To tow a travel trailer you need a rated hitch, a tow ball that matches the coupler, a receiver pin with a clip, safety chains, and a weight distribution hitch if the back of the vehicle sags. Each one has a job. Miss one, and the trailer can sag, sway, or come off the ball. We stock these hitch parts in Ocean View, NJ.
A Rated Trailer Hitch
A trailer hitch is the receiver on the back of your vehicle and the ball mount that slides into it. It has to be rated for the trailer, and your vehicle has to be rated to pull that trailer. Use whichever number is lower. The class number is only a rough group. The rating stamped on the hitch is the one that counts.
An underrated hitch can bend. An underrated vehicle can overheat, fade the brakes, and become hard to steer. Matching the two ratings is what keeps the tow inside what the equipment was built for.
The Right Hitch Ball
A tow ball, or hitch ball, is the round steel part the coupler locks onto. The size stamped on the coupler has to match the ball. The sizes we see are 1 7/8 inch, 2 inch, and 2 5/16 inch. Close is not close enough. A coupler can look latched on the wrong ball when it is not.
The ball also has a weight rating, usually stamped on top. That rating needs to be at least as high as the most the trailer is rated to weigh. The wrong ball is how a trailer comes unhitched.
A Receiver Pin and Clip
The pin slides through the hitch receiver and the ball mount so the mount cannot pull out while you tow. A clip holds the pin in place. Without the clip, the pin can work its way out. A 1 1/4 inch receiver usually takes a 1/2 inch pin. A 2 inch receiver usually takes a 5/8 inch pin.
Safety Chains
Cross the chains under the trailer tongue and hook them to the vehicle. If the coupler lets go, the chains are what keep the trailer with you long enough to stop. They are not a backup plan for a coupler that was never locked.
A Weight Distribution Hitch
A regular ball mount puts the trailer’s tongue weight on the back of the vehicle. If the rear sits low, the front gets light and the headlights can aim up. Steering and braking both suffer. That is when you need a weight distribution hitch.
A hitch label often shows two ratings. The lower one is for a regular ball mount. The higher one is for weight distribution. You need it when the trailer is over the lower number and still under the higher one. It does not raise what your vehicle is allowed to tow. Spring bars move some of the weight onto the front tires and the trailer’s axles. The trailer does not get lighter. Many of these hitches include sway control, which helps when the trailer moves side to side on the highway.
If the Trailer Has Brakes
Hook up the breakaway cable before you leave. That cable is part of the trailer’s brake system. Our parts counter covers the hitch, the ball, the pin, and weight distribution.
Check the Hitch Before the First Tow
Salt air along the Jersey Shore is hard on steel, and a trailer that sat all winter needs a look even if it was stored inland. Check for rust or pitting on the ball, a pin or clip that is stuck, a coupler latch that does not move freely, and safety chains with worn or stretched links.
Bring the trailer’s weight rating, or the old part, and we will match what fits. The details on ball sizes, hitch classes, pins, and weight distribution are on our trailer hitches and towing parts in Ocean View, NJ.
Trailer and RV Parts Store near Cape May County, NJ
Ocean View Trailer Sales
2555 Shore Road, Ocean View, NJ 08230
(609) 624-0370
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