The Right Trailer Hitch Classes: How Do You Choose?

Finding the right trailer hitch classes is not at all as difficult as it might seem when you first decide to purchase a new trailer hitch. Like anything else, it just takes a bit of information to decide on the type of trailer hitch that you should purchase for your vehicle. At Auto Truck Depot, we know how important it is to make the right decision about the class of trailer hitch that you buy, and we help our customers with this decision every day.

Here are a few things that you'll want to keep in mind to choose the right trailer hitch class:

    First check your vehicle's manual. More often than not, you'll find distinct information about the class of hitch that you should use for your vehicle. While this information won't provide all the information you need, it will get you started on the right path.
    Second think about what you plan to haul. If you only want to occasionally haul a bicycle trailer, your needs are going to be far different than someone who needs to haul around a trailer loaded down with heavy machinery.

These are the two basics to keep in mind when deciding on trailer hitch classes for your unique needs. Generally speaking, smaller cars will usually get by on a Class 1 hitch, light duty SUVs can usually do okay with a Class2, and larger pickup trucks and SUVs will opt for a Class 3 hitch. Again, though, what you will be hauling figures into the equation, and it's always better to go a bit higher than you think you'll need, as you may decide to latch on a bigger trailer in the near future.

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Trailer Hitch Classes: Why We Offer So Many of Them

We sell a lot of trailer hitches here at Auto Truck Depot.  They might be our second best sellers.  What we’ve discovered over the years is that about half of all the people who purchase trailers and trailer hitches own cars, not trucks.  It makes sense, though.  People who own trucks probably don’t need a trailer because they can use the truck bed.  Regardless, we sell a wide variety of trailer hitches in all classes because we understand that there is no “type” of person or vehicle that requires trailer hitches.  Trailer Hitch Classes are type by two things: maximum trailer weight and towing capacity of the vehicle.

A car, for example, would probably only require a Class 1or Class 2 trailer hitch because most cars do not have the torque, horsepower, and body strength to haul heavy trailers.  A smaller car like a Mini Cooper or Prius would probably take a Class 1 hitch, whereas a “muscle” car like a Charger or Mustang could (if they owner didn’t freak out about it) take a Class 2.  Trucks, on the other hand, have five different trailer hitch classes: Class 3, Class 4, Class 5, Xtra Duty, and Heavy Duty.

You should review your vehicle’s manual before deciding on a trailer hitch, or ask one of our sales or service reps.  If you are having us install the trailer hitch this will just come up naturally because our service team won’t install anything that is “unsafe” or would harm your vehicle.  That’s part of our quality control process.  We’re “safety first” here at Auto Truck Depot. 

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