Guys,
Had my 2018 F150 Lariat for about 6 months now. This is my first ever truck plus i have never towed anything in my life!
I want to get a "ball mount" so i am ready to tow "stuff"
I would appreciate some advice on the type of ball mount to purchase......are they all much the same?

thanks in advance

 

You should have a 2" square receiver in back under your bumper. That is what you slide your hitch into, and held in place with a hitch pin (preferably locking). On this hitch, you mount the ball, and for common stuff it would be a 2" diameter ball, although larger trailers and such use a slightly larger size ball. You need to decide the height, or "drop" of your hitch. If your truck is pretty tall (you see lifted trucks towing, right?), you will need a hitch that slides into your receiver, but angles down anywhere for 1" to 6" or even more. You need to decide what height you want that ball to be at when all is mounted on the truck. Depends some on the trailer coupler (thing that attaches to the ball) height. Trailer couplers often end up around 16" or so when the trailer is level, but lots of variances.

This was the short course, lots of stuff to read up, youtube videos are good too. Just do your homework, and be careful.

Welcome!

 

thanks, yes i found some good information on etrailer.com
seems like an adjustable hitch would give me the most versatility on the height.
I dont own a trailer (yet) at the beginning i will borrow one from a friend , he has several

 

what kind of trailer are you talking about? utility, boat, popup trailer, travel trailer? if it's a travel trailer, a ball mount may not be enough. you may need a WDH(weight distributing hitch), depending on the tongue weight and trailer weight.

 

1 7/8" is also a common ball hitch size.

 

I'd wait until you actually have something to tow and then get the appropriate hitch. Depending on the trailer, you could need different ball sizes, ball weight ratings, shank weight ratings, shank length, weight carrying vs. weight distributing, ball height.... These things can be different for each trailer. Over the years, I've collects many ball mounts, some I still have. Currently I have 3 different shanks, 6 different *****, 1 weight distribution head and 4 trailers.

If you just want something to carry in the truck for light trailers that don't require weight distribution, just get a 5,000 / 5,000 rated shank with a 2" ball. Or if you want to be prepared for different ball sizes get a tri-ball mount.

 

No boat as yet!
In the near future i will be limited to towing my lawn tractor, mulch bags , small stuff like that

 

Thanks, that makes sense, its going to be light trailers in the near future.

 

One of my camping trailers requires a 1 7/8 inch ball and I use a 4 inch drop receiver. My other camping trailer takes a 2 inch ball with no drop. I used to have another camping trailer, it took a 2 inch ball with a two inch drop. Too many variables, I would not buy anything until you get a trailer.