Newb towing questions

hurricanoday · May 10, 2015

Got my 15 1500 denali rated at 9200 was looking online for a hitch ball assembly and they are only rated for 5000lbs? Not trying to sound retarded but does that mean it is only rated to tow 5k or am I missing something? The gm balls and mounts are even lighter.

I only ask because I towed with my 04 SD (rated at 10k) both my 93 bayliner which I guess weighs 3-4k and my car trailer which probably weighs 2k plus the car, probably 7-8k if I'm towing a truck just fine with a reese hitch ball. I assume if I go look it won't be rated for 10k

The boat has a 1 7/8 ball and the car trailer is 2"ball so I was looking for a interchangeable mount where the balls unscrew so I can tow both trailers

Question is why would gm sell a hitch ball rated for 5k when trucks are 8-10k? Do I need find a hitch ball mount rated for 10k and a ball rated for 10k?

http://www.gmcaccessories.com/en-US/Sierra%201500/2015/Accessories/Trailering/Hitch%20Ball%20Assembly/

http://www.gmcaccessories.com/en-US/Sierra%201500/2015/Accessories/Trailering/Hitch%20Ball%20Mount%20Assembly/

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Master-Lock-10-000lb-10000lb-Trailer-Hitch-Ball-1-7-8-2-51mm-2807DAT-/201105991311?hash=item2ed2d9e68f&vxp=mtr

thewhitestallion · May 10, 2015

Reese makes 2" balls that are rated for I think like 7-8k pounds online but most common ones sold are like 6k. Any weight over that and chances are the coupler is going to be 2 5/16".

Blue2500CC · May 10, 2015

Curt also has the standard 2" ball mounts rated to 7(or 8)k lbs. Same with the 2" ball.

BUT..... Your factory hitch is only rated for 5 ( may be 6)k lbs trailer weight, 500 (600) lb tongue weight when only using a weight carrying ball mount! A weight distribution hitch is needed to reach the full factory tow rating.

Also check the coupler on your car trailer if it's only a 2". It may only be rated for 5k lbs total! When I was looking at utility trailers, they all had 2-3500lb axles, but a 5k lb rated coupler!!! Didn't make sense there! Found one with a 8k lb coupler to utilize the full axle rating...

ShotgunZ71 · May 10, 2015

Reese

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Reese-Towpower-Tri-Ball-Draw-Bar/15125828

Jon A · May 10, 2015

BUT..... Your factory hitch is only rated for 5 ( may be 6)k lbs trailer weight, 500 (600) lb tongue weight when only using a weight carrying ball mount! A weight distribution hitch is needed to reach the full factory tow rating.

No, his hitch is rated to 12,000 lbs, 1200 lbs tongue without WD. The truck isn't, but the hitch is.

I wouldn't want a 2" ball only rated to 5K, way too many trailers with a 2" ball will be over that. It's hard to find 2" balls rated for more than 7-8K though, much over that and you really should go to a bigger ball. There are some though. Here's a good ball mount that I've used:

http://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts/Diversi-Tech/DTSTBM6400-3S.html

The stainless Diversi-Tech balls are rated at 10,000 for the 2" and 12,000 for the 2 5/16". If you just want the balls (to put them on a cheaper steel mount), you can get them separately: http://www.etrailer.com/Balls/Diversi-Tech/DTLBM3125.html

Or, if you want to go really cheap, here's one of the few regular balls rated that high: http://www.etrailer.com/Balls/Curt/A-90.html

redwngr · May 12, 2015

Curt mfg has 2" balls in ratings sfrom 3500lb to 12,000 lbs.

Shank size and material used are factors.

Your towing capacity is the limitation of the weakest component.

elite0259 · May 12, 2015

I upgraded to a class 4 hitch on my pickup because I tow a ~6500lb boat with my truck... I'm not sure about the weight distribution rating but my stock hitch (07 New body) said it was rated to 5K... other people tow them with stock Ford explorers and have never had a problem and I doubt highly their factory hitch is better than mine, but it wasn't worth the risk to me. I'm not sure about the 2015s but a couple hundred for a new receiver (or maybe just a distribution hitch) is a pretty good insurance policy if you're nervous

nards444 · May 12, 2015

http://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mounts/Andersen/AM3400.html

Ive had that for a long time, and think its one of the better hitches out there as it avoids having to have 3-4 hitches around the house. Little pricey, but if you shop around you can find it for under 200. But its good for 8k or 10k, depending on the ball.