Did you know Buyers is a fully integrated manufacturer? What that means is they don’t outsource any of their manufacturing overseas, which is why they have products of such high quality. When your favorite toy, or your home away from home, is being towed behind you, quality is something you don’t want to compromise.
Parts of a Towing System
Let’s start with getting to know the various parts of a towing system. There is the receiver tube located at the rear of your vehicle which is used to connect the vehicle to the trailer setup. Next is the mount, which is the point of connection between the vehicle and the trailer. Mounts vary in size, design, rise, and drop.
Your options are a ball mount and a pintle hook hitch. Ball mounts are more commonly used for recreational and commercial lightweight trailer applications. Whereas pintle hook hitches are more popular within the construction, industrial, and agricultural industries due to their high weight capacity and simplicity. If you’re going to be using your trailer for multiple applications, there is also the option of a combination mount. A combination mount features both a ball mount and a pintle hook…hence the name. There are also hitches that feature 2 or 3 different-sized ball mounts. This is great because instead of buying separate-sized ball mounts, you can just flip the mount to the required size, saving you time and money.
Next is what connects the trailer to the mount, this can be the coupler or drawbar. The coupler is designed to connect to ball mounts, while the drawbar is designed for pintle hook connections. If you decide to go with a ball mount, the size of the ball should always match the size of the intended coupler. For example, a two-inch ball mount should be paired with a two-inch coupler.
3 Key Questions When Applying Trailer Connections
There are three important questions that should always be answered when deciding on trailer applications:
- What is the intended weight you will be towing?
- What is the size of the vehicle's receiver tube?
- How much rise or drop will your hitch need?
What is the intended weight you will be towing?
The first question can be answered by determining your vehicle's weight towing capacity and the trailer's weight capacity. Your vehicle's weight towing capacity can be best determined by looking over the owner’s manual. Once you know the towing capacity of your vehicle, you can go ahead and determine your trailer's weight capacity. This is normally found on a VIN plate on the back of your trailer. This information will play a large role in deciding the type of mount to be used. If the intended weight leans toward the heavier side either a pintle hook connection or a combination mount will most likely be required.
What is the size of the vehicle's receiver tube?
Secondly, we have the size of the vehicle's receiver tube. The receiver tube is located at the rear of the vehicle just under the bumper. If you take the measurement of the I.D. or inside diameter, we can get the size of the vehicle’s receiver tube. If the receiver tube is 2 inches, you’ll want a matching size mount of 2 inches. If the vehicle doesn’t already have a receiver tube, we also carry a wide variety of receiver tubes that are designed to fit your needs.
How much rise or drop will your hitch need?
Next, you’ll need to determine how much rise or drop the trailer setup needs. This is important in order to ensure the trailer weight is balanced. As we can see, in order to determine the rise or drop needed, you need to measure the distance from the ground to the top of the receiver tube (A) and subtract (B), the distance from the ground to the bottom of the trailer coupler or drawbar. A positive difference means a mount with a drop equivalent to the length of C is needed. If the measurement is negative, a hitch with a rise of the length of C will be required. If you’ll be connecting to different trailers with a difference in height, an adjustable ball mount will make life a whole lot easier by allowing the user to adjust the rise or drop to the required length. Once these three questions have been answered, you’ll be well on your way to hitting the road with a safe and secure trailer setup.
But what about attaching and detaching your trailer?
That’s where trailer jacks come in. Buyers feature an extensive line of trailer jacks that can lift anywhere from two thousand all the way up to 12 thousand pounds! Depending on the jack you choose, it is attached either by being bolted on or welded to the trailer frame. The difference with the jacks that are welded on is that they move on a swivel, so when you want to take off, you can just turn the jack horizontally to keep it from hitting the ground!
When it comes to adjusting the height of a trailer, all you have to do is turn the handle until the base of the jack makes contact with the ground. From there, the more you crank the handle and extend the jack, the higher the end of your trailer will rise. Keep in mind, the more you raise your trailer, the more force you’re going to need.
That covers it for the Buyers’ towing line. Next time you’re out in the market for towing equipment be sure to remember the three important questions; the estimated weight of the trailer, the size of the receiver tube, the coupler size, and the rise or drop needed. If you have any other questions feel free to contact us! Also, don’t forget to give us a follow-on social media so you can stay up to date with what is happening here at Gregg Distributors!