About Ball Mounts

Once you have your new trailer hitch installed, the next item on the list to get you up and towing is a new ball mount. The ball mount, also known as a draw bar, is placed inside the opening of the trailer hitch and secured by inserting a pin through the pin hole of the ball mount shank and anchored by a clip. Below is a diagram of the anatomy of a ball mount (provided by Curt Manufacturing):



There are different sizes, styles, finishes and towing capacities available so to help you figure out what ball mount you'll need, check out the following information.

1. Know your trailer hitch
2. Know your trailer hitch opening
3. It's all about the drop
4. Need just a little bit more length

1. Know your trailer hitch
The first indicator of what type of ball mount you'll need is determined by what trailer hitch you've purchased for your vehicle. Trailer hitches are categorized by six different classes:

Class 1

Class 2

Class 2.5

Class 3

Class 4

Class 5

Special note of interest: when you purchase a Class 1 and/or Class 2 trailer hitch from Trailer Hitches.com, a ball mount, pin and clip is automatically included as part of your purchase. Ball mounts for all other classes are sold separately.

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2. Know your trailer hitch opening
When in doubt, guess two inches. All of the trailer hitch openings, with the exception of Classes 1 and 2 trailer hitches, have two inch square openings. So if you have a trailer hitch in the Class 2.5 and above category, skip to the next step.

For those of you who do need a replacement ball mount for your Class 1 or 2 trailer hitch, here's information just for you. You will need to know what size opening you have to select the correct ball mount. Your options are:

Class 1 and Class 2 hitch openings:

2 x 5/8 inch solid, straight ball mount

1-1/4 x 1-1/4 inch square tube ball mount

1-5/8 x 1-5/8 inch square tube ball mount

Once you know what size hitch opening you have, go to the next step.

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3. It's all about the drop
Each ball mount has a specific drop. The drop is the distance from the top of the shank to the hole at the center of the ball mount base. The drop can range from 0 to 10 inches. Ball mounts can also be reversed for towing purposes and the drop is converted to a rise. The ball mount rise, measured just like the drop, can range from 0 to 8-ﾾ inches.

You will need to determine the size of the drop or rise before purchasing the correct ball mount. The diagram below illustrates how to determine which ball mount is right for you (provided by Curt Manufacturing):



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4. Need just a little bit more length?
Since we know not all vehicles are created equal, ball mounts are constructed with varying shank lengths. Shank length can be measured from the center of the hold of the ball mount base to the center of the pin hole located along the shank.

If you are looking for a standard ball mount for a Class 3 vehicle, shank lengths of 7-ﾼ to 8-ﾼ inches will satisfy your towing requirements. But, we also carry a complete selection of longer shank ball mounts for consumers who require just a bit more length to handle their towing needs.

With these four data points, you are ready to select the ball mount that's right for you.

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