Selecting Fixed vs. Adjustable Ball Mount for Towing Tear Trailer

Updated 02/06/2018 | Published 02/05/2018

Products Featured in This Question

2" Hitch Ball - 1" Diameter x 2-1/8" Long Shank - Chrome - 7,500 lbs

(1362)

$15.49

Channel Style Adjustable Ballmount - 2" & 2-5/16" Balls - 14,000 lbs

(591)

$209.32

Question:

Using your method for figuring rise/ I get that I need a ball mount that has 7inch . Should I get a 6 or 8inch ? This is for a tear trailer weighing a little over 1000 lbs. Thanks

asked by: Rocco

Expert Reply:

Almost any vehicle will have some degree of rear sag or squat when a trailer is hitched to it. This effect from trailer tongue weight is easy to compensate for by using a ball mount that adds about an inch of height. In other words, before you couple the trailer to the hitch ball it is fine for the ball to be an inch or so higher than the coupler. Once joined the resulting height of the ball/coupler will be right where it ought to be, with the trailer frame level to the ground.

You can really dial this in if you like by using an adjustable ball mount. This of course makes it easy to tow more than one trailer but it also allows you to compensate for the differences in the trailer tongue weight. A small teardrop trailer won't have a huge variance from different loading of supplies and such but the adjustability is certainly handy. If you were to change vehicles, or change vehicle or trailer tire sizes the adjustability of a ball mount like the 2-inch # C45900 from Curt means you do not need another new ball mount. And it gives you two included hitch balls.

Our pages for fixed and adjustable ball mounts are linked for you.

expert reply by: Adam R