Ball mount for towing a U-haul trailer

[gfb107]

I want to rent a u-haul trailer to tow with my Model X. I'll be driving about 40 miles, hauling a 400 lbs power wheelchair on a motorcycle trailer. I'll easily be able to center it directly on the load line over the tires.

U-haul trailers have a coupler height of 18", according to U-Haul: Tips: How To Install A Ball Mount ON Your Vehicles Hitch

The Model X's hitch height is 14" (suspension at standard, measuring to the inside-top of the hitch opening).

That tells me I should use a ball mount with a 4" rise.

The manual for the Model X specifies a maximum rise of 3/4".

Which is more important, staying within the 3/4" maximum rise, or getting the trailer level with a 4" rise mount?

Or would it make sense to split the difference at 2 3/8" rise?

Also I already have a ball mount with 1" rise.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Yinn]

I want to rent a u-haul trailer to tow with my Model X. I'll be driving about 40 miles, hauling a 400 lbs power wheelchair on a motorcycle trailer. I'll easily be able to center it directly on the load line over the tires.

U-haul trailers have a coupler height of 18", according to U-Haul: Tips: How To Install A Ball Mount ON Your Vehicles Hitch

The Model X's hitch height is 14" (suspension at standard, measuring to the inside-top of the hitch opening).

That tells me I should use a ball mount with a 4" rise.

The manual for the Model X specifies a maximum rise of 3/4".

Which is more important, staying within the 3/4" maximum rise, or getting the trailer level with a 4" rise mount?

Or would it make sense to split the difference at 2 3/8" rise?

Also I already have a ball mount with 1" rise.

Thanks for any advice.

The suspension is auto-leveling, so while the X is measured at 14" it will adjust accordingly. With that said, I'm not sure what the limits are in terms of the amount of height adjustment.

For a tandem trailer, proper levels will matter more than a single axle trailer. The u-haul motorcycle is single axle and weighs 800lbs empty. With the wheelchair, it's a total of 1200lbs and should have a tongue weight of about 120lbs.

If it was me, for such a short distance with such a light load, either option really would work. If we look at having it tilted forward, just rearset the load to reduce overloading the tongue. The X is also heavy enough that you're not going to jack the front up into the air. I'd personally stick a .75" (or 1") rise and do the tow.

If you decide to use a 4" rise, the 120lbs on the tongue; I don't see how this would be any worse than having 120lbs of bike on a bike carrier (that's within spec) on a much bigger rise.

 

[gfb107]

Thanks