Tow Hitch /Ball Recommendation?

[adrianp89]

I lost the key for my old one so it went with the truck, now I need a one. A lot of the ones I see have the hole mounted pretty close to the end... you guys know of any with the hole more towards the ball?

 

[Ronnie]

I'm having a hard time envisioning what you described.
The ball, draw bar that the ball is mounted to and receiver on the tow vehicle make up what I've heard referred to as the hitch/hitch system.

The draw bar is the piece that can vary the most in that they come in different lengths (sometimes adjustable) so that the ball may be raised or lowered when compared to the center point of the receiver, this allows users to raise or lower the height of their trailer when connected to the tow vehicle and should also give users some control over tongue weight.

When you state, "... you guys know of any with the hole more towards the ball?" What hole are you talking about?
The hole that the locking pin goes through to secure the drawbar to the receiver? Or do you want a draw bar on which the ball is closer to the receiver hole the draw bar goes into?
The simplified question is where do you want the ball in comparison to where it was on your last tow vehicle?

 

[adrianp89]

Basically I want the ball to be as close to the truck as possible.

 

[Ronnie]

Check out this page on etrailer.com , don’t forget to scroll down there are a lot to choose from.

https://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mount

I would probably just call them for a product recommendation.

PS I took a look at the draw bar/ ball mount with a built in scale (pictured) but at $299 I’m going to pass.

 

[F.M.]

I would recommend an adjustable hitch if it fits within your budget and will work for your situation. That way you'll never need to buy another hitch, no matter what trailer you pull. I've used a b&w tow and stow for a few years and don't know how I ever survived without it.

 

[sethman919]

I had a Weighsafe adjustable hitch. its a great hitch but my truck doesnt have a lift so i kept dragging the bottom of it on the ground when transitioning to steeper grades. I ended up selling that one and getting a fastway hitch with the built in locking pin. I love it. no big ol locking pin to block the chain loops. I also no longer tow trailers for my church so no need to have the ability to adjust as my boat is the only thing i ever tow.

 

[Jgorm]

Basically I want the ball to be as close to the truck as possible.

Why? I use hf or Amazon for hitches. I have all kinds of sizes specific to the vehicle trailer combo. I prefer this to the adjustable hitches that cost more than all of mine.

 

[biffdotorg]

Honestly, I would love to say these are generic, which they actually are. Think about what they are doing.

But experienced towers will like some of the features that seem to cost money from that experience.

1. Deep hitch pin hole. As mentioned, keep the ball in close allows more slack in trailer wiring as well
2. Adjustable ball height. One tongue, your done
3. Polished stainless. No peeling paint, no rust. (hard one to justify the cost, but I love mine)
4. Shallow Pin hole. Some need a shallow hole for a UTV/SXS, or a receiver hitch on a car
5. Hitch scale. I could never justify this one. I figure I will set it once and never check it again. Only best if your load varies each time.
6. Multi-ball, or easy swap ball. Only valuable to those that tow large items. 90% of what a 1/2 ton pickup will tow is now 2"
7. Rubber mounted hitch pin hole. These are the ones with rubber in front and behind the hitch pin hole. Takes just a little shock out of the surge brake system

Good luck. Most 4x4 trucks will do fine with a Stainless 4" drop and a stainless 2" ball.

PS: Buy the right shaft size on your ball for the tongue you are buying. (when have you said shaft, ball and tongue in the same sentence and not be dirty!!!)

 

[adrianp89]

Thanks for advice guys! I actually found the key and went back to the dealer and got my old one. Will probably upgrade to stainless eventually, but this will work for now.

 

[2kwik4u]

Have a friend that transports cars from time to time for the group. He bought a hitch with a scale so he can position the various vehicles properly each time on the same trailer. Drives the vehicle on until the ball weight is where he wants it, then straps the vehicle down. Nice feature when you tow a miata one weekend and a trailblazer the next. Pricey though.

Neighbor is a construction foreman and find a lot of use from his stainless adjustable mount on his 2500. Has to deal with 2in and 2-5/8in balls on a daily basis. Each trailer is seemingly a different height as well. It's a nice piece of kit for that application.

I rarely tow anything other than the boat. So, I have a cheap Reese draw bar and ball. Picked them up at Home Depot for not much money. Got a nice locking pin and hitch padlock while I was there. $50 or less I think. Serves the purpose really well for me.

If you want to see a really complex hitch setup, my dad had one of these years ago for our travel trailer. http://www.serenitysys.com/rv/technical/hitches/pullrite/pullrite_hitch.html
PullRite under truck setup. We had it installed on a '94 Suburban. The WD portion of the hitch essentially didn't allow movement around the ball horizontally, only vertically. Once it was setup, teh suburban stayed perfectly level, and you end up with two points of contact between the tow vehicle and the trailer. which leads to almost zero sway as the side loads have to move the truck and trailer as a unit instead of bending in the middle. I wasn't old enough to drive when he had it, but I remember that he really liked the way it pulled, but boy it was an ordeal to get it all setup, and a minor PIA to get it hitched/unhitched.

 

[Ronnie]

I still scratch my head from time to time when I think about all the money I have hanging off a $10 ball attached to a $20 draw bar/tongue.

 

[swatski]

I went through a similar process recently, ended up with the Weigh Safe, will never go back to anything else.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/darned-tow-hitches-whats-your-favorite-anyway.17421/

I actually think the built in scale is kind of a bs feature and I would not want to rely on it, alone, but the whole set up is just great, extremely functional.

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[swatski]

Why? I use hf or Amazon for hitches. I have all kinds of sizes specific to the vehicle trailer combo. I prefer this to the adjustable hitches that cost more than all of mine.

The distance to the rear axle will determine the amount of potential squatting of the rear. The shorter the better = less squatting (less leverage by the trailer tongue).

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of towing. I only realized that was a consideration when trying to figure out why on Earth a WV Touareg can tow more than a Audi Q7 with the same engine and all... It turns out due to the third row seats (and longer back) of the Q7.

The only negative of a shorter hitch length/ball close to the rear (I can think of) is in a shallow ramp situation where it may help to have as much tongue/hitch length as possible.

 

[2kwik4u]

I still scratch my head from time to time when I think about all the money I have hanging off a $10 ball attached to a $20 draw bar/tongue.

Modern steel technology and advanced manufacturing methods......Thank your neighborhood engineer the next time you see him

 

[Jgorm]

The distance to the rear axle will determine the amount of potential squatting of the rear. The shorter the better = less squatting (less leverage by the trailer tongue).

This is one of the most overlooked aspects of towing. I only realized that was a consideration when trying to figure out why on Earth a WV Touareg can tow more than a Audi Q7 with the same engine and all... It turns out due to the third row seats (and longer back) of the Q7.

The only negative of a shorter hitch length/ball close to the rear (I can think of) is in a shallow ramp situation where it may help to have as much tongue/hitch length as possible.

But 2" isn't going to do much of anything. Less that putting the cooler in the trunk. My e450 rv hitch is at least 6' behind the axle and it doesn't squat an inch with 500lb tongue. Shortening the ball a few inches will just make it easier to contact the bumper on tight turns. If that 2" makes a difference on being able to tow or not, you should consider upgrading.
My old c3500 drw could handle a 4' extension to clear the camper and still do 500/5000.
The only time I've ever shortened the distance was on my friends Suzuki because the tow bar was badly rusted and falling off the vehicle. He only tows 1mi to the ramp. We even used a ratchet strap to hold it up!

The shallow ramp issue is real for sure. I might need an extension, or maybe a flipped 4" drop to lower the back of the trailer.

 

[swatski]

But 2" isn't going to do much of anything. Less that putting the cooler in the trunk. My e450 rv hitch is at least 6' behind the axle and it doesn't squat an inch with 500lb tongue. Shortening the ball a few inches will just make it easier to contact the bumper on tight turns. If that 2" makes a difference on being able to tow or not, you should consider upgrading.
My old c3500 drw could handle a 4' extension to clear the camper and still do 500/5000.
The only time I've ever shortened the distance was on my friends Suzuki because the tow bar was badly rusted and falling off the vehicle. He only tows 1mi to the ramp. We even used a ratchet strap to hold it up!

The shallow ramp issue is real for sure. I might need an extension, or maybe a flipped 4" drop to lower the back of the trailer.

I agree!

But.. what do you say to the OP when he's asking, and I quote:

you guys know of any with the hole more towards the ball?

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[adrianp89]

Sorry I don't know the technical terms here. Anyways I was looking for two reasons - 1. My buddy has one that stick further and because of this it rattles around in his hitch. I have since found a solution for that. 2. This new Ram is 4" Longer than the old one, fitting in the garage with the ball was a concern. I actually got it in the garage last night - but it has to be removed. Plus I have air suspension now so squatting is not an issue.

 

[biffdotorg]

One of the only reasons for a shorter pin depth was our SXS. The Wildcat has a shallow 2" receiver, where as my truck can take anything. I planned on sharing the tongue, but needed it much more shallow on the Wildcat and a much larger drop. That 2" receiver is up high.

That being said, the adjustable tongue sticks out so far, that my trailer wiring harness isn't long enough. So I can't use the adjustable tongue on my truck. So it is only used on the wildcat. Bummer.