45521 and it has a 2-5/8 inch rise. If more is needed after you have measured you can find the closest match in the link to all of the 1-1/4 inch ball mounts I have provided.

Once you have chosen a ball mount be sure to look in the specs for the ball hole diameter so you can get a properly sized ball. Most ball mounts in this size will have a 3/4 inch ball hole diameter so you could use # 19257 for a 1-7/8 inch diameter ball or # 19258 for a 2 inch.

You will also need a wiring harness for the trailer lights. You can use # 118420 to add a 4-Way flat connector to the rear of the vehicle. I linked a video showing an example installation for you.