Towing Capacity, Tongue Weight & Setup
The Best Gifts for Someone Who Tows
The hard part of buying for a trailer owner is that most towing gear is specific to their truck. These are the things that are not.
Disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through the Amazon links on this page, at no extra cost to you. Commission never decides a verdict or a ranking position - read our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.
How we assessed these: Chosen for universality rather than performance ranking: the test here is whether the item is useful without knowing the recipient's exact vehicle and trailer.
Short answer
Buy something that does not depend on which truck or trailer they own. A tongue weight scale, wheel chocks, an anti-rattle pin and a coupler lock all work universally. Hitches, mounts and wiring do not.
Why most towing gear is a bad gift
Nearly everything in this category is sized to something. A ball mount has to match a measured drop. A ball has to match a stamped coupler size. A wiring harness has to match a year, model and trim. A weight distribution hitch has to match a measured tongue weight. Buy any of those without the recipient's numbers and you have bought a return.
The items below avoid that problem entirely - they either fit any 2 in receiver, or they fit any trailer at all.
What to check before buying even these
- Receiver size. Anti-rattle pins and receiver locks are sized to the tube and the pin hole. Two inches is the common case but confirm if you can.
- Coupler shape. Universal coupler locks fit most, not all. If you can photograph their coupler, do.
- What they already own. Chocks and a scale are the two most commonly absent items, which is why they top this list.
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 |  Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale Best gift overall | Measuring tongue weight at home | Universal, genuinely useful, rarely bought for oneself | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 2 |  Camco Trailer Wheel Chocks Best small gift | Every trailer, without exception | Everyone needs them, nobody has enough | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 3 |  CURT Anti-Rattle Hitch Pin and Shim (2 in receiver) Best stocking filler | Killing receiver rattle | Fixes a daily annoyance for pocket money | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 4 |  Master Lock Trailer Coupler Lock Best for a parked trailer | Trailers parked unhitched | Blocks the actual theft method | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
| 5 |  Trimax Keyed Receiver Hitch Lock For a mount left in place | Leaving a mount in the receiver | Replaces the clip pin, keyed | Check price on Amazon #ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one |
1. Best gift overall
Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scale
Sherline · Best for measuring tongue weight at home
A dedicated scale you sit under the coupler to read tongue weight directly, with no arithmetic and no trip to a weighbridge. It is the one tool on this site that turns the single most important towing number from a guess into a measurement.
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
- Direct reading, with no bathroom-scale-and-lever arithmetic
- Repeatable, so you can see what moving the load actually does
- Mechanical gauge with no batteries to be flat when you need it
What does not
- Must be used on level ground with the coupler at towing height
- Single-purpose tool that spends most of its life in a cupboard
Skip it if
Unnecessary if your hitch already has a built-in gauge, or if you have a public scale nearby and are happy to use it.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: Sherline’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
2. Best small gift
Camco Trailer Wheel Chocks
Camco · Best for every trailer, without exception
Chocks go in before you unhitch, every time. They are not an upgrade and they are not interesting; they are the thing standing between a parked trailer and a slow roll down a campground slope.
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
- Cheap insurance against the most preventable trailer accident there is
- Works on any trailer regardless of brakes or jack type
- Takes seconds and needs no setup
What does not
- Plastic chocks degrade in sun over several seasons
- Easy to leave behind at a site
Skip it if
There is no situation where you should skip chocks - if these do not suit your tire size, buy different ones rather than none.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
3. Best stocking filler
CURT Anti-Rattle Hitch Pin and Shim (2 in receiver)
CURT · Best for killing receiver rattle
A pin plus a wedge shim that takes the slop out of the gap between a 2 in mount and a 2 in receiver. That gap is a manufacturing tolerance, not a fault, and this is the cheapest thing on the whole site that fixes a real, daily annoyance.
Published specifications
What works
- Removes the clunk over expansion joints for very little money
- Fits in a glovebox and transfers between vehicles
- No modification to the receiver or the mount
What does not
- Does nothing about rattle originating at the coupler or the sway bar
- Listed as superseded, so check the current item number
Skip it if
Not the fix if the noise is coming from a loose ball nut or a worn coupler - find the source first, because a shim will just mask it.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Raw specifications: CURT’s own page. We earn nothing on that link.
4. Best for a parked trailer
Master Lock Trailer Coupler Lock
Master Lock · Best for trailers parked unhitched
Fills the coupler so another vehicle cannot drop a ball into it while the trailer is parked. It is the lock that matters for an unattended trailer, and it is the one most people skip in favor of a wheel lock that takes longer to fit.
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
- Blocks the actual theft method - backing up to an unattended coupler
- Fits in seconds, unlike a wheel clamp
- Weather-resistant body suited to being left outside
What does not
- Universal designs fit some coupler shapes better than others
- Does nothing once the trailer is hitched to your vehicle
Skip it if
Not sufficient on its own for long-term storage, where a wheel lock or a chock is the stronger deterrent.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
5. For a mount left in place
Trimax Keyed Receiver Hitch Lock
Trimax · Best for leaving a mount in the receiver
A locking pin that replaces the clip pin so the mount cannot be pulled out of the receiver in a parking lot. The weak point of every hitch lock is the same - weather in the lock barrel - so the only maintenance that matters is a cover and the occasional shot of lubricant.
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
- Stops the most casual theft there is - walking off with a ball mount
- Direct replacement for a standard clip pin
- Keyed, so the same key can cover more than one lock
What does not
- Lock barrels seize when they live in road salt without a cover
- Determined thieves defeat any hitch pin lock given time
Skip it if
Pointless if you take the mount out each time anyway - that is already a better anti-theft measure than any lock.
#ad Affiliate link - we publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
Key takeaways
- Avoid anything sized to a specific truck or trailer.
- A tongue weight scale is the highest-value universal gift.
- Chocks and anti-rattle pins are cheap and genuinely wanted.
- Locks are useful but check the coupler shape and receiver size if you can.
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
- What if I do not know what truck they have?
- Stick to the universal items - a tongue weight scale, wheel chocks and a coupler lock all work regardless of vehicle.
- Is a hitch a good gift?
- No. Receivers are vehicle-specific and ball mounts depend on a measured drop. Both are returns waiting to happen.
- What about gift cards?
- For towing gear specifically, a gift card is often the honest answer - the right ball mount or harness depends on measurements only the owner can take.
More in Towing Capacity, Tongue Weight & Setup
The number in the brochure is not the number that limits you. The one that does is on a sticker inside your driver's door.
Read next
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Best Tongue Weight Scales
Dedicated scales, scale-equipped hitches and the public weighbridge method compared on accuracy and how often you will actually use them.
Guide
First Time Towing
What genuinely changes behind the wheel with a trailer attached, plus the pre-departure checks that prevent most first-trip problems.
Best anti-rattle and lock
Hitch Locks & Anti-Rattle
Anti-rattle pins, receiver locks and coupler locks - what each one actually prevents and where each one fails.
How to
How to Hook Up a Trailer
The full hitching sequence, why chains cross, where the breakaway cable goes, and what to check before you move.
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.