A trailer hitch is one of the instant saviors for rescuing any ruined vehicle from the road instantly. But, it creates inconvenience when it’s fixed at the wrong height. So, the question is – “how high should a trailer hitch be off the ground?”
Well, you can’t pick the height of a hitch approximately to hook up a vehicle. The experts suggest purchasing the 11″ sized trailer hitch for general purposes. This sizing is measured as the distance between the ground and the bottom of the loaded trailer hitch ball mount.
Your vehicle suspension may get additional stress in case the gross trailer weight is at the wrong height. It creates tremendous damages to the vehicle suspension. And there is some physics also while pulling a vehicle using a trailer. The abandonment of physics can surely lead you to an unexpected situation.
What happens if you keep the trailer hitch too high or too low?👉
Keeping the trailer hitch at the wrong height creates unbalanced weight distribution. A high hitch tip backward and the attached vehicle starts to sway continuously. Only a driver can understand how risky a swaying vehicle can be. The center of gravity is an important factor while driving on the highway. And abandoning the center of gravity due to the wrong height adjustment leads to road accidents.
Moreover, a high trailer hitch also affects the bank angle. Must maintain a combination of the vehicle’s speed and the bank angle. But, a high hitch is enough to ruin the combination. Almost similar problems arise in the case of a low hitch. A low trailer hitch can bend the backside bumper by creating a lot of strain.
Should your trailer be level when towing?
Yes, the trailer coupler height should remain at the level when towing. Keep the level trailer hitch ball helps to improve the stability along with the braking performance. You’ll also get an advantage in the ground clearance. But, the main point should be balancing.
A level towing ensures the proper tongue weight distribution. As a result, the driver won’t face any difficulty like swaying, uneven tire wear, and so on. The control on the highway will be fantastic for the level towing. However, it’s tough to level ground the trailer perfectly. In this circumstance, you should keep the trailer tongue slightly down while using an adjustable ball mount.
How to determine the right size hitch Trailer Coupler
You’re going through the most important part of this writing now. Some easy subtraction of the heights may need to be calculated in this stage. You’re suggested to get ready with the measuring instrument.
Remember, a faulty measuring instrument can ruin the whole calculation. And a wrong calculation can’t help to determine the exact height of the trailer hitch ball mounts.
So, Are you eager to know how to set up trailer hitch height? Carefully read this segment to determine the right size hitch.
Step:1- Make the vehicle parked in a convenient place🎭
The first and foremost duty is to park the tow vehicle in an appropriate place. Avoid any kind of uneven surface to park the vehicle. A flat surface helps to get the result without any mistakes. Picking an inappropriate place to park is the start of the wrong attempt. You can go for a big-sized parking lot to be continued.
Step:2- Measure the distance between the ground and the hitch-receiver top-edge🎭
It’s time to do some measurements. Take the measuring scale and set its one edge to the ground. Then, take the other part of the scale towards the top edge of the trailer hitch receiver. Note down the value with clear handwriting.
It’s suggested to take the reading once again to avoid the reading error. Besides, try avoiding parallax errors while measuring with the measuring scale. Stand just straight in front of the scale and take the reading from the multiple positions. You must take the best reading as a final value.
Step:3- Measure the distance between the ground and the hitch receiver bottom-edge🎭
Now, you need to repeat the same job once again. Put the measuring scale on the bottom edge of the trailer receiver. The other part of the measuring scale should touch the ground.
Take the reading carefully and note it down. It’s not an issue if the initial part of the measuring scale goes for the ground first. All you need to do, ensure the position of the scale and get a precise reading.
Step:4- Do some calculation🎭
You’re almost to get the final result. Subtract the height of the receiver from the height of the trailer coupler. It’s just a simple mathematical calculation. If there is an odd number in the reading, it’s suggested to use a calculator. Otherwise, they can’t achieve the exact result.
Step:5- Analysis of the result🎭
It’s a miracle if you get the subtracting value as zero. Most probably, you’ll get a positive or negative value after the subtraction. The positive value expresses that should raise the hitch. Follow the result to the letter for getting an optimum output. On the flip side, a negative result tells that the drop hitch needs to low the height. Strictly follow the result and fix the height again.
However, if the difference in the heights is negligible, then it’s okay to move forward. It’s not a universal condition that the difference must be straight the zero.
Our other releated post, You can know a lot form Here💪
Conclusion
Reaching the endpoint, your questions on hitch trailer height must be disappeared. People randomly search for a tidy answer on ” how high should a trailer hitch be off the ground?“. Now, they must understand the exact measuring of the height.
Keeping the hitch too high or too low isn’t a wise move. The vehicle may face a critical situation for performing this action.
However, attaching the travel trailer with two vehicles is slightly tricky. Despite maintaining the proper height, the wrong attachment can ruin everything too. Besides, towing is also a significant factor here. So, don’t randomly blame the size as there could be a different issue.
