Small utility trailer towing

[Texpedition]

I'm thinking about buying a small utility trailer to haul stuff around with on an occasional basis and would like some info from the experts here. My '98 Expedition appears to have the trailer towing package as the bumper has trailer towing specs on it and I have a light harness on the underside of the bumper. So, my question is, assuming that I find a trailer I want to buy or to even rent at Home Depot, can I put a ball in the hole in the bumper and pull a small trailer behind me? Do I need to have a hitch installed or is a ball on the bumper OK? We're talking about a 4 foot trailer to haul lawn equipment, a ladder or two and maybe some construction equipment like a table saw, etc.

Thanks for any responses.

Texpedition

 

[Paul2003]

If the bumper is designed for light towing you should be fine. I towed a utility trailer for years with a step bumper like that on a mini pickup.

Given the age of your truck I would closely inspect the bumper where it is mounted to the truck frame though. My mounts rusted out after a decade.

 

[bedrck46]

Agree with the above Just stay within weight limits. My only comment would be that by using the bumper mount that the trailer may not ride level. You may want to consider getting a class 3 hitch from a junk yard or u-pull-it and mount it to the frame and use a drop ball mount

 

[stamp11127]

Ahh hell, I'll throw a wrench in the works.

Forget the bumper pull ball. Check the local junk yards for an expy that has a tow hitch and go that route. That is what I did and only cost me $29.

 

[Texpedition]

Thanks for the replies. We're only talking about a couple of hundred pounds at most and the bumper calls out 4000 lbs max. Good idea to check the rust-bucket factor although it's been garaged most of its life. However, with almost 300,000 miles, rust could be there. Most trailers that size are going to not sit level so I'll have to deal with that too. I'd just rather not continue abusing the interior by throwing the lawn mower, edger and weedeater in the back.

 

[stamp11127]

When the day comes that you need to drag the other car home on a dolly you'll wish you had a class 3 hitch. Next time you see a bumper on a truck that is pointing down or to the sky it was probably overloaded and they had to stop quickly - bumper mounts do bend.

 

[Texpedition]

When the day comes that you need to drag the other car home on a dolly you'll wish you had a class 3 hitch. Next time you see a bumper on a truck that is pointing down or to the sky it was probably overloaded and they had to stop quickly - bumper mounts do bend.

That's why God invented tow trucks.

 

[tonydiv]

I think you'll find that towing from the bumper may be too high for a small utility trailer. The back of the trailer may drag. My 5' x 8' bike trailer (with 12" wheels) needs a dropped ball mount to stay relatively level, even when towing with my brother's stock height Sportrac. I used an 8" drop mount when I towed it with the Expy.

 

[Texpedition]

That was actually what I was thinking I might need. Can I buy that at Northern Tool? Home Depot?

 

[tonydiv]

Depot and Tractor Supply and Harbor freight all have decent ball mounts in 2" and 4" drops. Tractor supply also has the bigger 6" & 8" drops. (as well as the adjustable ones)

Best thing to do is to set the trailer level (or maybe a bit nose high) and then measure where the tongue is off the ground. Then you can easily figure what ball mount you need.

 

[stamp11127]

Who makes a drop ball mount for a bumper pull? All the mounts I've seen are for receiver hitches.

 

[bedrck46]

they do make a bumper mount that will accept a drop ball mount see picture This would require some drilling and also would cost less than a frame mounted receiver. Although for about the same cost I would look for a used class 3 frame mounted receiver

 

[stamp11127]

Learn something new everyday....

 

[montecarlo31]

Here's mine. 4.5' x 8.5' with a 5,200 lb axle and 5,500 lb GVW. Payload is about 4,300 lbs or so I think the trailer is right in at 1,200 lbs. Torsen axle with brake. Pull true at any speed even with 2 yards of 3/4" granite.

 

[BIG GREEN FORD]

Here's mine. 4.5' x 8.5' with a 5,200 lb axle and 5,500 lb GVW. Payload is about 4,300 lbs or so I think the trailer is right in at 1,200 lbs. Torsen axle with brake. Pull true at any speed even with 2 yards of 3/4" granite.

Your truck looks like its maxed out

 

[montecarlo31]

Your truck looks like its maxed out

Optical illusion the fender flairs always made it look low even with the big tires. Trailer had 2 yards of 3/4 inch and probably was pushing an easy 1,000 lbs of tongue weight. Still had about 2-3" before the bumps.

Edit: I was more worried about the trailer tires than the truck. The 15"s are only rated at 2640 if memory serves correct.