CURT vs Reese: Best Adjustable Ball Mount for Trucks

For you if: you tow more than one trailer height or coupler size on a 2″ receiver and you want one adjustable mount instead of a drawer full of fixed drops. You will measure coupler height, set drop or rise, and pin the head before every haul.

Skip this page if: one fixed-drop mount already matches your only trailer. Skip if you came here for a standalone hitch ball or hitch lock — use our hitch-ball-and-lock guide. Skip weight-distribution hitch shoppers (our weight-distribution hitch guide). Skip gooseneck and fifth-wheel buyers (different bed hitches). Skip if your receiver is 1-1/4″ — both mounts here are 2″ shank class.

An adjustable ball mount is the shank-plus-head that slides into your 2″ receiver and holds the trailer ball at a height you can change. Channel-style mounts (like CURT 45900) pin a dual-ball head up and down a vertical channel. Multi-ball heads (like Reese 7068900) put two or three ball sizes on one casting so you flip the head to match the coupler. The job is leveling the trailer tongue to the truck without buying a new fixed-drop mount for every trailer.

It is not the chrome ball you bolt through a hole in a fixed mount — that is the hitch-ball guide. It is not a keyed hitch lock pin. It is not a weight-distribution hitch with spring bars. It is not a gooseneck ball in the bed or a fifth-wheel head.

Same aisle. Different ball stack and drop story.

Ball sizes

CURT 45900 covers 2″ and 2-5/16″ on one dual-ball head. Reese 7068900 adds 1-7/8″ for older or lighter couplers, then matches the same 2″ and 2-5/16″ sizes. If you never tow a 1-7/8″ coupler, CURT’s dual-ball head is enough. If you still see 1-7/8″ on a utility trailer in the fleet, Reese’s tri-ball is the mount that prints that size.

Drop, rise, and steps

CURT prints 6″ max drop and 5-1/4″ max rise with the shank flipped, and 1″ vertical hole spacing for fine leveling. Reese title specs land near 4.75″ drop and 5.69″ rise. Measure from the top of the receiver opening to the trailer coupler (loaded the way you tow), then pick drop or rise so the trailer sits level. Do not guess from curb photos.

Capacity language

Both tops out at 14,000 lb on the 2-5/16″ ball class. CURT splits it clearly: 10,000 lb on the 2″ ball, 14,000 lb on the 2-5/16″ ball. Reese prints the same 2″ / 2-5/16″ pair plus 2,000 lb on the 1-7/8″ ball, with overall capacity up to 14,000 lb. Always tow to the lowest rating in the stack — truck, hitch, mount, ball in use, coupler, trailer.

Anti-rattle and hardware

CURT builds an anti-rattle rubber bumper into the channel. Vertical pins and clips come in the box; the hitch pin that holds the shank in the receiver is sold separately (or use a hitch lock from the ball-and-lock guide). Confirm Reese’s pin and clip story on the maker carton when you buy — do not assume the receiver pin is included.

1. Park truck and trailer on level ground the way you actually tow (loaded tongue, air bags set if you use them).
2. Measure from the top inside of the receiver opening to the bottom of the coupler latch plane — or follow CURT’s rise/drop how-to video on the 45900 page.
3. Choose drop if the coupler sits lower than the receiver; choose rise (flip the shank on CURT) if the coupler sits higher.
4. Pin the head, latch the coupler, and confirm the trailer sits level before you load the highway.
5. Cap the haul at the lowest GTW / TW in the stack. A 14,000 lb ball does not raise a 5,000 lb hitch.

Both primary mounts use a 2″ shank. That fits the common Class III / Class IV (and many Class V) 2″ × 2″ truck receivers. It does not fit a 1-1/4″ Class II tube without an adapter — and adapters change ratings, so read the adapter maker before you assume capacity. Confirm bumper clearance with the 11″ or 12″ shank length on CURT. Confirm your trailer coupler diameter before you pick dual-ball vs tri-ball.

CURT #45812 — adjustable shank with a 1″ ball hole only (you supply the ball). Max drop 7-1/2″ / rise 6-1/4″. 5,000 lb GTW / 500 lb TW. Class for lighter trailers when you want more drop range and your own ball choice.

Reese Towpower #7031300 — adjustable ball mount for a 2″ receiver in the 3–7.5″ drop class at 5,000 lb capacity (shank-style; confirm whether a ball is included on the maker page before you buy). Related option only — not the main Reese pick on this page.

Horizon / Reese Pro Series #63071 — dual-ball adjustable (2″ + 2-5/16″), about 5.875″ drop / 4.625″ rise, 14,000 lb on the shared Draw-Tite / Reese Pro platform. Same Horizon family note only — not a third main pick here.