Did you know every component in a towing system has its own weight rating? It’s true, and if you think about it, the hitch ball is what all the trailer tongue weight rests on and what pulls all the trailer’s weight down the road.

Let’s inspect this important component in the towing system. When you tow a trailer, even a small trailer, two important components are the hitch ball and the coupler on the trailer. The hitch ball reveals some important information just by looking at it.

First, this tells you the maximum weight the hitch ball can tow. We’ll talk more about this in a minute.

Second, it tells you the ball size.

Hitch balls have three basic measurements: the ball diameter, the shank diameter, and the shank length. Available ball diameter sizes are 1-7/8″, 2″ and 2-5/16″. The hitch ball base and shank play a major role in the hitch ball’s weight rating. This is where the trailer’s coupler comes in. The hitch ball size must be the correct size for the coupler on the trailer you are towing, and must be rated to tow the trailer’s gross vehicle weight rating.

If you look closely at the coupler, you will see the ball size required. Some couplers, especially on used trailers, have a few coats of paint, so you need to remove the layers of paint to get this information. 

RV 101® Tip: If you use the wrong size hitch ball for the coupler, you can quickly and easily lose the entire load. For more RV 101® tips, watch our Safe Trailer Towing Tips video

For more insight on trailer towing, read my Trailer Towing What You Need To Know guide

With the hitch ball and coupler properly matched, let’s talk briefly about the ball mounts. The ball mount is the removable part of the hitch that slides into the hitch receiver. For weight-carrying hitches, it might be necessary to find a ball mount with a drop or a rise to help level the trailer when it’s hitched to the tow vehicle. Ball mounts are rated for the amount of weight they can safely tow. An adjustable ball mount is used for heavier trailer applications. Adjustable ball mounts allow the ball to be raised, lowered, or tilted to compensate for trailer tongue weight and attain proper height adjustment. Adjustable ball mounts are normally used with weight-distributing hitches.

Before towing anything, including a utility trailer, boat trailer, or travel trailer, always check the hitch ball, coupler, and ball mount to ensure the weight you are towing does not exceed the weight capacities of the hitch components.

To learn more about safe trailer towing, check out our Trailer Towing Basics online training course.

Happy Camping,
Mark Polk
RV Education 101
http://rveducation101.com/

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