2018LLB4x2

I have yet to get a receiver for the truck, but have and adjustable height one from a prior vehicle. It's setup with about a 4" drop, which puts it close in ball height to where my car is, so it'd work well if I want to pull a tiny trailer with a giant truck. I'm sure the entire trailer will fit in the bed under the cap with the tailgate closed

If I got with a 4" drop it should be close, and I'm guessing it'd get closer with something in the bed. I know I'm in the normal expected range for most trailers. If I rent something, how standard are they, and which is worse, having the ball too high or to low? I'd guess that I should be close, and if it was a personal trailer with a known setup, I'd find or have something built to make it right. I'd also invest more time with setup if it's going to involve longer highway travel vs. a few miles in town.

I've got past expedience with trailer sway to know that a somewhat bad setup isn't always obvious at lower 55 mph speeds, but at 70 it is. If it's totally horrible, then even 25 mph isn't a good idea.

So for having a non-infinitely adjustable ball height, which is the better option to have on hand for default use?

smokeywren

The floor of the trailer should be level, front to rear, after it's all loaded and hooked up to the tow vehicle.. If you cannot get it perfectly level, then the coupler on the ball being a bit low is better than the coupler on the ball being a bit high.

If you cannot get the trailer level front to rear with your current ball mount, then invest in a more adjustable ball mount that has the rise/fall you need. And if your trailer's tongue weight will be more than 500 pounds, you need a weight-distributing (WD) hitch. All the decent WD hitches include an adjustable shank. If the standard adjustable shank does not adjust to enough rise or fall to result in a level trailer, they sell replacement WD adjustable shanks with more rise/fall. So there's no excuse to tow a trailer that's not level when wet and loaded on the road.

Flamingtaco

I'd run high with a small trailer for two reasons:

1) You can't raise the rear of the truck if you load the bed heavy.
2) Unless you've got a real short tongue, you won't have issues dragging the rear of the trailer on the ground.

I've got a short transition from flat to 7º incline at the start of my driveway, with the tail of the truck low due to the runoff angle of the street. With a 3.5" drop, my 4x6 has three inches left when I pull in/out. Two inches with 1600Lbs of gravel.

As long as your hitch and trailer are in good condition, you should have zero issues pulling a small trailer tongue high. It won't wear on the trailer's suspension or anything unless you're talking monster truck high. The only time I've seen an issue was someone pulling a small trailer with way too low pressure in the tires. Even then, it's hard to get into trouble because there is not enough weight to push you around.

I have two draw bars/***** because I need a shorter drop/bigger ball for my bigger trailer (5000lb). Your adjustable should have the same 1.5" setting within it's range. Most draw bars that are adjustable to 4" cover everything you need to pull with a 150 unless you put in a lift kit or need a WDH.

Heavier trailers, pull as flat as you can, especially enclosed, as bad angles can create lift or downforce that can affect handling, and a drooping truck or trailer rear can result in dragging. I've got a piece of sacrificial nylon screwed to the tongue jack on my large trailer as I can't avoid dragging it at the head of the driveway without having the tongue too high.

Dicky

I bought this, its SOLID steel, not tube. It sticks out a little farther than normal, hence the solid steel, but I can tow just about anything I want, and I never need another hitch. 2 5/16 ball is rated at 10,000lb.

smokeywren

Sorry to burst your bubble, but with that hitch, you can tow any trailer you want to tow, as long as it doesn't gross more than about 3,850 pounds so tongue weight (TW) is not more than 500 pounds when the trailer is loaded for hauling.

That's an adjustable weight-carrying (WC) hitch, not a weight-distributing (WD) hitch. Your F-150 is limited to a maximum 500 pounds TW with a WC hitch. 500 pounds TW is a trailer that grosses about 3,850 when properly loaded.

Based on the 2 5/16th inch ball, that WC hitch is designed for use on a much heavier-duty truck than an F-150 with it's WC hitch limit of 500 pounds TW.

Dicky

I guess I need to clarify that, any trailer I currently own, which at this time is 8. I replaced about 6 different hitches with this one. I know my truck has limits.

Dicky

You have me thinking now, and my truck has the max tow package with the class IV hitch which is supposed to be rated at 750-1200lb tongue weight. Could you help me understand a little better?

smokeywren

Crawl under the back of the F-150 and look up at the frame of the receiver hitch. There is a sticker with hitch weight limits. Yours is probably 500 TW with a WC hitch and 1,320 TW with a WD hitch.

Max Tow increases the WD rating of the "heavy duty" receiver hitch from about 1,200 to 1,320, but the WC rating remains the same at 500 pounds TW. Ford professional engineers (PEs) determined that more than 500 pounds TW with a WC hitch removes too much weight from the front axle of the F-150, thus reducing steering and handling capability, and causing the headlights to blind oncoming traffic at night. A properly adjusted WD hitch restores some of that weight to the front axle.

Also the 2018 Ford RV and Trailer Towing Guide includes a chart that lists hitch receiver max weight capacities. For F-150 it says 500 pounds TW with a WC hitch and 1,320 pounds TW with a WD hitch. Those are MAXIMUM weight capacities for "properly equipped" F-150s that have the options required to reach those weight limits. Your max tow option qualifies for the 500/1,320 TW rating. And I'll bet your F-150 Owner's Guide says the same thing.

Dicky

Thanks you for the info, I'll do that today. I'm also gonna send out a few inquiries when i go back to work on the 3rd at the blue oval :-)

Dicky

You are correct! Thank you for the info, good to know! Guess I'm just curious what the max tow package is then.