What Size Ball Do I Need for U Haul Trailer?

Making sure that your truck or car is equipped with the right capacity and tools to pull a trailer is important to do before renting a U-Haul cargo trailer. One of these tools is the trailer hitch ball, which you’ll want to ensure is the right size.

To tow a U-Haul cargo trailer, the hitch ball should be 2 inches in diameter with a matching hitch ball mount. This is the standard size found in auto parts stores or factories installed on pickup trucks. They have a 5,000-pound towing capacity and are compatible with all sizes of U-Haul trailers.

To learn more about choosing the correct size of hitch ball to pull your U-Haul trailer, continue reading.

The Best Size Ball For Towing a U-Haul Trailer

U-Haul recommends that you use a standard, two-inch ball hitch to tow your U-Haul trailer. This will ensure that you have the smoothest turning and driving experience so that your trailer attached to your vehicle will be able to pivot easily and that your trailer will remain secure. You can use a two-inch ball hitch to tow any size u-haul, but if you have a very heavy load on a large cargo trailer, you can use a 2 and 5/6th-inch ball.

The trailer hitch should be 18 inches from the ground, which is the height of the coupler on all U-Haul trailers. The height can be adjusted by switching out your ball mount or simply by purchasing and installing an adjustable ball mount. Remember that the ball hitch should match the ball mount. Your nearest U-Haul store (which is at most U-Haul rental facilities) will sell ball mounts of various heights, or you can purchase one from an auto parts store or online. You’ll also need to purchase a ball mount if your car doesn’t already come equipped with one.

What is The Standard Hitch Ball Size?

The standard hitch ball size is the recommended U-haul hitch ball size of 2 inches. It’s generally required to rent a U-Haul trailer to ensure that the trailer will stay securely connected to the truck while still being able to pivot well. It is able to haul a weight of up to 5,000 pounds and it fits nearly every class 3 receiver, which is the most common class of receivers that are factory installed onto most vehicles with towing capabilities.

How to Tell What Size Ball My Trailer Needs

In order to ensure that you select the correct size ball for the trailer you rent or use, you should ensure that the ball hitch diameter matches the size of the trailer coupler hole. This is where the trailer will connect to the hitch, so you want to make sure it’s not too small or too big. The ball hitch can come loose from the trailer coupler hole if it is too small, so you want to make sure it can fit snugly. The packaging of each hitch ball will tell you the weight capacity at which it can tow, so you’ll want to ensure that the weight capacity exceeds the weight of your trailer, with enough extra wiggle room for you to add your items to the trailer.

How to Select The Correct Ball Mount For Your Hitch

To ensure you’re using the correct ball mount for your hitch, or to select the correct one, you’ll want to follow a three-step process. This will help ensure that your towing vehicle and trailer connection points are level with each other (because you don’t want to tow a trailer on an awkward slant) and that the weight capacity of the ball mount is equal to or larger than the weight of the trailer, and that your ball mount matches the hitch you connect to it.

If the correct sized ball mount matching the ball hitch that best accommodates the size of your load doesn’t fit into your car’s hitch receiver tube, then its safe to assume that your car won’t be able to tow that size of trailer and that the weight capacity of that trailer is too much for your car to handle.

The first step is to find your hitch height by measuring the height from the ground to the top part of your car’s hitch receiver tube. The next step is to do the same for your coupler height by first making sure your trailer is level and then measuring the height from the ground to the bottom of the coupler.

Lastly, you’ll want to measure the difference between these two heights by subtracting the height of the trailer coupler from the height of the receiver on your car. The total in inches is how many inches your ball mount’s drop-down or rise-up needs to be. If the hitch height is larger than the coupler height, the ball mount will need to have a drop. If the hitch height is smaller than the coupler height, the ball mount will need to have a rise.

What Are The Other Hitch Ball Sizes Used For?

The different sizes of hitch balls are generally used for different weights of towing jobs. For example, a smaller hitch ball is ideal for light-duty towing with smaller total weights and is generally used with small cars and minivans that don’t have very much towing capacity. Medium-sized loads are best towed using a 2-inch ball hitch. Heavier loads are best towed using a hitch ball that is 2 and 5/6 inches.

This works for a gooseneck tow hitch attached to the truck bed, and some gooseneck hitch balls are up to 3 inches in diameter and are best for towing horse and livestock trailers. Each ball size is able to tow at varying weight capacities, so you’ll want to ensure that both the hitch ball fits into the ball mount and that it’s able to pull the weight of the trailer you want to pull.

Ball Hitch Recommendation

The ball hitch we would recommend that will work best for all U-Haul trailers and most weights is the CURT 40003 Chrome Trailer Hitch Ball.

It has a 2-inch diameter, it can tow up to 3,500 pounds, and has shank dimensions of 3/4 inch by 1-3/4 inches. You can rely on this ball hitch for its strength and because it is made of hot-forged steel. It will fit any 2-inch coupler, which is generally equipped with every U-Haul cargo trailer. The shank size will ensure it will attach securely to your trailer hitch mount. It’s also corrosion resistant with its layer of protective chrome plating so that it doesn’t rust or soil from dirt and rain over time.