I need recommendations for a ball mount for a new tow vehicle
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
recommendations?
Thanks,
Jay
Replies
Jay
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
A southeast Florida laid back beach bum and volunteer bikini assessor who lives on island time.
All is well Brian! Thanks, hope so for you as well. (and everyone else)
Jay
A good trailer shop might nail it on the 1st try.
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Jay
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
http://www.curtmfg.com/Category/144/2%20IN%20Trailer%20Balls?page=2
Jay
Couldn't find a heavy duty 2" ball locally, had to mail order & wait for it. Got one rated for 6500 lb.
Jay
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
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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?
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
We do it all for business and home
http://www.camteq.net
Save $125 on your first service call
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.
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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.
Member #4013
Canton, GA
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
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
Thanks,
Jay
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