Availability of Higher Rated Ball Mount With 1/2" Hitch Pin Hole

Updated 11/04/2024 | Published 10/27/2024

Products Featured in This Question

Curt Ball Mount for 2" Hitches - 2" Rise, 4" Drop - 8-1/4" Long - 7,500 lbs

(3838)

$29.03

Roadmaster Quiet Hitch for 2" Trailer Hitches

(1537)

$39.90

TowSmart Hitch Receiver Locking Pin w/Cap - 1/2" and 5/8" Diameter - Stainless Steel

(18)

$30.18

Question:

2018 Audi Q7 factory tow receiver pin is 1/2” . This ball mount has 5/8” pin. Are there ball mounts rated for 7700, or7500 lbs, that have s 1/2” pin? If so, is the pin different from other 1/2” pins which appear to be rated at 3500 lbs? Surely this is an often asked question about Audi factory hitch receiver but i can’t find the answer so asking.

asked by: Bob A

Expert Reply:

Hi Bob; is this a 1-1/4" receiver or a 2" receiver? The 5/8" hitch pin hole is standard on 2" receivers and the 1/2" is standard on 1-1/4" receivers. Since Class I and Class II hitches with a 1-1/4" receiver don't have high ratings you aren't going to find a ball mount designed to handle 7,700 lbs. A Class II hitch is going to top out at a 3,500 lb towing capacity so those ball mounts are rated to match.

Also, the 5/8" and 1/2" hitch pins don't really carry a rating. Their capacity far exceeds the ball mounts and your hitch would fail before the pin. It is the ball mount itself that has the listed capacity.

If you somehow have a 2" receiver and a 1/2" hitch pin hole you could use the # TS57VR. This works with 1/2" and 5/8" so it would have the span to work with a 2" receiver. This would leave room for movement with a ball mount like the # C93KR you were looking at so I would add in an anti-rattle like # RM-061 to help keep things secure.

expert reply by: Robin H

Bob A.

10/28/2024

Thanks folks - this is great to have dialog with experts; some clarification though. You ask: "...; is this a 1-1/4" receiver or a 2" receiver? " I clarify: 2018 Audi Q7 factory tow [is a 2"] receiver [and still the] pin is 1/2". You mention: "The 5/8" hitch pin hole is standard on 2" receivers" And, I reiterate the apparent inconsistency - the standard pin hole for the higher tow rating is 5/8" noted; but, the Audi Factory Tow 2" receiver has a 1/2" pin hole which leads to my question. thanks agian, bob.

Robin H.

10/28/2024

@BobA with a 2" receiver and a 1/2" pin hole it has to be a weird design Audi decided to use outside of the standard. We see this sometimes with certain manufacturers and it seems like they want you to use their specific accessories. Ultimately it it ends up being more of a pain than anything and you have to use a workaround like what I listed above to solve the problem. Something you might want to do is reach out to Audi to see if they have a specific ball mount that uses the 1/2" pin and has a capacity that matches what your vehicle is capable of.

Bob A.

11/4/2024

@RobinH found burrs on the 5/8" pin hole in the Audi receiver. Was on in fact a 5/8" hole slightly deformed and burred not permitting the 5/8" pin to insert. Brush with a file to restore the hole dimension and all is well and not so weird. Thank you for your patience with this inquiry and hoping this resolution may trigger others to look more closely than I did initially. Have a great day.

Robin H.

11/4/2024

@BobA thank you for coming back to pass along that information. I'm glad you figured it out and don't have to use a weird workaround to get the right parts to fit.