The step bumper once was a common option for a new pickup, and most came from the factory with no rear bumper. In the center was a horizontal plate with a hole suitable for either a trailer hitch ball, or the pin used to secure a farm implement to the pickup, same as to the drawbar of a tractor. Adequate for a two-animal stock trailer or light utility trailer, with heavier usage most of these ended up bent out of shape and usually replaced.
The frame-mounted receiver hitch evolved as the go-to upgrade. These are now available with inside dimensions of 1 1/2 inches, 2 inches or now 2 1/2 inches for the receiver. These are engineered to attach to the frame rails of the host vehicle in a manner that stiffens the whole rear of the tow vehicle. The hitch piece slides into the receiver and is secured by a (usually) 5/8-inch pin. Multiple ends allow the now-standard trailer hitch ball, pintle hitch, tow hook, bare drawbar or other custom ends.
It can also serve as a stable anchor point for a portable vise on a pickup that doubles as a service truck.
The 2-inch size is standard on most pickups, with the smaller showing up on minivans, etc., and the larger showing up where more than the “standard” 500 pounds of drawbar weight and 5,000-pound trailer weight will be towed. For highway safety and longevity of equipment, it’s wise to at least be aware of the manufacturer’s stated weight capacity when towing. Note that those 30,000-pound-plus tow ratings factor in adequate trailer brakes.
All trailer hitch balls are not the same
The threaded shaft that anchors the ball to the receiver hitch part is available from 3/4 inch to 1 1/4 inches, with the 1 inch being most common. The weight rating for the balls is stated on the packaging and is usually stamped on the metal itself. The standard ball diameters are 1 7/8 inches, 2 inches and 2 5/16 inches. Pay attention to weight ratings lest you have an embarrassing phone call to make later.
Trailer light wiring
Most pickups of recent vintage come from the factory with both standard four-wire and seven-wire plugs. When wiring, repairing or retrofitting the wiring on a trailer, the mating plugs will include a wiring diagram. Note that the color-coding of the various wires may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. A simple test light is your friend. Be aware that as you look at the face of the vehicle side of the plug (female) and the trailer side (male), you’ll be looking at “mirror images,” and it’s easy to wire up a trailer plug backward.
Issues with trailer light wiring are generally due to a poor, intermittent or lost ground or an open circuit (broken wire). A bare wire along the way may take out a fuse in the towing vehicle. To troubleshoot a light that is not lit and the bulb looks good, make sure the socket is getting power. Then work rear to front, testing the trailer light plug, both to see that there is power coming from the tow vehicle and power from the plug to the trailer wiring.
A blown fuse on the towing vehicle may be due to a bare wire shorting out on the trailer wiring.
(FYI: It’s embarrassing to completely rewire a trailer only to find that the original issue is not resolved and that it was only a bad ground in the first place.)
Weight balance
A tail-heavy trailer will “wag” the tow vehicle all over the road, with a ditch or median upset parking being likely.
Ten percent of the trailer weight being on the hitch of the towing vehicle is the suggested standard. Since few of us are going to carry 500-pound scales with us – look at the level of the unloaded trailer and the level of the towing vehicle after hooking the trailer to the tow rig. You may want to measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the trailer hitch at the hitch ball, and the height of the rear of the trailer from the ground.
When loaded, the hitch height should have settled more than the rear of the trailer. Shifting the load forward a few inches will do wonders for the stability of the combination. When loaded, the tow vehicle and the trailer should both be level with the ground.
Auxiliary (helper) springs, usually air bags, will help to level a heavy load. Weight-distributing hitches will transfer weight away from the rear axle of the tow vehicle. Neither will increase the allowed (manufacturer-specified) weight rating of the towing vehicle. Both will improve the stability.
Use a modicum of common sense
The towing weight rating from the manufacturer is an absolute maximum and includes enough fine print and requirements for heavy-duty options that their (the manufacturer) legal staff feels that they can easily defend a lawsuit when a top-heavy trailer parks the tow vehicle in the ditch in a windstorm.
From my observations, the following appears to be a well-guarded secret
When the rear of a vehicle is loaded heavy or hooked to a heavy trailer that pushes the rear of the vehicle down, it changes the aim of the headlights. It moves the light beam from the headlights from illuminating the road ahead to shining in the eyes of oncoming traffic.
The fix is to either use weight transfer devices or helper springs to maintain the “level” of the tow vehicle, whether loaded or empty – spend 30 seconds per side and adjust.
Spend 30 seconds per side and readjust the height of the headlight beam. Usually, five to 10 twists of the adjusting screw on each headlight will both make your vision of the road better and make it safer for other traffic. Spend five minutes in the dark with your standard loaded trailer and make the lights right; then write down the number of turns for the next event.
