Recommendations for an Adjustable Ball Mount with Multiple Balls and Height Adjustments

Question:

OK so I am trying to decide how much rise / I want with my ball mount. I have read all your articles on how to determine what I need for a given trailer. But the reason I am purchasing an adjustable ball mount is to cover all trailers that I might want to pull not just the ones I already have. So is there a rule of thumb that says you dont want your ball mount any closer to the ground than x number of inches? Seems to me that I would want to spend my money on the largest I could accommodate without ever hitting the ball mount on the ground. Or is there a typical range of ball height that I should try to cover like... 12 to 20 inches from the ground? Again I can measure any trailer to get its proper height but how do I make the wisest choice on the most rise / I might ever need?

asked by: Brian

Expert Reply:

That is a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables. On bigger trucks with receiver heights well above the ground going with an adjustable ball mount with the most rise or drop would be fine in this case and would be what I recommend. There is no rule of thumb as far as how much space you should have from the ground to the bottom of the ball mount because there are so many things you would have to factor in.

Vehicles that are lower to the ground like vans for example would need a rise more often than a drop so they would be looking at an adjustable ball mount that offers a lot of rise but minimal drop.

There is also the issue of weight capacity. If you are going to be towing so many vastly different trailers, chances are they are going to also have vastly different gross weights and require different balls.

I like the # D900 which covers most of the bases. You get the three main ball sizes, a rise up to 5-3/4 inches, and a drop up to 5-3/4 inches. That covers a very broad spectrum of potential trailers. However this is for a 2 inch receiver. If you have a 2-1/2 inch receiver you could still use this ball mount by using a reducer sleeve like # C45405.

Since you came from an adjustable ball mount for a 2-1/2 inch receiver there are fewer options, but good ones. I like the versatility of the B&W Tow & Stow 3-Ball Mount - 2.5" Hitch - 7" Drop/7.5" Rise - 18K - Black
Item # BWTS20049B It includes the 3 ball sizes and has a max drop of 7" inches, and max rise of 7-1/2" inches.