I need recommendations for a ball mount for a new tow vehicle

Jay G · June 2016

The Suburban 1500 I bought to tow the boat we just acquired turned out to be insufficient. So this weekend I put a down payment on a 2001 F350 7.3l 4WD. So the new truck is a bit higher than the Suburban was. I'm going to need a new ball mount. The boat and trailer are 8000 lbs. 2" receiver. 2" ball. I'll probably need at least 6" of drop to keep the trailer at the proper level to even out the load on the two axles. I'll measure the exact drop when I get the truck. I'm concerned about strength if I need say 9" of drop with the heavy load. I'm looking for what brand to get, and what style. I'm considering one of those adjustable ball mounts, but I don't know what's good and what's junk. And given the weight of the boat and trailer, I can't go with junk. I'm also hesitant to get adjustable if they are sloppy and will have a bunch of play in them. But it would be nice to be able to adjust the height between the boat trailer and my utility trailer.

recommendations?

Thanks,

Jay

Polar · June 2016

there are quite a few members on here that are waiting for a ball to drop as well.

Jay G · June 2016

Now that we have that out of the way. Which was fully expected, and from the very person I expected.

Good to see you again Brian. If I were hunting, my thread title would be considered baiting.

Jay

Polar · June 2016

haha, hope alls well bud!

Baits Out · June 2016

Polar wrote: »

there are quite a few members on here that are waiting for a ball to drop as well.

Or, upon what to mount them that will carry the load.

If I had to guess, I would say Polar is also really of Italian decent.

:wink

Mackeral Snatcher · June 2016

Can't help, but wanted to say hi to jay.

Jay G · June 2016

Hi Jerry!

All is well Brian! Thanks, hope so for you as well. (and everyone else)

Jay

gandrfab · June 2016

Take it to a local trailer shop with it to high, have them try out a few different ones.
A good trailer shop might nail it on the 1st try.

reel stamas · June 2016

https://bulletproofhitches.com/product/2-5-inch-medium-hitch-2/

mindyabiness · June 2016

http://www.reeseprod.com/products-compare/Ft6J97!qk60xzv!kHcrMvollgcclUwKW

AC Man · June 2016

You probably won't need as much drop as you think. I pulled my boat that weighed 14,000 lbs with a F 350 and a drop down with no problems. Just measure what you need and ask your trailer or hitch shop for the strongest one they recommend.

Jay G · June 2016

Thanks everyone. Great ideas and suggestions. Those bullet proof hitches seem top notch.

Jay

gandrfab · June 2016

AC Man wrote: »

You probably won't need as much drop as you think. I pulled my boat that weighed 14,000 lbs with a F 350 and a drop down with no problems. Just measure what you need and ask your trailer or hitch shop for the strongest one they recommend.

Did you put it on a scale?
Your boats weighed more then that.
I got to put one 36' on the scale and it went 16,500 not heavily loaded.
It towed better with a f250 or 350 then a GM 1 ton dully

Polar · June 2016

that goes without saying

FibberMckee · June 2016

Good idea to put it on a scale b/c 8000 lb is a lot on a 2" ball. Be sure the ball mount is for 1" shank & ball is rated for the load.

http://www.curtmfg.com/Category/144/2%20IN%20Trailer%20Balls?page=2

Jay G · June 2016

I put my boat and trailer on a scale at the dump. It came to 7540lbs with nothing in the boat, not even a cushion or life preserver, and only half fuel. Since then I've added two group 29 batteries and a lot of 2 AWG battery cable, and Genius onboard battery charger. Plus full fuel (125 gal total). Easily at 8000 lbs at this point. Trailer is 1160 lbs.

Jay

FibberMckee · June 2016

Have always gone for excess capacity & tried to avoid maxing things out. Even with the best of intentions have still gone over the rating occasionally.

Couldn't find a heavy duty 2" ball locally, had to mail order & wait for it. Got one rated for 6500 lb.

Jay G · June 2016

That's one of the reasons I'm really liking the bullet proof hitches. The ball is welded and integral, not a through hole mount. 50% safety margin over the 8K lbs I require on the 2" ball. I'd order one right now if I knew how much drop I need. (I'm still open to suggestions though) I will probably drive over to Bradenton to pick it up if I get one.

Jay

AC Man · June 2016

gandrfab wrote: »

Did you put it on a scale?
Your boats weighed more then that.
I got to put one 36' on the scale and it went 16,500 not heavily loaded.
It towed better with a f250 or 350 then a GM 1 ton dully

Yes, put it on a CAT scale. Even disconnected trailer from the truck. Total weight was 1,398 about 150-200 gal fuel trip 250's no fishing gear,ice, etc. 400 lbs on the tongue included in total weight. it had a stacked tongue on the trailer, so didn't need much of a drop down

gandrfab · June 2016

They are wet but still very nice rides.
I put 2500 pounds of ice in one and enough gear for 6 to go to the Bahamas for 5 days.
It all fit under deck.
All the weight slowed it a bit. But you wouldn't notice unless you were picking on a decimal point.

Polar · June 2016

gandrfab wrote: »

They are wet but still very nice rides.
I put 2500 pounds of ice in one and enough gear for 6 to go to the Bahamas for 5 days.
It all fit under deck.
All the weight slowed it a bit. But you wouldn't notice unless you were picking on a decimal point.

the frick are you talking about?

gandrfab · June 2016

Weight of a of a boat. AC Man knows the hull well.

BigDanS · June 2016

Jay G wrote: »

The Suburban 1500 I bought to tow the boat we just acquired turned out to be insufficient. So this weekend I put a down payment on a 2001 F350 7.3l 4WD. So the new truck is a bit higher than the Suburban was. I'm going to need a new ball mount. The boat and trailer are 8000 lbs. 2" receiver. 2" ball. I'll probably need at least 6" of drop to keep the trailer at the proper level to even out the load on the two axles. I'll measure the exact drop when I get the truck. I'm concerned about strength if I need say 9" of drop with the heavy load. I'm looking for what brand to get, and what style. I'm considering one of those adjustable ball mounts, but I don't know what's good and what's junk. And given the weight of the boat and trailer, I can't go with junk. I'm also hesitant to get adjustable if they are sloppy and will have a bunch of play in them. But it would be nice to be able to adjust the height between the boat trailer and my utility trailer.

recommendations?

Thanks,

Jay

8000 lbs is not 4000 lbs, so make sure you have the proper class 4 weight distributing hitch first, not just a class 3 frame hitch. I was once schooled that towing 5000 lbs isn't that hard, but stopping it is. Getting the front of your truck lifted up during a stop will open your eyes!

After knowing the hitch is correct, I would purchase a ball / mount rated for at least 20% more than the actual weight of the boat and trailer to accommodate variables. At 8000 lbs, buying a 10,000 lb rig would be my starting point. If your truck is capable of towing 12,500 lbs get a rig rated for your truck max if it fits your boat hook up.

Balance is so darn important at those weights, I would go to a pro and make sure your tongue weight and ball height are as near to perfect as possible.

FWIW consider that a semi truck / tractor trailer is usually only allowed a 40,000 lb load. You are towing a lot of weight.

IMHO

D

AC Man · June 2016

BigDanS wrote: »

Balance is so darn important at those weights, I would go to a pro and make sure your tongue weight and ball height are as near to perfect as possible.

D

Very true, even on a light load. Balance is everything. BTW that was a typo on my tongue weight with a 14,000 lb boat. I meant 1,400 lbs or close to it. Not 400.

Firmanjax · June 2016

We just bought several alumistinger hitches on amazon. They are rated for 8k lbs. I use the convert a ball also. Had it for nearly 15 years and towed anything I wanted to with it. Works great for changing the ball size out in an instant.

Major Wader · June 2016

This is what I use -

https://www.amazon.com/Trimax-TRZ8AL-Aluminum-Adjustable-Receiver/dp/B007UTPUDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466477713&sr=8-1&keywords=trimax+hitch

Works great if you tow more than one trailer. Been using it for over 3 years, towing as much as 9000 lbs with no deflection or problems.

Jay G · June 2016

Thanks again for all the help. Wader, that hitch looks cool and is about half the cost of the Bullet Proof Hitch... but I think the bullet proof ones are still the way to go. I haven't seen anything as solid, and it's made in the USA not far from where I live to boot. I always feel better supporting local folks. It is pricey, but as important as it is this isn't an area to skimp on.

The F350 is rated to 12,500 lbs, and the bullet proof hitch is rated to 12,000 on the 2" ball. Seems like the best match so far.

Big Dan, I couldn't agree more. The trailer is balanced well. Now I'm just trying to ensure that I have the ball height right so I'm not overloading one axle over the other. I spent my Memorial day weekend replacing the hubs and bearings on the rear axle, and completely new 10" integral disk surge brakes on the front axle. I also replaced the entire coupler assembly. When I was done the rig stopped as easily as my car does when I was towing with the suburban. I expect it will be no different with the F350. Near as I can tell, the trailer is stopping itself for the most part.

Thanks all,

Jay

Reptile Dysfunction · June 2016

Jay G wrote: »

The Suburban 1500 I bought to tow the boat we just acquired turned out to be insufficient. So this weekend I put a down payment on a 2001 F350 7.3l 4WD. So the new truck is a bit higher than the Suburban was. I'm going to need a new ball mount. The boat and trailer are 8000 lbs. 2" receiver. 2" ball. I'll probably need at least 6" of drop to keep the trailer at the proper level to even out the load on the two axles. I'll measure the exact drop when I get the truck. I'm concerned about strength if I need say 9" of drop with the heavy load. I'm looking for what brand to get, and what style. I'm considering one of those adjustable ball mounts, but I don't know what's good and what's junk. And given the weight of the boat and trailer, I can't go with junk. I'm also hesitant to get adjustable if they are sloppy and will have a bunch of play in them. But it would be nice to be able to adjust the height between the boat trailer and my utility trailer.

recommendations?

Thanks,

Jay

A B&W hitch will do the job.

http://www.turnoverball.com/products/tow-and-stow-adjustable-ball-mounts/tow-and-stow-receiver-hitch

I have this model and use it for a 24' race car hauler, 22' bay boat and various utility trailers. My tow vehicle is an F250/6.4.

http://www.suspensionconnection.com/scan/fi=products/st=db/co=1/sf=category/se=Tow%20and%20Stow%20Hitches/op=eq/nu=0/ml=25/tf=category/to=x/tf=veh_make/to=x/tf=description/to=r.html

Jay G · June 2016

That B&W would definitely work. They are made 90 miles from where I lived for 16 years.

Thanks,

Jay

Jay G · June 2016

So I went to Bulletproof Hitches today and picked up this:

https://bulletproofhitches.com/product/2-0-heavy-duty-medium-8-droprise/

It's a beast of a hitch. Good lord! It weighs about 50 lbs. That is no exaggeration. It's heavy and heavy duty. This extension will handle my boat and the little utility trailer I have. It is pricey, but it's construction is amazing. The hitch will not be the weak link in my towing rig. I met Phil there and he's a great guy. I'm really happy with the purchase, I do believe it will be the last hitch I ever buy.

Thanks reel stamas.

Jay

reel stamas · June 2016

Jay G wrote: »

So I went to Bulletproof Hitches today and picked up this:

https://bulletproofhitches.com/product/2-0-heavy-duty-medium-8-droprise/

It's a beast of a hitch. Good lord! It weighs about 50 lbs. That is no exaggeration. It's heavy and heavy duty. This extension will handle my boat and the little utility trailer I have. It is pricey, but it's construction is amazing. The hitch will not be the weak link in my towing rig. I met Phil there and he's a great guy. I'm really happy with the purchase, I do believe it will be the last hitch I ever buy.

Thanks reel stamas.

Jay

You're welcome... Glad I could help & it looks like you made the right choice & will never have to buy another hitch... Overkill ??? Maybe, but Buy Once/Cry Once

I need recommendations for a ball mount for a new tow vehicle

Replies