What Size Drop Hitch Do I Need?

When towing safety should be considered greatly important and part of this is having a stable load. With a drop hitch this is something that can be achieved but the big question is what size is the best for your needs?

In this article we will learn more about the drop hitch, how to measure to use one and how to decide what side you should get. So if you have diverse towing needs please read on and let us help you.

What Is a Drop Hitch?

Not everyone knows what a drop hitch is so let's start out by explaining a little more about what it is. It is essentially an adjustable hitch that you can fit into the hitch receiver slot at the back of your truck. It is a L-shaped hitch setup with holes along its longest edge which allow you to adjust how low it will drop down.

Generally you move the hitch up and down by unscrewing the bolts and moving it to the next set of holes and retightening. It can offer a range of height change from between 2 inches to over 12 inches depending on the size of the unit.

Why Do You Need a Drop Hitch?

The main reason for a drop hitch is to ensure that your trailer remains level while towing. A slight angle forward can cause cargo to shift forward under hard braking whereas a tilt backwards can cause issues while accelerating.

You need a perfectly level and straight trailer set up to ensure as easy a towing job as possible. An unbalanced trailer can be a risk to you, your passengers and other road users. It can cause trailer sway or wobbling which at high speeds can quickly become dangerous or even deadly.

Excess downward pressure on your tow vehicle's rear end can shift weight from the front tires creating issues with steering and control. The importance of a good match between hitch and trailer can not be emphasized enough.

Even if you do not factor in safety concerns a poorly balanced connection can cause a noisier ride, and a difficult drive. It can also cause damage to both trailer and tow vehicle over time which could lead to costly repairs.

What Do You Need to Measure for a Drop Hitch?

The first and most important requirement when measuring for a drop hitch is that both your tow vehicle and the trailer are sat on level ground. Your trailer should also be already loaded as there can be a difference in height between an unloaded and a loaded trailer.

The trailer must be sitting level and have a trailer jack or trailer kickstand to hold up the tongue at the correct height. Finally the most technological tool you will need for this process is a good old fashioned tape measure. If you don’t have a tape measure a ruler or square will work just as well as long as they are long enough and have clear measurement markings.

How to Measure for Rise and Drop for a Ball Mount or Drop Hitch

This process is not at all difficult; essentially you just need two measurements, hitch height and coupler height. The hitch height refers to the tow vehicle while the coupler height is in reference to the trailer.

The hitch height is measured from the ground to the inside wall at the top of the receiver opening. This means the hitch must already be installed to make this measurement. Ensure you measure to the inside top of the receiver as the thickness of the receiver tube should not be factored into this.

When it comes to measuring the coupler height you measure from the ground to the bottom surface of the coupler. As with the receiver this is to the bottom of the coupler so as not to take into account the thickness of the coupler. That dimension may not be much but it may make a difference if factored unnecessarily.

Once you have both measurements it is time to compare them. If the hitch height is higher than the coupler height then the trailer is sitting too low to comfortably be attached to the tow vehicle. This means you will need a drop hitch or a tow ball mount with a drop. The drop measurement as you might imagine is equal to the difference between the hitch receiver and the coupler.

If however the coupler sits higher than the hitch receiver then the trailer is sitting too high for your tow vehicle's available hitch height. The answer to this would be a rise hitch or a tow ball mount with a rise. Again the rise distance equals the difference between the hitch receiver and coupler measurements.

What Size Drop Hitch Do You Need?

The size of drop hitch you need really depends on how versatile you need to be in terms of your towing. If you only have one trailer and don’t need a wide range then you can just get the one that best suits the size of your truck. If you may be changing trailers a lot and potentially need to adjust heights you may need a larger set up with more range.

As a general rule the size of drop hitch you will fit to your truck will depend largely on the size of the vehicle. In the table below you will see what size drop hitch is best based on your vehicles hitch height:

As you may recall the hitch height is measured from the ground on an even surface to the top inside edge of the hitch receiver. The higher off the ground your hitch receiver is the larger a drop hitch it needs and the more range you have for trailer heights.

Conclusion

The size of drop hitch you need is very dependent upon how much range you need and of course the size of your truck. You will likely need a drop hitch unless your trailer coupler and hitch already match up perfectly.

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