![]() GAW|Gross Axle Weight: The total weight supported by each of the vehicle’s axles (front or rear). Ball mounts can be used to raise or lower the height of the ball to adjust for level trailer towing. Removable hitch ball platform that slides into the receiver tube and fastens with a pin and clip. The maximum recommended hitch ball height for trailers is 25" from the ground measured to the center of the hitch ball.īall Mount: Also called a Drawbar or Hitch Bar. Used to determine the amount of drop or rise needed in the ball mount to make the trailer ride parallel to the ground when being towed. Hitch and Coupler Glossaryīall Height: Measurement from the ground to the center of the hitch ball or hitch ball coupling (trailer) when parked on a flat surface and parallel to the ground. Each tow vehicle has a maximum rated trailer weight, which may be provided in the owner’s manual. Trying to tow with an undersized vehicle is dangerous, and likely to lead to overheating and drivetrain or brake failure. A full-size body-on-frame, rear-wheel-drive car is generally better than a small front-wheel-drive unibody auto like the above-mentioned Matrix for towing smaller trailers. Be realistic, and don’t let the tail wag the dog.Ī Chevy Suburban, Ford Econoline van, pickup truck or similar vehicle is a good choice for the 21' to 24' boat. combined with its trailer) using a puny Toyota Matrix-that’s a bad idea. While one of our friends tows his Ultimate 20 sailboat (weighing 1800lb. Make sure your tow vehicle is big and powerful enough for the boat, trailer and gear it needs to pull. The S-hooks should be attached to the tow vehicle's trailer hitch receiver with the open end of the hook facing up, so they will not bounce off. The entire weight of the trailer should be supported on the scale as shown in Figure 1.Ĭonnect the safety chains correctly, by criss-crossing them below the trailer tongue, so they will support the front of the trailer above the roadbed if it disconnects. GTW is measured by placing the fully loaded trailer on a vehicle scale. Gross trailer weight (GTW) is the weight of the trailer fully loaded in its actual towing condition. For greater tongue weights, place the scale and brick four feet apart, rest the jack on the beam three feet from the scale and multiply the scale reading by four. To obtain the TW, multiply the scale reading by three. Rest the trailer jack on the beam as shown, one foot from the brick and two feet from the scale. Re-zero the scale to correct for the weight of the beam and pipe. Set a length of pipe on each and rest a beam across the pipes. The trailer must be fully loaded and level.įor heavier tongue weights, place a household scale and a brick that’s as thick as the scale three feet apart as shown in Figure 2. Tongue Weight (TW) of up to 300 pounds can be measured on a household scale by resting the trailer coupler on the scale and placing the scale on a box so that the coupler is at its normal towing height. Most are reversible turn the ball mount upside down to add “rise” if your trailer is higher than the car’s receiver. To level your towing rig, we sell ball mounts made with different amounts of “drop” which is the distance from the top of the shank to the top of the ball platform which lowers the actual towing ball the amount needed (between 3/4" and 8"). ![]() ![]() Leveling your trailer: Your trailer needs to be level fore and aft so the weight is distributed properly and the trailer handles the way it should, but the trailer hitch receiver on your particular tow vehicle is unlikely to be at the same height as the trailer tongue. Select a Ball Mount With the Right Rise or Drop *Includes weight of trailer, boat and gear. Make sure your hitch is rated correctly for the trailer you tow: Class The shank length: (C) should be long enough to allow at least two threads to be visible when the hitch ball is installed and the nut completely tightened. The shank diameter: (B) of the hitch ball should be the same as the hole diameter in the (correct) ball mount you selected. The hitch ball diameter: (A) must be the same diameter as the trailer coupler (1-7/8", 2", or 2-5/16") because a ball that is undersized will allow the trailer to bounce loose. maximum trailer weight-rated hitch decreases your maximum towing capacity to 2,000lb. Your hitching system is still rated at 2,000lb. maximum trailer weight-rated hitch does not increase your towing capacity to 3,500lb. Your hitching system cannot be upgraded to a rating higher than the maximum rating of your hitch. Your towing system’s maximum weight rating is always equal to the lowest rated item in the system. Always use the properly rated hitch ball for your towing system.
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