Camco 48294 Steel Ball Mount, 2 In Receiver 4 In Drop

Camco's 48294 is a straightforward steel ball mount for a 2 inch receiver, and sometimes straightforward is exactly what you want. You get an 11 inch shank with a 4 inch drop on one side and a 2-3/4 inch rise on the other. Flip it over to pick the height your trailer needs. There's no hitch ball in the box, which is normal for a mount like this. You buy the ball that matches your trailer's coupler and thread it on.

The whole point of a drop or rise ball mount is getting your trailer to ride level behind the tow vehicle. A trailer that noses down or tips back doesn't tow right. It can sway, it wears tires unevenly, and it puts your tongue weight in the wrong spot. Here's how we set it up: hitch the empty trailer, measure the coupler height off the ground, then measure your receiver height. The difference tells you how much drop or rise you need. This mount gives you 4 inches down or 2-3/4 inches up, so it covers most trucks and SUVs pulling a trailer that sits a little low or a little high.

It's a good match for boaters who trailer their rig to the ramp every weekend, and it works just as well for a utility trailer, a small cargo hauler, or a light towable. The 11 inch shank gives you a bit of reach past the bumper, which helps with tailgate and swing-gate clearance on some vehicles. And because it's solid steel, it'll take the load and the road without complaint.

Since the ball is separate, match it to your coupler before you tow. Most trailers run a 2 inch ball, and heavier ones step up to 2-5/16 inch. Check the stamped rating on your coupler and buy a ball rated at or above your trailer's loaded weight. The mount uses the standard hole for a 5/8 inch hitch pin, so grab a pin and clip if you don't already have one. Don't tow without them.

One more thing on setup. Once the trailer's level, glance at your tongue weight. You want roughly 10 to 15 percent of the loaded trailer weight pressing down on the ball. Too little and the trailer wanders. Too much and the back of your tow vehicle squats. Getting the height right with a mount like this is half the battle, and it's the half a lot of people skip.

If you feel a clunk in the receiver at low speed, that's normal play between the shank and the receiver walls. A cheap anti-rattle wedge or a tightening-style pin snugs it up and quiets the ride. It won't hurt anything to tow with a little play, but the noise gets old fast on a long haul.

A couple things worth knowing before you buy. This is a non-swivel, non-extendable mount, so it's a fixed piece with no moving parts to rattle loose or wear out. That's a plus for durability, but it also means you can't fine-tune the height beyond flipping it, and you can't extend it for extra reach. If you swap between trailers with very different coupler heights, you might end up wanting a second one set at a different drop. And since it's bare steel, a coat of paint or a little anti-rust spray before the first season goes a long way, especially if you back it down a wet ramp. A quick wipe-down after a dunk keeps the surface rust off.

For most folks with one truck and one trailer, though, you set it once and forget it. It's simple, it's strong, and it does the one job it's built for.