What Size drop ball mount do I need?

[jopiel]

I want to start towing with my truck. What size drop ball mount do I need? Is there a standard height that the tongue of the trailer should be at? My truck is a 2002 F250 with a 6" lift and 35s.

Thanks.

[DCSpecial]

Depends on what kind of trailer it is, and the height of the trailer.

On most of my commercial trailers you would really only need a 3-4" drop to hook to with that size of a truck......and I can still raise the mount on the trailer higher up.

Smaller trailers with a fixed mount you might need a 10" drop.


I run B&W Tow and Stow adjustable hitches on my trucks to make it easy to hook up to pretty much anything with a 2" or 2 5/16" ball mount.

B&W Custom Truck Beds, Inc.

Also, a lot of guys run the aluminum rapid hitches:
RAPID Hitch, Aluminum RAPID Hitch, Aluminum adjustable combo ball mount RAPID Hitches, ALUMIBALL, ALUMIBALL Aluminum Rapid Hitch Combo Ball, Rust-Free and Greaseless - ALUMIBALL is the solution to rust and grease on your trailer ball


And for the guys who really need a lot of drop with added support, we sell these:
http://www.oneupoffroad.com/ouoparts...pmudflaps.html

[KF6ZVT]

Like DCSpecial said, it depends on the trailer. For utility trailers you want the front of the trailer slightly lower than the rear, like 2 or 3 inches. Nothing radical.

For travel trailers, start with the front of the trailer slightly lower than the rear then use an weight distributing hitch to level it out. This will level the tow vehicle and make it easier to drive and control.

Do not exceed the tounge and towing weight limits for the hitch on your vehicle.

[SmokeyWren]

I don't agree exactly with KF6ZVT. Regardless of type of trailer, before you get on the highway the floor of the trailer should be level. So do whatever it takes to make it so.

For a tag trailer, the rear suspension of the tow vehicle is going to drop two or three inches or more when you add hundreds of pounds of hitch weight to the receiver. So before you can measure how much drop your drawbar will need, you must know how much the rear suspension is going to drop when you add the hitch weight.

One way is to determine the approximate hitch weight. Then add that amount of weight to the tailgate of the tow vehicle, using sacks of feed, sandbags, bags of QuikCrete, whatever. Maybe a few heavy college-age linebackers sitting on the tailgate would be the right weight? Measure from the level ground to the top of the receiver.

Next, when the trailer floor is level front to rear, measure the distance from the trailer's hitch coupler to the ground .

The difference in those two measurements is the amount of drop you need in your drawbar/ball mount.

Finally, after you get on the road with the wet and loaded tow vehicle and trailer, check the level of the floor in the trailer. If it's off more than an inch or so front to rear, you need to adjust your adjustable drawbar. You did buy an adjustable drawbar, right?

[GAZ4x4]

Originally Posted by jopiel

I want to start towing with my truck. What size drop ball mount do I need? Is there a standard height that the tongue of the trailer should be at? My truck is a 2002 F250 with a 6" lift and 35s.

Thanks.

Ther is no standard height for trailer tongues, the heights will vary from trailer to trailer. What you want is for the trailer you are towing to be as close to level as you can get it.

[TonkaThunder]

My truck has a 4" lift and 35's and I need a 6" inch drop to make most trailers happy. Every trailer I've towed that has 16 inch tires has been fine, but any smaller tire on the trailer and it is typically pretty slanted.