I'm a proud owner of a new 2011 Ford F-150 4x4 long bed with 3.7L engine. The truck has the tow package.

Seeking suggestions on which ball and hitch to get? I may be towing a uhaul soon. One of the larger ones. Any suggestions apprecitaed.

 

Welcome from a fellow 3.7 owner!

 

here ya go

http://www.hitchesonline.com/hitch_s...m#BALL%20MOUNT

for what its worth ive always used a class III Reese ball mount and ball. I never tow anything more that what a class III is rated for anyway.

 

^Exact same setup for below.....

I am hauling a 6x12 today and using a 5 3/4inch drop with 2" ball. Max weight with contents and trailer is only 4400lbs total.

 

Go to a U-Haul store and back up to a trailer similar to the one you plan to rent. Be sure the trailer is level front to rear. Notice the distance from the top of the coupler on the trailer to the top of the receiver on the truck. Assume the rear of the truck will squat about two inches when the wet and loaded trailer is tied on. Estimate the amount of drop or rise you need in the ball mount to result in a level trailer.

While you're at the U-Haul store, determine the GVWR of the trailer you'll probably rent. The "tow rating" of your truck is 5,500 (SuperCab) or 5,900 (regular cab) pounds, so I would limit any trailer to not more than 5,000 pounds GVWR. It's dumb to rent a trailer with GVWR of 7,000 pounds if you can't tow more than about 5,000 pounds. Plus, U-Haul probably won't rent you a trailer that will overload your tow vehicle.

You have a 2" receiver, so you want a 2" drawbar/ball mount with the proper rise or drop for your rig to result in a level trailer, and rated for the GVWR of the trailer or more.

As to the ball, notice the size of the coupler on the U-Haul trailer. It's probably 2", so if it is, then you need a 2" ball with the right shank diameter to fit your ball mount, and a weight rating to match the ball mount.

However, my 7'x14' Car Mate cargo trailer with GVWR of 7,000 pounds has a 2+5/16ths coupler, so a 2" ball is useless for that trailer. I need a 2+5/16th ball.

On my 2003 F-150 SuperCrew for my 5x10 and 6x16 utility trailers with GVWR of 6,000 pounds or less, I use a 2" drop ball mount rated 6,000 pounds, and a 2" ball with a 3/4-inch shank rated for 6,000 pounds.

But for the CarMate, I use a weight-distributing hitch with a 2" shank rated 8,000 pounds, adjustable ball mount rated 8,000 pounds, and 2+5/16th ball with a 7/8th or one inch shank rated 8,000 pounds.

Semantics: The 2" shank on the ball mount fits into the 2" receiver. The 3/4-inch shank and the 7/8th-inch (or one inch?) shanks on the ***** fit onto the hole on the ball mount. Most weight-distributing hitches have a seperate shank and ball mount, while most weight-carrying hitches have a one-piece shank/ball mount.

 

I think all Uhaul trailers mount on a 2'' ball, how much of a drop you will need depends on the height of your truck, but Uhaul carries all the towing stuff you will need so you can get it when you get the trailer. Their prices for the ball and draw bar aren't that bad, and they have the tools to tighten the ball on the draw bar, that is if you are going to an actual Uhaul, and not someone who rents Uhaul at the gas station.

 

i use a B&W 10klb 6" adjustable dual ball

 

Your reciever is rated to tow 5000 lbs with a max tounge wt of 500 lbs without an eaquilizing hitch. All U haual trailers have a 2 inch coupler so get a 2 in. ball with a 1 in. shank with a 2in drop or rise rated for 5000lbs. china mart $20 bucks and you should be good to tow any trailer U haul offers.Bubbabud

 

Agree. If you find a real U-Haul Moving Center. In Midland Fordfan77 has one real U-Haul store plus a bunch of Mom&Pop stores that rent U-Haul trailers. The U-Haul Moving Center is in the yellow pages under trailer hitches as well as under trailer rental. Provided someone is on duty that finished grade school, A U-Haul Moving Center should be able to fix you up with the correct ball mount (drawbar) and ball to match the trailer you plan to rent.

Read the numbers on the receiver on your truck. If it is rated 5,000 pounds WC (weight carrying), then 5,000 pounds GVWR is the heaviest U-Haul trailer you can tow without a weight-distributing hitch.

Personally, I wouldn't tow a trailer that weighed more than 5,000 pounds without a weight-distributing hitch. But installing a weight-distributing hitch on a U-Haul rental trailer may be impractical.

 

W/D hitch is overkill until 7500+