Hi, I'm going to be towing a small boat soon, and am new at this. I'm getting a hitch installed in the next few days (Draw-tite 76112, 2" receiber), and I asked the foremost expert on towing this boat with this exact trailer (the boat manufacturer) how high the ball should be. He said the top of the ball height should be 18". What parts to do I need in order to end up with the ball at that height on my 2011 Sienna LE?
PMH
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3,935 Posts
This isn't an exact science. When I bought a Curt 13105 receiver hitch for my Sienna in 2014, etrailer recommended and sold me a draw bar with what I remember was called a 3 1/2 inch rise for general purpose towing although it appears to measure closer to 3 inches - see the attached photo. This puts the top of the ball at 16 1/2 inches high.
I bought this setup intending to tow a 3,500 pound (gross weight) travel trailer using a weight distribution hitch but I've used it only for towing my 4'x8' utility trailer and a 5'x8' enclosed U-Haul trailer. If my ball height was 18 inches instead of 16 1/2 inches, the back ends of my utility trailer and U-Haul trailers would ride too low - see attached photo.
As jseyfert3 indicated, the correct ball height can vary depending on how much the vehicle sags when the trailer is attached. If the trailer tongue weight is particularly high and/or the Sienna is heavily loaded, the Sienna will sag more and require a higher ball height to keep the trailer level.
What is the total weight of this "small" boat and trailer? Opinions vary but generally say that the best tongue weight is between 5% and 7% of the total trailer weight. For example, a good tongue weight for a 2000 pound trailer would range between 100 pounds and 140 pounds.
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I bought this setup intending to tow a 3,500 pound (gross weight) travel trailer using a weight distribution hitch but I've used it only for towing my 4'x8' utility trailer and a 5'x8' enclosed U-Haul trailer. If my ball height was 18 inches instead of 16 1/2 inches, the back ends of my utility trailer and U-Haul trailers would ride too low - see attached photo.
As jseyfert3 indicated, the correct ball height can vary depending on how much the vehicle sags when the trailer is attached. If the trailer tongue weight is particularly high and/or the Sienna is heavily loaded, the Sienna will sag more and require a higher ball height to keep the trailer level.
What is the total weight of this "small" boat and trailer? Opinions vary but generally say that the best tongue weight is between 5% and 7% of the total trailer weight. For example, a good tongue weight for a 2000 pound trailer would range between 100 pounds and 140 pounds.
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3,935 Posts
Yes, really., If you do 15% when your trailer gets towards the maximum allowable weight, you'll be far over most Sienna hitches maximum tongue weight. If you do 10% on a maximum weight trailer then you'll be right at the maximum tongue weight for most hitches. It's generally not good to be at the maximum for anything.
What's mainly needed is a healthy positive tongue weight. Too much is better than too little. Staying at the lower end of acceptable tongue weight can reduce the tow vehicle's rear sag. There's often not much choice on the tongue weight when towing a boat unless it's a larger boat on which the contents of the boat can be moved fore or aft. The OP didn't answer my question about how heavy is small boat and trailer are. It may be so light that it matters little. It's a different matter when you're towing several thousand pounds of boat which has been what I have dealt with. I could alter the tongue weight by moving equipment and supplies between lockers on our cruising sailboat which had berths for seven.
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