Which Trailer Hitch You Should Buy
There are a wide variety of hitch designs available, which you’ll discover as soon as you start shopping for one. When searching for trailer auto parts online, make sure you know the basic differences between the following hitch types:
- 5th wheel hitch
- Rear receiver hitch
- Bumper hitch
- Front mount hitch
- Weight distribution hitch
- Gooseneck hitch
- Pintle hitch
If you’re planning to tow heavy trailers, you should invest in a larger hitch receiver that has the best towing potential. There are different trailer hitch classes based on towing capacity. They are class I (which can tow a gross trailer weight between 1,000-2,000 lbs.), class II (which can tow a GTW between 2,000-3,500 lbs.), class III (which can tow a GTW between 3,500-8,000 lbs.), class IV (which can tow a GTW between 5,000-12,000 lbs.) and a class V (which can tow a GTW between 10,000-25,000 lbs.).
You’ll also need to make sure you purchase a hitch with an appropriate receiver size. Most common receiver sizes range between 1 1/4” and 3”.
Price of a Trailer Hitch
The price of trailer hitches varies significantly, depending on the class, manufacturer and quality of each hitch. Generally, it’s wise to invest in a hitch that has a good reputation rather than looking for the least expensive hitch you can find. If you’re towing anything of value, you want to make sure you protect your investment.
If you rely on a poorly designed hitch or one that isn’t appropriate for the weight you’re pulling, you could end up damaging both the trailer and your vehicle. You could also potentially end up wrecking and causing injury to yourself or another person. It’s simply not worth the risk. So before you hitch up, make sure you’ve purchased the right class and type of hitch for your towing needs. You should expect to pay anywhere from the low $100s to the high $600s for a good hitch. The higher the class, the higher the price will generally be.
One easy hack for finding the best hitch is to look up your VIN number. Many hitches are vehicle-specific, which means you can find the perfect hitch by using a free vin lookup tool. This is one of the simplest ways to make sure you don’t make the mistake of choosing the wrong hitch for your vehicle and towing needs.
Once you find and order the right trailer hitch for your vehicle, follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully when installing it. Improper installation could cause the hitch to malfunction. You can avoid unexpected problems by simply following instructions for installation instead of trying to guess how to do it.
