Trailer Towing Basics: Hitch Ball Mount| How To Name The Parts Of A Trailer
[Music] [Applause] [Music] Ottoman Hitch Essentials. We’re going to start very basically with our ball mount. And for today’s purposes and the training we’re going through, we’re using this nonforward height adjustable ball mount, which we can break down into three distinct sections. Okay. First section is called the shank. And this is a 2-in shank. And the shank connects to the tow vehicle at the hitch, right? That’s correct. Yep. Then we have the ball mount itself and the ball. This is a 2-in ball, but there are multiple different sizes for a lot of different applications. And I’m holding on to this piece here. Is this important? That is an important part. This is our hitch pin. And the hitch pin connects directly through not only the hitch itself, but our ball mounts to keep everything secure. Okay. And I’ve seen that some trucks will have a trailer that connects at the truck bed. What exactly is that? So that’s either a fifth wheel or a gooseeneck trailer. A gooseeneck is a ball mount that goes directly in the middle of a pickup truck’s bed and connects to the frame. What it’s meant to do is distribute that weight directly across that vehicle’s rear axle. You’ll commonly see that on something like an agricultural or livestock trailer. A fifth wheel is commonly used for something like an RV and it’s a similar setup where you have the mount directly over that rear axle of a pickup truck, but it’s a little bit taller. [Applause]
This video provides essential trailer hitch basics and explains the function of the ball mount, shank, ball, and hitch pin. Learn about the hardware that connects your trailer to your tow vehicle securely.
