Towing snowmobile trailer

Hi all.

I'm looking to get a snowmobile trailer and a sled or two but I've never towed before. It would be a typical two-place clamshell or maybe a hybrid.

I'm hoping someone with experience can point me in the right direction for the proper ball mount. Truck is a '21 OR, and I have no plans for adding a lift or anything.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Do you have the tow package on the truck?

Do you have a hitch receiver on the truck?

What is the truck's tow capacity?


The point to keep in mind is to stay within the truck's tow capacity. The type of trailer or what is being hauled matters little. The loaded weight of the trailer is the number to know.

 

Yes it came with the tow package, so I have a class-IV receiver and a 7-pin connector. Loaded snowmobile trailers like this are around 2000 or 2500 lbs with two sleds, so quite a bit less than my 6500 lb rating. From what I'm told they usually need 2" balls so what I'm really looking for is rise or drop height of the ball mount.

 

The tongue height of the trailer will determine what receiver you should buy. To start with I would just buy a cheap 1” drop hitch to pickup the trailer. Once you get everything loaded you will want to measure and make sure the truck and trailer are level. If you are buying the trailer new ask them to measure the ball height with the trailer level. It’s often 16-19”. Go measure your hitch and see where it sits in relation.

 

Ok....that answers a bunch of questions.

2" ball is pretty common.

The rise/drop of the ball mount will depend on the trailer coupler height and your truck's receiver height. The height of the ball comes into play.

You will need to get out your tape measure to begin with the trailer and truck on a level surface. Level the trailer tongue. Measure from ground to top of coupler. Measure from the ground to the truck hitch receiver.

Subtract the ball height from the coupler height. This is the number where the bottom of the ball needs to be. Now, is the bottom of the ball above or below your truck receiver? The difference between the receiver height and the bottom of the ball is the determination of how much rise/drop you need.

The trailer seller should be able to help you to determine the proper ball mount to use.

 

Thank you both. That's some good food for thought. I'll probably get a used one, so I just want to be prepared if a good listing pops up. Now I just have to find one of my evasive tape measures...

 

Check out this YouTube video, it’s a great guid to thinking about loading your trailer.

https://youtu.be/6mW_gzdh6to.