Picking Out Rise/Drop Ball Mount for 2005 Explorer SportTrac Towing 15 Forest River Wolf Pup 16BHS

Question:

I have an 05 Ford Explorer SportTrac that I will be using to tow a 15 Forest River Wolf Pup 16BHS camper trailer. My truck has a standard class III receiver, I need to know what would be the best hitch/ball mount option. I know the ball needs to be 2inch diameter, but not sure whether I need a lower or higher hitch to keep the trailer level

asked by: Tye W

Expert Reply:

I attached an FAQ that details how to pick out the correct ball mount. But without more info from you I cannot tell you exactly what you need right now. Picking out the correct ball mount will allow your trailer to sit as level as possible. This is not something that is vehicle specific. It depends on the hitch height and the height of the trailer coupler. Basically you will first measure the height from the ground to the top of the receiver opening on the hitch while on level ground. Next, you will measure the coupler height from the ground to the bottom of the trailer coupler when the trailer is on level ground.

Next, you will need to compute the difference. If the hitch height is greater than the coupler height the difference is the drop required. If the coupler height is greater the difference is the rise required. You will want to pick the ball mount with the rise/drop closest to the difference.

expert reply by: Jameson C