Towing Q's

[banker1]

I have an '07 T4R Sport and plan on towing a 5' by 8' trailer to MN next weekend. The truck came with a prewired tow hitch and the piece which goes into the receiver (tongue?). I need to pick up a tow ball and harness for a Uhaul trailer (at least the ball, I don't want to get taken to the cleaners buying it in-store at Uhaul)...

Anyone know what size the tow hitch receiver is and other specifics about the tow package? I think it's 2" rated up to 5,000lbs. I assume the shank on the tow ball is a specific size to?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jetboy1975]

The stock recievers are 2" square and are rated for 5000lbs trailer weight with a 500lb tongue weight.

The ball size will need to be matched to the trailer tongue. Has nothing to do with the truck. The shank size will also depend on the hole size in the draw bar. I would guess it to be a 2" ball (6000lbs) with a 1" shank, but check with uhaul for the dimensions.

 

[banker1]

Thanks!

 

[boston_kevin]

I believe all UHaul trailers for vehicles rated to tow under 5000 lbs are 2" ball. The standard Uhaul harness changes the round connector to a flat 4 prong connector. Cheaply available on line, still available through UHaul at a reasonable price. The tow ball I would try to find elsewhere... Just be sure to torque down the nut on the tow ball (don't forget the lock washer). I've seen a couple of trailers hanging off the back of a vehicle only by the safety chains....

 

[banker1]

The stock recievers are 2" square and are rated for 5000lbs trailer weight with a 500lb tongue weight.

The ball size will need to be matched to the trailer tongue. Has nothing to do with the truck. The shank size will also depend on the hole size in the draw bar. I would guess it to be a 2" ball (6000lbs) with a 1" shank, but check with uhaul for the dimensions.

The draw bar which came with my truck is rated for 10,000 lbs with a 1,000 tounge weight which I find odd considering the V6 is only rated to 5,000lbs. Heck the V8 is only rated to 7,300lbs (or is it 6,700lbs, whatever)...

I was in Home Depot today picking up moving supplies and found that the 1" shank is too small for the hole in the draw bar! Is it possible to have a larger shank size on a 2" ball?

According to Uhauls website (2" ball should be perfect):

Your towing vehicle:

 

[Arcking]

I was in Home Depot today picking up moving supplies and found that the 1" shank is too small for the hole in the draw bar! Is it possible to have a larger shank size on a 2" ball?

Yes, you can get different shank sizes on a 2" ball. Chances are though that you have the right shank size - from my experience I've found that the shank is always smaller than the hole in the draw bar. Once you tighten the ball down there's no longer any movement.

 

[jetboy1975]

You can buy a collar for the shank for larger holes at any trailer store. The shank should be close to the hole size or else it can loosen if it moves around too much.

 

[banker1]

Eureka!

Thanks to everyone for the info. I measured the hole in the draw bar (not sure why I didn't do this originally) and found it's 1 1/4" diameter.

In doing some research I found there is in fact a 2 x 1 1/4 hitch ball but doesn't seem like a commonly carried size. Fortunately for me, Suburban Caps (a local trailer and truck cap store) has one in stock (http://www.subcaps.com/store/products/products.php?prod=reese_hitch)

Chances are though that you have the right shank size - from my experience I've found that the shank is always smaller than the hole in the draw bar. Once you tighten the ball down there's no longer any movement.

I originally thought this was the case but after checking the 1" daimeter hitch balls to draw bars in Home Depot I noticed there was too much movement in the draw bar which came with my truck.

You can buy a collar for the shank for larger holes at any trailer store. The shank should be close to the hole size or else it can loosen if it moves around too much.

I figured after 1,300 miles of accelerating and braking the smaller diameter hitch ball would loosen but didn't think about a collar! Good thing to remember for the future.