Hitch ball size for 2001 17' Towlite

[sutter1961]

Does anyone know the hitch ball size required for a 2001 17' Towlite? 2" or 2 5/16? Thanks.

 

[455lark]

My 2003 17 takes a 2 5/16

 

[RichR]

Somewhere along the way the ball size went from 2" to 2 5/16" and I'm not sure when. Your manual should address that. Also, look closely at the hitch on the trailer and see if the size is stamped into the metal. My wife's cousin traded his old Towlite in on a 2009 Hi-Lo and didn't realize until after he got the new one home that the ball had been increased in size. He was glad that he didn't hit any big bumps on the way back.

 

[rcr]

Yes. My '83 is 2" and my '95 is 2 5/16"

 

[TowLighter]

That's strange, my 95 has a 2" hitch.

 

[RichR]

The sizes may have been different for different sizes of trailers. Now they are all 2 5/16".

 

[Neal and Bev]

Our 2201TL that we bought used, came with a WDH and a 2" ball. The previous owner said that he was given the WDH by the original owner of the trailer. After reading this thead, I went out and looked the trailer tongue over trying to find a ball size on it, but no luck. I suppose that the 2" is the right size, but now I wonder.

According to the previous owner, the trailer has been towed many miles, but I'm thinking about buying a 2 5/16 ball to test it with just to make sure. Anyone else have a 2201TL ?

Neal

 

[TowLighter]

I am fortunate enough to be able to see the 2" ball stamp on my hitch so I have no doubt as to its size. My problem was finding a 2" ball with an 1 1/4" shaft to fit my WD setup. Finally found one at Northern tool.

 

[Neal and Bev]

Towlighter -

That's great news! I think I'll get DW to see if she can find a size on ours, she see's everything else (honey I meant that as a compliment!!!).

 

[tlnovack]

Very interesting thread. I am actually dealing with this right now. I have a 2001 24' Hi-Lo Towlite and many forum folks are saying it takes a 2-5/16" ball but it doesnt fit. I had to take it back. The 2" fits. The ball has a bit of wiggle room but I have no other choices but the 2".

 

[Treeclimber]

tinovack, That just doesn't sound right. I witnessed a 2" ball being used where a 2- 5/16" should have been used. Luckily, when raising the RV to install the WDH, the ball popped out. The new 2- 5/16" did the job.
I presume you lifted the lock pin before inserting the ball? All my 24'ers and 27'ers have used 2- 5/16". weird.
Tree

 

[tlnovack]

I am going back to Auto Zone to rebuy the 2-5/16" ball and the guy from Martzens is going to come back and see if it fits. I am going to figure this out.

 

[JackandJanet]

My 17 ft trailer uses the 2-5/16" ball too, but of course it's a 2007 model. If the lock pin is all the way back, the ball should slip right in. You would not even have to put it on a hitch.

= Jack

 

[hilltool]

My 2001 is 2.5/16.

 

[tlnovack]

Say it aint so. Omg. This is the craziest thing ever. I am considering now a 2-ball hitch. Where you can choose between 2" and 2-5/16" with a simple rotation?? Didnt even know this was an option. Anyone have this? They have them on etrailer. In black. How cool would that be? They have 3 ball also.
For the SINGLE ball setup can you just unscrew one ball and put another one on? Or is the single ball setup only for one size ball on the tow vehicle? Every time I go to the store now I am checking out hitches on the trucks in the parking lot. And I think to myself it looks so simple. They look so small compared to the size of the truck. Why cant it be simpIe. I imagine stainless steel is better than chrome? Really dont want the thing to rust.

 

[JackandJanet]

tlnovack - I don't care for the 2-ball or 3-ball hitches myself. I think you should stick with a hitch that uses a single, properly sized ball. If you want a smaller ball to pull, say, a small utility trailer, you'd buy another simple hitch to do that. Your HiLo trailer hitch should be a Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) with sway control.

Yes, you can simply unscrew one ball and install another, but, it has to be torqued properly and this involves a large socket and a torque wrench with a very high capacity. These items are a bit pricey. Also, the balls themselves in the towing class range you need are pricey too. I don't think you need to worry about rust in that grade of hitch. I have no idea what my ball is made of, but it's never shown any rust.

- Jack

 

[tlnovack]

Ok. Good to know. How do I know if the hitch on the Hi-Lo now is in fact a WDH? And dont get me started on the safety chain. (Size, length, welded on vs. bolt on etc ). My chain is welded on but that weld happened two decades ago. (2001). Someone said to replace the chain with a bigger one. Should I have the chain cut off and replaced with one that is bolted on? Any ideas? I appreciate the input. I am following all your advice. Thank you.

 

[JackandJanet]

tinovack, a WDH is NOT on the trailer, it's what you put into the receiver in your tow vehicle to pull the trailer. It includes a towing ball and some kind of weight distributing spring bars that may or may not include chains to connect them to the trailer. The WDH may or may not include built in sway control, which I think is a must have, even though the HiLo is not particularly subject to sway. Trailer sway can, and has, caused both trailer and tow vehicle rollover and it certainly causes loss of directional control that can lead to other types of accidents.

There are many kinds of WDHs, mine is the Equil-I-Zer brand. Here's a link to their website: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/ It has built-in sway control that does not have to be dis-engaged when backing up (some kinds require this). You can get these hitches online from many different sources, so look around. You basically want one that has the capacity to tow the weight of your trailer and that can manage the tongue weight of your trailer. You should choose one that doesn't exceed the tongue weight by too much, so if your trailer's tongue weight is under 600#, a hitch that could support 800# would be fine. If you get one that is rated for a very high tongue weight, it will give you a harsh ride and, of course, cost you more.

Personally, I think the safety chains that come on the trailer are fine, but if yours looks to be degraded, by all means, replace it. I have no preference for bolt-on vs welded.

- Jack

 

[RichR]

If you want to shop online for a WDH go to www.etrailer.com You'll see a wide variety of them. As jack said, a hitch with sway control is recommended.

 

[Treeclimber]

etrailer also shows how WDH are installed. Good info video.
Tree