Hitch ball mount adjustment

Question

Hi all,A picked up a 2015 Ram sport and installed some BOSS air bags in the rear end. This has now made the tongue of my trailer sit quite high.My ball mount is adjustable, however the way the ball mount was situated it was at its lowest setting. Tonight I removed the ball and bracket for it from the mount, flipped the mount over and reinstalled the bracket to the lowest setting. I'll have to see if this sits right, and possible raise it up one notch, however I have two questions.1. Is it OK to flip the mount over like I did? The angle support is now on the bottom (angled piece), which before it was on the top. I've seem them both ways so I am assuming it doesn't matter.2. How tight do I tighten the two nuts/bolts that hold the ball bracket to the mount itself? They have lock washers so I assume they don't have to be overly tight since the pressure is sheering on the bolt, not pulling on it length wise.Heres a photo of the hitch after I changed it:http://i.imgur.com/lp2fu2y.jpgThanks.

sweetlou · Answer

I would think flipping it over would not matter one bit. As far as tightening the two bolts, I would do that as much as I was physically able. It is a critical
area and also may keep thieves from undoing your hitch.

mich800 · Answer

(2.)  On the Reese I had the spec was pretty high.  I think somewhere around 250-300 pounds.You can probably google your brand and find the specs.

bobbo · Answer

The two brands I was looking at had torque ratings for those bolts at 250 foot-pounds and 300 foot-pounds respectively.

barneys · Answer

The above posts are correct. You can use the shank in either the up or down position, it does not matter.

The torque specs are as posted above. I would torque to 275ft/lbs.

One additional comment:
Under the hitch head is a small square headed bolt that jams up against the shank. It keeps the hitch head tilt up against the washers behind the head. It should be tight before you tighten up those large shank bolts. It also has a tendency to loosen easily. Make sure you check the tightness of that bolt before every towing session or your hitch head may well bang up and down at every stop and start. The clamping force of those large bolts holding the head onto the shank are often not enough to hold the head tilt where it should be and up against the washers.
Barney

interex · Answer

Those hitches are designed as a drop/rise. You aren't doing anything wrong by adjusting it the way you did.

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Hitch ball mount adjustment

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