tow ball drop height question

wong · 08-17-2005, 06:56 PM

i have a 05 crew w/ off road and was wondering what height ball mount to get for my hitch. my friend has a 05 king w/o off road and has a 2" drop ball mount. my truck seems like it sits higher than his because of the off road package. it seems to me nissan only sells one size ball mount for the titan so do i also use a 2" drop or do i need more? i towed a car hauler with my friends 2" drop ball mount and it seemed like i could have used more of a drop but i'm not sure.

anyone know?

thanks

CJ3FLYR · 08-17-2005, 07:05 PM

I just went through this... I settled on a 3 and half inch drop. It seems to work well on a wide variety of trailers.

And I notice this is your first post... Congrats on the Titan and welcome

Clint · 08-17-2005, 07:36 PM

you need a drop to make the trailer level. I own three trailers and have three different draw bars.

Clint

Wolfhound · 08-17-2005, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint

you need a drop to make the trailer level. I own three trailers and have three different draw bars.

Clint

Or you could buy a height adjustable drawbar. Mine was about $70 and adjusts from a 6-1/4" rise to a 7-3/4" drop(you turn it upside down if you want a rise versus a drop). It's made by Masterlock and has a 5,000 lb tow and 500 lb tounge weight capacity.

Ron Unger · 08-17-2005, 09:56 PM

I have a KC with offroad and a 3.5 drop did the trick for me. Walmart has a combo ballmount and ball for $20. Theirs says 3.25, but I held it up to a 3.5 and they are virtually the same.

CJ3FLYR · 08-18-2005, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfhound

Or you could buy a height adjustable drawbar. Mine was about $70 and adjusts from a 6-1/4" rise to a 7-3/4" drop(you turn it upside down if you want a rise versus a drop). It's made by Masterlock and has a 5,000 lb tow and 500 lb tounge weight capacity.

Wolfhounds statement brings up a good point... While our recievers and trucks can handle some hefty loads make sure the hitch and ball are rated appropriately to your load. I have found 2" balls as high as 8K and hitches as high as 7k. The reason you won't find much higher than that is in most cases heavier than that will use a weight distributing hitch and a 2 and 5/16 ball.

A final thought... IMHO, large drops (in excess of 4") have to cause a severe twisting moment on the receiver. I've never seen a chart but there would have to be some corresponding drop in towing capacity with a large drop.

wong · 08-18-2005, 06:16 AM

thanks fro the replys.

i dont think the adjsutable will work if it can only handle 5000lbs tow. i'll be pulling a 3000lb race car plus anything from a 1400lb open trailer to a 4000?lb 24' enclosed trailer.

the 2" drop i used on the open 1400lb trailer looked like it could have been about an inch lower because it the trailer was tilted back jstu slightly. i'll probably try the 3.5" like some of you have used.

keep the replys coming. i would like to hear more opinions.

ps. i love my titan

JamesB · 08-18-2005, 08:20 AM

I am currently using a 3.5 drop myself for my open car trailer. However, its still a bit on the high side. I should have gone with a 5.25 drop for the 2 5/16 ball. But I think once the tire rack is welded on and full the tounge weight will finally level the setup.

Depending on what your towing depends on the class ball mount you need. I have a class 3 6k lb mount for my race trailer, but if I was pulling a TT or something else, I would spend the extra 30 bucks for a 10k lb rated class IV ball mount.

Your best way to find your drop is set your trailer on level ground and set the tounge jack 1-2" above level and measure the height. Then on the same level ground measure the height of your empty reciever. Then calculate the drop. It is ok if your up or down an inch.

**RobKar** · 08-18-2005, 05:12 PM

2 wheel drive here ...

What size drop should I use?

Thanks

drags1998 · 08-18-2005, 05:29 PM

What ever drop you need to get to a 17-18 in. top of the ball when loaded, Most any trailer you will tow is set up to that mesurement!!!!!!

Clint · 08-18-2005, 06:12 PM

Make sure the ball you buy is rated for the load you're towing. I saw some for 3000 pounds and some for 6000 pounds. I paid more for the higher rated stainless steel ball, but it is a better product too. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Clint

Vector · 08-18-2005, 08:13 PM

I have a 12" drop on the hitch I use to tow my car trailer. I have a 6" drop for my snowmobile trailer.

JamesB · 08-19-2005, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clint

Make sure the ball you buy is rated for the load you're towing. I saw some for 3000 pounds and some for 6000 pounds. I paid more for the higher rated stainless steel ball, but it is a better product too. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.

Clint

3/4" shank is usually 3000lb rated
1" shank is usually 6000lb rated
1 1/4" shank is 10klb rated.

See 17-18" is what I was told, but my devely is level at 22", same with my friends 20' enclosed (one day I will upgrade to that with and AC unit).

jemc02 · 08-19-2005, 07:57 AM

I found a reciever with a 4" drop that was rated for 10,000# at Cabela's along with one of those 'switchable ball' types of balls (ones that you take the actual round part of the ball off and it came with a 1 7/8", 2" and 2 5/16" ball) that was also rated for 10,000#. I figure that now the weakest link in my system is the truck since my 05 CC with big tow and Off Road is only rated at 9200 or 9300 pounds....

k94max · 08-20-2005, 02:11 PM

I tow a boat and I use a 6" drop and 2" ball. Just back your truck up to the trailer you are going to pull. make sure the trailer is level and measure the distance from the trailer to the bottom of reciever of truck. That should tell you what drop you need to keep trailer level. I would go less drop instead of more if you think you will be putting weight in the truck bed (which would cause the bar to drop). IMO the rear of the trailer should be level or just slightly lower than the front to allow for extra weight in truck bed if needed.