What Size Drop Hitch Should I Buy: All About Draw Bars

We get the recurring questions: “What size drop hitch should I buy?” One major component for our adjustable ball mounts is the draw bar, which is the L-shaped portion of the hitch. The shank is the portion that fits into the receiver of your tow vehicle and has a hole to secure it in place. The drop portion of the draw bar is the piece that hangs down and has additional holes for quick and easy height adjustments. Here is a photo for more clarity:

We offer draw bars in the following drop length sizes: 4”, 6”, 8” and 10” and in the following shank sizes: 2”, 2.5” and 3”; all of which can be mismatched so that you can purchase the best fit hitch for your vehicle. The only combination that we do not have available is a 4” drop with a 3” shank. 

What size drop hitch should I buy? We receive many questions when it comes to determining what size draw bar/drop length would work best with customer’s tow vehicles. We recommend at least 11” of clearance from the bottom of your LOADED trailer hitch ball to the ground. In order to determine how to achieve that, you can check out our blog that walks you through step by step on how to determine that (click here).

It is important to know that all of our draw bars measure 3” longer than the listed drop length. For example, our 4” drop length is actually 7” in total length; our 6” is actually 9” in total length and so on. This is due to the sliding portion that attaches to the draw bar. That portion is 3” and in order to get the full length of advertised drop, the draw bar needs to be 3” longer to account for that slider.

What size drop length do I currently have? An easy way to figure out which drop length you have is to either measure the draw bar with a tape measure or count the number of holes in the drop portion when the slider is not attached. You will need to count the number of holes and then subtract 3, which will then give you the drop length you have. So if you have a draw bar with 13 holes on the drop portion, you have a 10” drop (13-3=10).

What size receiver do I have? When it comes to determining what size of shank you need, the best way to do that is to measure the inside opening of the receiver on your tow vehicle. NEVER assume by looking at it that you know what size it is and NEVER let someone else tell you what size it is without measuring it yourself. Measuring is KEY to getting the correct size shank. 

**Click image to enlarge

I need to know the distance… Occasionally we will get questions regarding the distance between the hitch pin hole and the backside of the drop portion or the distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the tow ball. If you’re needing to know a specific distance or measurement, there is a link on the product page once you click the drop length and shank size you are wanting and it will give you all the dimensions. See below for an example of the dimensions of a Weigh Safe ball mount with an 8” drop and 2.5” shank: 

Is my draw bar compatible with Rock Tamers/mud flaps? Our 2” shank has two holes whereas our 2.5” and 3” shanks only have one hole. With that being said, only our 2” shanks with the 2 holes is compatible with rock tamers/mud flaps. Our 2.5” and 3” shanks only have 1 hole and are not currently compatible with any rock tamers. However, we are working on getting a second hole in those other two shank sizes. 

Can my hitch be flipped around in the rise position? Another great feature of our draw bars is that they can be used in the rise position as well as the drop. This means that you can insert the draw bar into the receiver of your vehicle with the drop portion in the rise position pointing up. Switching your hitch into the rise position does not compromise the weight rating of the hitch in any way and you are able to tow the same amount of weight in the rise position as you are in the drop position. 

I need a different draw bar but I don’t want to buy an entire new hitch… Good news, the draw bar portion can be purchased separately if need be. Let’s say you purchase a 10” drop hitch for your lifted truck and then decide that you want to tow with another one of your vehicles that is lower to the ground. You can purchase a shorter draw bar for your second tow vehicle and the slider portion along with all the other components will be compatible. This option is also convenient for situations where you purchase a new vehicle and need a different size draw bar but don’t want to purchase an entire new hitch.

I bought the wrong size! If you accidentally purchase the wrong size of draw bar when ordering your hitch, please contact our Customer Support team so that we can determine the best way to get you what you need. If you do end up purchasing the wrong size and it is brand new and never been used, we can exchange that for the correct size no problem at all. The customer will be responsible for any price differences as well as shipping both ways but there is no restocking or exchange fee. If you have used your draw bar and later determine you are in need of a different size, this is when purchasing a new draw bar would come into play as we can not do an exchange on a used draw bar.

It is SUPER important to do all the proper measuring prior to ordering your Weigh Safe hitch so that you can avoid shipping costs and whatnot. We want to make sure that you are getting exactly what you need in order to have a towing peace of mind.