Correct ball mount size for 2006 Casita Spirit

[Esther out east]

Hello,

We just purchased a 2006 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe. We are having a hitch & harness installed on our car but we still need to know the size of the ball and the height of the hitch when it's attached to the car. We plan to tow this with a Kia Sorento. Is anyone using this set up?

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Darwin Maring]

Call and ask the ball size then shop here.

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-1..._psugg_q=hitch

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-5-16...q=trailer+ball

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...ady/63803.html

[Civilguy]

This may help get you started.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-ballmount.aspx#measure

[patrick crawford]

need to know the size of the ball

it's a 2" ball

the height of the hitch when it's attached to the car

i've heard lots of suggestions. the most common is the ball should be 22" from the level ground. that however, does not take into account the effect of 400# (or so) on your vehicle's suspension. i'd think you could start there and after you have the trailer hook it up on level ground and see if the trailer is level. if not, it's easy to change out the hitch ball with a longer shaft (i doubt it'll need a shorter one). if the tow vehicle is squatting in the rear it's another issue and you'll need to look into weight distribution hitches or load leveling devices (air bags, helper springs, etc...)

p@

[Civilguy]

The Casita 17's are "tongue heavy", so 400 lbs is a realistic guesstimate. Your tow vehicle may or may not sag substantially; I'm not familiar with the Sorento's characteristics.

The height of the coupler will also vary based on whether your trailer has a lift kit which serves to lift the body above the axle. The Dexter lift kit is comprised of two pieces of steel which are bolted between the axle and the frame. It raises your trailer by 2-5/8".

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...71-707-01.html

Because the trailer is a 2006, there's also a strong possibility that unless the axle has already been replaced, the rubber in the axle has hardened and the axle "sags" a bit. Replacing the axle is appropriate at something like 15 years and probably necessary by the 20 year mark.

For all these reasons, it would be best to level the trailer and measure what you have, and also to evaluate the condition of the torsion suspension in the axle.

[steve dunham]

The tongue weight of our 2013 Casita 17 ft SD averaged about 430 lbs when loaded for travel
If you look at “ Trailer weights in the real world “ the average tongue weight for a 17 ft Casita is 427 lbs with several at or over 500 lbs
I don’t know what your particular vehicle’s tongue weight limit is because it can vary from 200 to 500 lbs per the internet
Something to consider ?

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Esther out east

Hello,

We just purchased a 2006 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe. We are having a hitch & harness installed on our car but we still need to know the size of the ball and the height of the hitch when it's attached to the car. We plan to tow this with a Kia Sorento. Is anyone using this set up?

Thanks for any help you can give.

The ball is 2" and the top of your ball should be 21.5 inches from the ground. This was the specs Casita gave us when we bought our 17' in 2007.