Hitches, Receivers & Ball Mounts
The Best Ball Mounts
One trailer at a known height wants a fixed mount. Three trailers at three heights want an adjustable one. That is most of the decision.
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How we assessed these: Chosen from manufacturers' published specifications. Capacities quoted are the manufacturer's own figures; we publish no measured test data.
Short answer
A fixed loaded mount is the right buy for one trailer at one height - it is lighter, quieter and cheaper. An adjustable channel mount earns its cost the moment you own a second trailer that sits at a different height.
The four types
| Type | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed, ball pre-fitted | Nothing to rattle or torque; lightest | One drop, one ball size |
| Adjustable channel | Height range and often two balls | Heavy, more joints, more rattle |
| Pivoting / stowing | Tucks away when not towing | Height in pin steps, heavy |
| Scale-equipped | Reads tongue weight every hitch-up | Most expensive; sensitive to slope |
Capacity is a chain of ratings
Four ratings have to all be adequate, and your actual capacity is the lowest of them: the receiver, the ball mount, the ball, and the trailer coupler. CURT's adjustable channel mount publishes 14,000 lb gross overall but with a 2 in ball rated 10,000 lb and a 2-5/16 in ball rated 14,000 lb - so the ball you fit decides what the assembly can actually do.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. How these are chosen - and what we do and do not claim to know - is published in full on our research methodology page.
| # | Product | Best for | Our read | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  CURT Adjustable Channel Mount with Dual Ball (2 in shank, 6 in drop) Best overall | Garages with several trailers | 14,000 lb, 6 in drop and 5-1/4 in rise | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  CURT Loaded Ball Mount with 2 in Ball (2 in drop, 7,500 lb) Best fixed | One trailer at a known height | One piece, nothing to loosen | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount Best for daily driving | Daily drivers that tow occasionally | Folds up under the bumper | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 4 |  Andersen Rapid Hitch Aluminum Adjustable Ball Mount Lightest adjustable | Anyone tired of lifting steel mounts | Aluminum, thread-on balls | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 5 |  Weigh Safe Adjustable Drop Hitch with Built-in Tongue Weight Scale Most useful extra | Owners who will never visit a scale | Tongue weight gauge in the shank | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
1. Best overall
CURT Adjustable Channel Mount with Dual Ball (2 in shank, 6 in drop)
CURT · Best for garages with several trailers
One mount that covers two ball sizes and a range of heights, which is the answer when the garage contains a boat trailer, a utility trailer and a camper that all sit at different heights. Capacity drops to the lower-rated ball you are actually using.
Published specifications
What works
- Two ball sizes and a height range in a single mount
- Flipping it gives rise as well as drop
- Rated to 14,000 lb on the larger ball
What does not
- Heavy, and more joints means more places for rattle to start
- The pins and bolts need checking for torque, unlike a one-piece mount
Skip it if
Pointless if you own one trailer and tow it with one truck - a fixed mount at the right height is lighter, quieter and cheaper.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: CURT’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
2. Best fixed
CURT Loaded Ball Mount with 2 in Ball (2 in drop, 7,500 lb)
CURT · Best for one trailer at a known height
A one-piece mount with the ball already fitted and torqued, rated to 7,500 lb gross and 750 lb tongue with a 2 in drop. Nothing adjusts, which is exactly why nothing rattles or works loose.
Published specifications
What works
- Arrives with the ball fitted, so there is no torque step to get wrong
- One piece means nothing to loosen or rattle
- Light enough to leave in the receiver or throw in a toolbox
What does not
- The 2 in drop is the only drop - measure before you buy
- 7,500 lb ceiling rules out heavier trailers
Skip it if
Useless on a lifted truck, where a 2 in drop will still leave the trailer nose-high and the weight on the rear axle of the trailer.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: CURT’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
3. Best for daily driving
B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount
B&W Trailer Hitches · Best for daily drivers that tow occasionally
Two balls on a pivoting head that tucks up under the bumper when nothing is attached, which is the part owners actually rave about - no more shin-height steel bar in a parking lot. Height adjusts in pin increments rather than continuously.
We have not sourced a full specification table for this model from the manufacturer’s own site at a stable address. Rather than repeat figures we cannot cite, the assessment above is limited to what the design and the maker’s published description genuinely establish.
What works
- Stows up out of the way instead of projecting behind the bumper
- Two ball sizes on one head, flipped rather than swapped
- Solid, heavily built, and quiet when pinned correctly
What does not
- Heavy to handle and to store
- Height steps are fixed by the pin holes, so an exact level may not be available
Skip it if
Not the right buy if you need a precise level height - a continuously adjustable channel mount will get closer than pin increments will.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: B&W Trailer Hitches’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
4. Lightest adjustable
Andersen Rapid Hitch Aluminum Adjustable Ball Mount
Andersen Hitches · Best for anyone tired of lifting steel mounts
An aluminum adjustable mount, which is the point: a steel channel mount is genuinely heavy to carry, and this one is not. Balls thread into the stainless pin rather than bolting through a hole, so swapping sizes takes seconds.
We have not sourced a full specification table for this model from the manufacturer’s own site at a stable address. Rather than repeat figures we cannot cite, the assessment above is limited to what the design and the maker’s published description genuinely establish.
What works
- Dramatically lighter than a steel adjustable mount of similar capacity
- Ball changes are a thread-on operation, not a torque-and-nut job
- Aluminum does not rust streak down a painted bumper
What does not
- Aluminum marks more easily than powder-coated steel
- Capacity depends on which ball and pin combination you fit, so read the chart
Skip it if
Not the one if you leave the mount permanently in the receiver through salted winters - the convenience you are paying for is weight, and you would never be lifting it.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Andersen Hitches’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
5. Most useful extra
Weigh Safe Adjustable Drop Hitch with Built-in Tongue Weight Scale
Weigh Safe · Best for owners who will never visit a scale
An adjustable drop hitch with a hydraulic gauge in the shank, so the tongue weight reads out as you lower the trailer onto the ball. It turns the single most-skipped step in towing into something that happens automatically, which is worth more than the hardware itself.
We have not sourced a full specification table for this model from the manufacturer’s own site at a stable address. Rather than repeat figures we cannot cite, the assessment above is limited to what the design and the maker’s published description genuinely establish.
What works
- Reads tongue weight every time you hitch, with no extra step
- Adjustable height and reversible for rise as well as drop
- Makes the 10-15 percent rule checkable instead of theoretical
What does not
- The gauge reads at the ball, so it is sensitive to being parked on a slope
- Heavier and considerably more expensive than a plain mount
Skip it if
Not needed if you already weigh at a public scale - the gauge is convenience, and a certified scale is still the more accurate number.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Weigh Safe’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
Rattle, and how to end it
The clunk you hear over expansion joints is the mount moving in the receiver tube. That gap is a manufacturing tolerance - parts have to be able to slide together - and it is not a fault. An anti-rattle pin with a wedge shim removes it for a few dollars. On adjustable mounts, also check the pinch bolts and the ball nut torque before blaming the receiver.
Key takeaways
- Fixed mounts are lighter, cheaper and quieter; adjustable mounts are more useful.
- Your real capacity is the lowest rating in the chain, often the ball.
- A mount with the ball pre-fitted removes the torque step entirely.
- Receiver rattle is a tolerance, not a defect, and a shim fixes it.
How we sourced this
Every figure on this page came from one of the following, each fetched while the page was written. Where a manufacturer or regulator does not publish a number, we say so rather than estimate it.
Common questions
- How do I know what drop I need?
- Measure ground to the bottom of the coupler with the trailer level, measure ground to the top of the receiver tube, and take the difference. Allow about an inch for the vehicle settling under tongue weight.
- Can I flip a drop mount for rise?
- Most fixed mounts can be inverted to give rise instead of drop, and adjustable mounts usually publish both figures. Check the manufacturer's rating for the inverted orientation - it is sometimes different.
- Is an aluminum mount strong enough?
- Within its published rating, yes. Capacity depends on the ball and pin combination fitted, so read the chart rather than assuming the headline figure applies to every configuration.
More in Hitches, Receivers & Ball Mounts
Class, receiver size, ball diameter, drop. Four numbers decide whether your setup is right, and three of them are stamped on parts you already own.
Read next
Guide
Adjustable Ball Mounts
How channel-style adjustable mounts work, what to check before each tow, and when a fixed mount is simply better.
Guide
Ball Mount vs Hitch Ball
What each part does, how their ratings interact, and the torque step that gets skipped when you buy them separately.
Guide
Drop Hitches for Lifted Trucks
Why a lift creates a towing problem, how to measure the drop you now need, and the extended-drop options available.
Best hitch hardware
Best Trailer Hitches
What to buy for a 2 in receiver - mounts, balls, pins and anti-rattle hardware - and how to get the vehicle-specific receiver right.
Found something out of date, or a figure you can source better than we did? Corrections get read first. How we research explains how these pages are put together, and contact is one click away.