minnemike

First off, what is a good brand that can handle the tow capacity for my 2010 FX4 SCrew? And then secondly, what is a good average lowered height to satisfy most towables? Probably will tow a 25ft camper at some point. THanx!

MSTR-P

Not sure if I would worry to much about brand (Reese, Draw Tite, Valley...etc) as I would the class of the receiver you are looking at. Any class 3 should handle what your 2010 can through at it.

RRF150

Whats your tow capacity? If you don't have a receiver on now then you must not have the tow package. Which means you may need an aux tranny cooler. Also theres no set tongue height for travel trailers. Some have the coupler mounted on the top of the tongue, some on the bottom. Some have the axles under the springs, some on top. You'll need a weight distribution hitch for the truck and trailer and it will have adjustment holes in the draw bar so that will allow you to set it for the travel trailers tongue height. Any of the after market brands such as Curt or Drawtite would be fine. Just find one with a 1000/10,000 rating. You might want to check the yellow door sticker on your truck and see what your payload capacity is before you get a TT.

SultanGris

I agree.

minnemike

Sorry guys - me typed it wrong.... I have the tow package and would tow about 7k lbs. max

I meant a ball mount for my hitch receiver.

How low should I go with the jacked up stock height of the tail?

minnemike

Just guessing here: I assume an average trailer hitch height should be about 17-19"? Soooo, I guess I could measure how much drop the ball mount should have from there with about 200 lbs in the bed to account for it being lowered slightly?

For example - UHAUL says that max ball hitch height is 25" for their trailers - I assume that would be a tad too high as average height for most trailers.

eclark53520

I believe i have a 2" drop drawbar on my 2" ball...that seems to work with every trailer i have towed thus far...

two enclosed, a boat, and a car hauler(larger ball, same draw bar)...all three sat like they were supposed to on this setup. I have a 2010 4x4 with the non-max tow package

this one...

dejong1

I have a ball hitch like the guy above

Abn150

If your truck has the trailer towing package, you already have the trailer hitch receiver.

What you need now is the drawbar, pictured above. The drawbar needs to be the same size as the receiver (2" for F-150) and the same or greater weight class (III or IV). The variable with the drawbar is the drop or rise - this needs to be matched to your trailer, so that your (loaded) trailer pulls level. It could be a 2" drop, a 3" drop, a 2" rise, etc. If you have multiple trailers, you may need a different drawbar for each.

Then you need a ball. The ball also needs to be the same or greater weight class. The variable on the ball is the diameter - this needs to match the diameter of the coupler on your trailer. 2" is probably most common, but could be larger or smaller. Again, if you have different trailers, you may need different *****.

Abn150

This article uses the term "ball mount" for what I called the "drawbar" in my post above. Gives a good description of how to determine the correct rise or drop.







Choosing the Correct Ball Mount

For safe and comfortable towing, the trailer should always be as level as possible. A level trailer will put less strain on the connection between the trailer and hitch. It will also help the trailer stay in line behind the vehicle. Because trailer and vehicle heights often differ, a ball mount with a Rise or a Drop may be needed. To determine how much of a rise or drop you need, follow the simple steps below.







Measuring for Your Ball Mount



Measure the hitch height

Measure the hitch height from the ground to the top of the receiver opening on the trailer hitch. With the vehicle parked on level ground, measure to the top of the 2" hole on Class III and IV hitches and the 2-1/2" hole on Class V hitches.



Measure the Coupler Height

Measure the coupler height from the ground to the bottom of the trailer's coupler. Make sure the trailer is level and on level ground.



Compute the difference

Compute the difference between the hitch height and the coupler height. If the hitch height is greater than the coupler height, the difference is the drop that is required. If the coupler height is greater, the difference is the rise that is required. The ball mount with the rise or drop closest to the difference should then be chosen. For example, if the hitch height is 24-3/4" and the coupler height is 17". Because the hitch height is greater, a ball mount with a drop of 7-3/4" would be required for a level trailer. A ball mount with an 8" drop is closest to the actual drop and thus is the right one to use.


If the hitch height is greater than the trailer height, then

• hitch height - trailer height = drop

If the trailer height is greater than the hitch height, then

• trailer height - hitch height = rise

Ball Mount Dimensions



Drop

This is the distance from the top of the shank to the top of the ball platform.



Rise

Rise is the distance from the top of the shank to the top of the ball platform.



Length

The length is the distance from the center of the ball hole to the center of the pin hole. The length will determine how much clearance will be available between the vehicle and the trailer and can be used to get past a spare tire or tailgate.



Ball Hole Diameter

Ball hole diameter is the size of the hole in the platform of the ball mount. This measurement will determine what diameter shank your hitch ball should have for it to properly fit in the ball mount. Typical sizes are 3/4", 1" and 1-1/4".