Towing & Hitches

This collection covers the hardware between a truck and what it pulls: ball mounts and drop hitches, receiver hitches, gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitches, flat-tow gear, wiring, locks and brake controllers. Brands include Weigh Safe, B&W, Blue Ox, Gen-Y Hitches, Hopkins Towing, Draw Tite and Trimax. Much of it is chosen by receiver size, ball size or plug type rather than by vehicle.

For a receiver hitch, three measurements decide the ball mount. The shank must match the receiver opening. The drop or rise should bring the trailer level with the truck, so measure the height of the receiver and of the trailer coupler before ordering. The ball must match the coupler. Weigh Safe drop hitches use a 2-inch shank and come in several drop heights, B&W ball mounts are sold by drop and rise, and Gen-Y Hitches covers heavier setups with 2.5-inch shank parts and two-ball mounts.

Heavier trailers move to gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitches, which mount in the truck bed over the rear axle. Flat towing is a separate job: Blue Ox baseplates bolt to the front of a vehicle such as a Jeep Wrangler so it can follow a motorhome on a tow bar, and each baseplate is specific to the model and to the bumper fitted.

The last links are electrical and security. Hopkins Towing adapters join mismatched plugs, such as a 7-blade socket to a 6-round trailer plug, or 4-flat to 6-round. Trimax and Gen-Y Hitches sell receiver locks and anti-rattle hitch pins in the 5/8-inch size, and the grid also carries brake controllers.

Vehicle-specific parts are listed for the Ram 1500, Ram 2500 and Ram 3500, Ford F-150, Ford F-250, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Jeep Wrangler. Each product page lists the years, makes and models it fits. Receiver hitches alone are in hitches, and flat-tow equipment is in Blue Ox.