Cushioned Ball Mounts for Tow Vehicle

So I pulled the trigger and got a new tow rig, F250 diesel Lariat thingie with all the goodies. Amazing truck thus far, 17 MPG not towing right out of the box and I hear it only get's better. My bud who usually hauls the boat is gonna be really happy to save the wear and tear on his F150 gasser.

Anyway, i gotta pick up a ball mount and a ball for our trailer. I am seeing these cushioned ball mounts that have some play in them and claim to be easier on the drive train. I have surge disks on the trailer and they have a small shock in there, but it still clunks here and there.

Anyone use one of those cushioned ball mounts?? Would it work alright with the hyrdaulic surge brakes on the trailer??

you will barely even feel the measly 5k pounds your towing with that truck.

I have heard that too Adam!! Actually I think our boat + trailer comes in around 4000 or so, even better.

I guess maybe I am splitting hairs considering the truck is designed to haul monster loads.

I've always use cushioned ball mounts since my first tow vehicle's tow assembly got worn. The pin hole in the receiver became oval shaped after a few years of banging.

I live in Tahoe, and go up/down hills all the time. Even with a good shock in the surge brake system, there is still some banging that occurs.

I bought a low cost one (around $50), and then upgraded to a Schuck one, that's over a $100. It has multiple urethane cushions, but the design has a limited drop of 2".

Certainly takes the strain off the receiver parts, but you still feel the slack in the brakes, although much less so.

Dave

Hey flux; I have an '06 F250 6.0 SD Diesel, and pull my Tige 24V like it wasn't even there. No problems getting started or more importantly , STOPPING. I have a standard ball hitch dropped to accomodate the 4" lift on the truck. No issues.

P.S. 17 MPG ?? I'm lucky to get 12 with the truck alone.

Greg, that's what the computer was saying, 16.8 mpg or so on the way back home. I don't know if it was correct or not, it's stock FX4 package. I have heard that the computers are not that accurate, but my hand calcs confirm I averaged about 15+ mpg over the first 500 miles, 14 going up and 17 coming back. I expect that the engine will need time to break in.

I suspect you might be getting increased drag from the lift kit. I have also heard that "leveling" the F250 decreases mileage as well, there is more drag underneath the truck as it is exposed by leveling and lifting. The trucks are a bit lower in the front end for drag and handling. This is all just stuff I read on the Ford-Trucks.com forums. I know that I have all the power killing emissions flashes on there, but I ain't gonna mess with any of that, i like my warranty. I do think you should be getting better than 12, mine were all highway miles, which is what I got the truck for anyway, dragging boats and going on roadtrips, no around town cruising for the most part. I kept it around 70-80 in cruise control, that helps MPG too.

I'll probably just get a regular hitch for now and see how it goes. Steel ball mounts are inexpensive, I can always get the nice Schuck one later if I don't like the clunking.

Heres a picture of my rig

My 6.0 powerstroke gets about 14 mpg while towing my boat (boat,trailer,live load approx. 4500 lbs total). I think I have a turbo issue right now with over boosting when pulling heavy grades but have not taken it in yet. You will be amazed compared to the 150 gasser you were used to.

This is my setup

Maybe I need to add a 4" exhaust to "free it up". I already have a K&N cold air box.

Just boat a new 06 F250 diesel, love the truck. Took it with the boat (Sanger V230) to Trinity ove the long weekend, all in all I think I got around 12 mpg, highway and mountains combined. According to the computer I was 15-16 highway in commute traffic. So far not much differnt from the 1500 Suburban, but night and day as far as power and stability. Still less than 2000 miles on it so we will see. I also am very conservative and run at 60 mph on the highway, right lane cruiser never have to pass anyone.

I have the Banks 4" catback with 5" tip. Did not want to go with Turbo back being Ford is being funny about warranty work with aftermarket mods installed. No issue with catback and the dealers. I had the AFE stage 2 intake but elected to take it off and sell it. It was sending to much air flow by the MAF sensor which sent codes and in turn I got the Check Engine light.