What Hitch to Arrive with to Pick up my new Ollie

[AlbertNTerri]

Greetings, I've established from previous conversations to wait before buying a WDH. So now, do I need to arrive (May 2022) with HOPEFULLY the right height hitch or do I need to purchase an adjustable hitch, or will I be able to aquire the proper hitch upon my arrival at the Oliver Hatchery next May? I'm driving a large Ford F250. Oh yeah, one other thing. We just aquired the truck used and will be changing back to the stock size tires before next May so whatever the current receiver height is now will likely change.

Thank you!!

albert

[ChrisMI]

Not knowing the height of your receiver the only recommendation I’ll give is to be careful of the gtw of the hitch ball and draw bar. One of the reasons I don’t really like a 2 inch ball for a 7k trailer is there are a bunch of 3.5k and 6k rated units out there. Personally id make sure the connection equipment is rated at or above the gross rating of the trailer. 

[Steph and Dud B]

We wondered the same thing for our GMC dually. I was able to take careful measurements based on previously posted info that the top of the ball should be approximately 23.5" above the ground when hitched. Of course, that includes any sag from the weight of the trailer and truck cargo, so it's hard to know for sure before actually hooking up. I was able to connect another trailer of approximately the same weight as an LE2 and get a sense of the sag. We decided to go with an adjustable drop hitch and went with the Weigh Safe for 2 reasons: we wanted to see our loaded tongue weight before we left the factory campground, and I wanted an aluminum hitch for weight and rust resistance. One nice thing about Weigh Safe and some of the other drop hitch manufacturers is that they post detailed drawings of their hitches with all the measurements to help you select the correct one. In our case, I had to flip to drop hitch to a rise position. We needed a 4" drop hitch for our dually but your mileage may vary since duallies tend to sit lower and we also put 1" drop shackles on our truck for our fifth wheel.

[AlbertNTerri]

Thanks for that Chris and Steph & Dud, that is helpful. I'll get a measurement to find the drop needed to make 20-25" off the ground, that should take care of the change in tire height when I return to the stock tire size then order the Weigh Safe rated for 18.5K and I should be all set on arrival.

 

Can't wait!!

a.

[Frank C]

Here’s the ball mount hitch and ball I’m using on my F-250.  My F-250 has a 2-1/2” receiver.  Truck, receiver, ball mount and ball all rated well in excess of the Ollie weight for a big safety margin.    The ball mount is a 3” drop and that put the ball at the proper height for my truck.   

Reese Towpower 45322 2 1/2" Titan... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JID6U6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
 

CURT 40056 Stainless Steel... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08557RHP1?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

This is the hitch I got when I went to the 2500.  Top of the ball is just under 24” and I get about an inch of drop when the trailer is connected.

 

[fairmontrvpark]

Albert, 

I am sure You will be very happy with the Weigh Safe Hitch. I use one as well and am very satisfied with it. The ability to instantly see adjustments you make to your payload is priceless in my opinion. 

Good luck and Happy Trails. 

Dan

[xmavrick]

I used this hitch and towed about 3500 miles this summer with no issues. Hope this helps!

 

$229.99 $0.00

Receiver Size

Ball Size

 

Qty:

 

type: Hitches & Towing

Vendor: Nationwide Trailers Parts Store

Description:

The Andersen Rapid Hitch makes it easier than ever to quickly adjust height: pull pin, adjust, slip pin back into place - done! Polished aluminum rack won't rust, chip, or peel.

Details/Specs:

• Available options:
  • 2" Receiver
    • 1-7/8" x 2"
      • GTWR: 7.5K lbs (1-7/8" ball) - 8K lbs (2" ball)
    • 2" x 2-5/16"
      • GTWR: 8K lbs (2" ball) - 10K lbs (2-5/16" ball)
  • 2-1/2" Receiver
    • 2" x 2-5/16"
      • GTWR: 10K lbs (2" ball) - 12.5K lbs (2-5/16" ball)
• 6" Drop/Rise
• Combo Ball 
• Tongue capacity: 1.5K lbs
• Zinc-plated steel
• Meets V5 and SAE J684 certifications
• Made in the USA

Don't forget your Rapid Hitch Locking Pins

 

[John E Davies]

Adjustable hitches are cool and extremely handy IF you tow a lot of different trailers, but they may rattle, and they do hang down very far, and that can lead to certain situations where it smashes hard into the ground. If it happens to be onto a paved road, it will rattle your teeth and spine and make you swear. You can hacksaw off the bottom few inches, but that is irreversable 😀. I did that to my Andersen one. 

The Weigh Safe is very neat, especially if you tow different big trailers, but in reality, once you weigh your Ollie’s tongue you probably will never have to do it again, so a portable scale like the Sherline LM1000 works great. I have used mine twice in five years, normally it stays safely stored in its box in my garage. I bought it when I sold my Ram 3500 and bought the LC200, I had no need of it before then. So if the only “heavy” trailer you tow is the Ollie, the Weigh Safe is overkill. Plus an 18.5k (max 2200 pounds TW) hitch gauge will be inherently less accurate than a 1000 pound one. (Gauges are most accurate right in the middle of the scale.)

I suggest that you buy a simple one piece drop mount steel unit like FrankC posted, plus a “slopper stopper” anti-rattle device of some type (especially if you also add mudflaps, they rock around like crazy otherwise) and in the future you could choose to invest in one that is ten times as expensive….Plus a cheap unit is much less likely to get stolen. If you want actual numbers, load and stock your trailer, fill the fresh tank and get Oliver to weigh it for you with their portable scale before you leave Hohenwald. However, if you tell us your options and what stuff you plan to carry (generator, ebikes, cast iron pots) we can probably guess your TW within about 100 pounds.

Finally, I suspect that most Ollie owners have no clue what their tongue weight is, and for those with HD trucks it is pretty much irrelevant unless you own an oddball one like a Power Wagon. So don’t sweat it too much. These LE2 trailers are not all sensitive to tongue weight variations.

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[dewdev]

I agree with JD in the above post. I took my trailer to a certified scale when I was ready to travel and after loading all my gear in the trailer (no water in tanks or groceries) I returned to the certified scale and and my hitch weight was 480 pounds. very little increase

[AlbertNTerri]

That's all very good information and helpful, Thank you everyone for your input

[Dave and Dana]

Useful info, getting ready for pick up in April, TV will be a 2020 Audi Q7 3.0T.  

From what I've gathered here, but please confirm, Oliver uses a 2" ball?

And figuring perhaps one or two inches of sag when hitched, top of ball should be about 25 to 23 inches above ground?

Sound about right?

Dave

 

[Mike and Carol]

42 minutes ago, Dave and Dana said:

Useful info, getting ready for pick up in April, TV will be a 2020 Audi Q7 3.0T.  

From what I've gathered here, but please confirm, Oliver uses a 2" ball?

And figuring perhaps one or two inches of sag when hitched, top of ball should be about 25 to 23 inches above ground?

Sound about right?

Dave

 

Yes, 2” ball.  I think the recommendation is 23.5” unloaded.  Not sure what the sag would be on a Q7, the ball on my truck is at 24” unloaded and drops a little over an inch when the trailer is lowered.  Had almost a 2” drop with the half ton.  Mike

[Boudicca908]

1 hour ago, Dave and Dana said:

Oliver uses a 2" ball

You have options! Speak to your salesman about your build. 

[Cameron]

I thought I had researched everything correctly and came with a receiver and ball that I thought were perfect. Of course I was wrong. Fortunately there's a Tractor Supply Co. about a quarter mile from OTT. I actually had to go back twice (!!) to get the correct set up. The folks at OTT were so patient with me and I don't blame them if they were amused by me. Anyway, that's a backup option to make sure you get on the road with the right setup.

[John and Debbie]

On 11/22/2021 at 5:05 AM, ChrisMI said:

Not knowing the height of your receiver the only recommendation I’ll give is to be careful of the gtw of the hitch ball and draw bar. One of the reasons I don’t really like a 2 inch ball for a 7k trailer is there are a bunch of 3.5k and 6k rated units out there. Personally id make sure the connection equipment is rated at or above the gross rating of the trailer. 

Chris, did you go with the 2 5/8 inch ball?   I am leaning towards that for our November delivery.  You also get a beefier Bulldog coupler. 

John

[Cameron]

here's what I've used for the past year. so far so good.