well, it had to happen.. i know ive read about this on here before, but it happened to me -- the cover cap on my towing hitch is gone... stolen! jerks. what a dumb thing to steal. :pat:

anyway, i guess ill go ahead and put a ball in there, but don't know a thing about them -- whats a good brand, how big, etc?

i tried a search but that yielded too many results! ill be towing some things here and there this summer, so i guess this is a good enough reason to switch over to an actual ball.

that is what i want, right?

thanks guys.

 

i just leave mine open..someone stole mine a long time ago. the onlytime i plug it up is when i'm towing or using my bike rack..it should be a 2 inch hitch..also, the stupidest thing that has been stolen on my truck is the little caps on the WINDSHIELD WIPER!!

 

how much is one of those covers anyway? im really struggling to figure out why it was taken in the first place. so weird.

 

I remove the ball mount from the receiver whenever I'm not towing because I (and others) have bruised a shin more times than I want to mention. As far as hardware, your local KMart or Wal-Mart will have what you need. You'll need to know what size ball you need (most likely 1 7/8", possibly 2" depending on the size of the coupler on the trailer). I use a convert-a-ball made from SST that I can convert from 1 7/8" to 2" in about 5 seconds since I have trailers that accept both sizes.

The only other thing you need to know is how much lift or drop you need to maintain your trailer level. Measure from the ground to the bottom of the coupler and from ground to the center of your receiver. You can get ball mounts with various amount of rise or drop and most are reversible (i.e., 3" rise and 4"drop). It doesn't need to be precise but WILL affect your vehicles' handling if you're way off.

This might help:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/...&storeId=10101

 

You can get a convert a ball set for under $30 at your local shop probably and that will be all you need. Make sure you have a locking hitch pin or the same jerk might come back for seconds!

I just leave my receiver shackle in there and only put on the hitch ball when need be.

I also like to leave something in there for the reason that if some little piss ant car decides to rear end me they are going to eat the hitch and hopefully stay off my precious black painted bumper! I have whacked my shin a few times, but you eventually wise up!

 

That damn Toyota cover is $9.99. I've lost TWO of them, and I've given up on replacing it. My hitch is packed with concrete-like mud anyways. Better than a cap!

 

Ya, I have a heavy duty height adjustable hitch I slide into the receiver. It stays in there full time, locked with a pin. As someone else stated, I don't have time to fill insurance claims when a high school maniac rear-ends me in his/her integra. This will bring them to a stop in a hurry, and allow me to get on with my bumper in tact hopefully. And yes, you learn to remember it's there.

My only advice is to get something with a 5,000 lb weight rating.

 

thanks for the info guys. i too like that it'd act as a form of defense against rammers!!

ill go invest in a ball this weekend.