How much drop do I need on a ball mount for a lifted truck?

Answered by RV Parts Giant · Upland, CA · October 31, 2026

Short answer: Measure with the truck and trailer level: receiver height minus coupler height is your drop. Then choose by rating as well as drop. Our TowSmart mounts run from 5-1/4" fixed and 7-1/2" adjustable at 5,000 lb down to 4" at 17,000 lb, so a heavy trailer on a tall lift narrows the list quickly.

Do not guess from the size of the lift. Stock receiver heights vary, so two measurements give you a better answer than any lift-based chart.

The measurement

Park the truck on level ground, loaded the way you tow. Measure from the ground to the top inside edge of the receiver opening.
Level the trailer, also loaded. Measure from the ground to the bottom of the coupler.
Receiver height minus coupler height is your drop. A negative result means you need rise.

Example: a 24" receiver and an 18" coupler means about 6" of drop.

What we stock, by drop

Mount	Drop or rise	Rating	Ball hole
TowSmart 737	2" drop, 1" rise	Up to 17,000 lb	1-1/4"
TowSmart 700	2-1/2" drop, 2" rise	3,500 lb, Class 2	3/4"
TowSmart 704	3-1/4" drop, 2" rise	5,000 lb	1"
TowSmart 738	4" drop, 3" rise	Up to 17,000 lb	1-1/4"
TowSmart 702	5-1/4" drop, 4" rise	5,000 lb	1"
TowSmart 746	7-1/2" drop to 6-1/4" rise, adjustable	5,000 lb	Not listed; ball sold separately
Kohree adjustable	6" drop or rise	22,000 lb GTW	Includes 2" and 2-5/16" balls

Working through the example

With a 6" need and a light trailer, the 746 adjusts to it, and it can follow you if you change trucks or trailers. The fixed 702 stops at 5-1/4", leaving the trailer about 3/4" nose-high in this example.

With a heavy trailer, the 702 and 746 are out at 5,000 lb. The 738 stops at 4" of drop, which leaves about 2" of error here. The Kohree reaches 6". Its listing is clear that you must stay within your vehicle's and receiver's limits, so its 22,000 lb figure does not raise your tow rating.

After you hitch up

Recheck level with the trailer on the ball, because the truck's rear squats under tongue weight. An adjustable mount makes that correction easy. On a fixed mount, measure with the truck loaded so the first number is close.

If you tow several trailers, an adjustable mount saves the guesswork. Andersen's Rapid Hitch (4 to 10 in racks) and EZ Hitch (4 to 8 in racks) adjust drop or rise with pins; see Rapid Hitch vs Greaseless Rapid Hitch vs EZ Hitch for Andersen's ratings by shank size.

The TowSmart mounts in this table ship without a ball, so match the ball shank to the hole size shown.