Eaz-Lift 48286 Utility Ball Mount | 2in Drop Steel

The Eaz-Lift 48286 is a steel utility ball mount built for a standard 2-inch trailer receiver. It's the piece that bridges your truck's receiver and your hitch ball, and this one keeps things simple. Fixed length, fixed geometry, no moving parts to rattle loose. If you tow a boat, a utility trailer, or a small cargo hauler and you just need a solid, no-nonsense drawbar, this is it.

Here's how the geometry works. The bar measures 9 inches from the receiver to the ball hole, and it's built with a 2-inch drop on one side and a 3/4-inch rise on the other. Bolt it in one way for the drop, flip it over for the rise. That little bit of adjustment matters more than people think. You want your trailer riding level behind the truck, because a nose-high or nose-down trailer chews up tires, throws off your braking, and can start to sway at highway speed. Most half-ton trucks and SUVs pulling a single-axle boat trailer land right in the range this mount was made for.

A couple of things to know before you buy. First, this mount does not include a hitch ball. You'll pick the ball separately to match your trailer coupler, whether that's a 1-7/8, 2, or 2-5/16 inch ball. Make sure the ball's shank diameter fits the hole in the bar and that the ball's load rating meets or beats your loaded trailer weight. Torque the ball nut to the ball manufacturer's spec and check it again after your first tow. Balls back off more than folks expect on that first trip.

Second, it's a non-swivel, non-extendable design. That's a feature, not a limitation, for most towing. A fixed mount has nothing to wear out and nothing to bind. But if you launch at steep or uneven ramps a lot, know that a rigid bar won't articulate the way a swivel head does, so take ramp approaches easy and keep the pivot points on your coupler greased.

Third, watch your ground clearance. Nine inches of bar sticking out the back sits low on some setups. On low-slung pontoon and boat trailers, a longer drop bar can catch the crossmember or scrape on a sharp driveway apron or ramp lip. If your trailer sits low, measure before you tow. For the average runabout or utility trailer, the 9-inch length gives you plenty of room to clear the tailgate and back plate.

It's steel, so it's strong and it's affordable. The trade-off is rust, especially if you dunk it at a saltwater ramp. We tell our saltwater customers to rinse the mount with fresh water after every launch and hit it with a corrosion-blocking spray a couple times a season. Do that and a steel mount lasts for years. Skip it, and you'll be watching surface rust creep in by the end of the first season.

Installing it takes about two minutes. Slide the bar into your 2-inch receiver, line up the pin hole, drop in your hitch pin and clip, and you're locked in. There's no assembly and nothing to torque on the receiver end. The only real work is mounting your ball to the bar, and that's a single nut with a lock washer. Keep a hitch pin lock on it if you park in lots or leave the rig at the ramp overnight, since a bare pin walks off easily.

Bottom line, the Eaz-Lift 48286 is a straightforward, dependable ball mount for anyone running a 2-inch receiver who wants level towing without paying for features they won't use. Add the right ball for your coupler and you're ready to hook up. If you're not sure which ball or which drop you need for your rig, give us a call. We tow boats for a living, and we're happy to help you get it dialed in.