Reese Trailer Hitches & Towing

Reese is the iconic trailer hitch company in the US, with products on the shelves continuously since the beginnings in 1952. The company was purchased by Cequent, and became part of their corporate empire. Reese towing products include virtually everything you need to set up a tow vehicle and trailer, from the smallest compact car with a 1-1/4" receiver-mounted bike rack to a 3500-seris dually towing a 5th wheel RV or flatbed equipment hauler.

Don’t forget that you’ll need brakes on that trailer unless it’s a very small popup or utility trailer. Reese has trailer brake electrical components as well as controllers. Look to Reese for simpler, timed controllers that are easy to install and use. Upgrade your hand-cranked tongue jack to a swing-away or even a powered version and make hooking up and dropping off a lot less laborious. That Reese tow hitch is good for more than trailering. Add a removable receiver-mounted cargo carrier or a bike rack for those things too bulky to put inside your truck.

One thing that’s necessary to ensure a sweet-towing rig is the appropriate amount of tongue weight. 10-15% of the trailer weight is best, and will greatly reduce sway. That, unfortunately, puts enough downforce on the ball of some vehicles to actually unload the front wheels as well as bottoming out the rear suspension. Reese provides several solutions for weight-distribution hitches, including a system optimized for smaller trailers with 150-350 lbs of tongue weight. That makes it great for towing with smaller vehicles like crossover SUVS and smaller pickups.

Reese is the best source of sway control products, with the Strait-Line and Dual Cam HP sway controls that make weight distribution an integral part of their action. They literally force the trailer back into line continuously, rather than simply resisting the sway. They also have a more conventional friction-type sway control, one that’s adjustable for various trailer weights.

The company was founded in 1952 by TJ Reese, and Reese trailer hitches were snapped up by the burgeoning RV industry, which recognized their superior engineering and construction. By the late ‘60’s the towing industry asked Reese to develop the weight-class rating system in use today. This class breakdown makes it far easier to specify and procure Reese 5th wheel hitches, ball mounts, balls and couplings with sufficient weight-bearing capacity for the task at hand. The company makes premium Reese hitch parts leading the industry in the gooseneck and 5th wheel field. Get a quality Reese fifth wheel hitch right now.

Pick and choose from not only a receiver-style hitch that fits your vehicle and is rated appropriately for your tow, but a wide assortment of ball mounts and balls with similar rating. It’s often necessary to choose a ball mount with rise or drop, to make the trailer ride level behind a truck with a much higher receiver opening, or a car with a much lower one. With three different ball sizes with different shank sizes, and five different weight classes, it’s not one-size-fits-all. And a poor choice in setting up a trailer can result in a dangerous, evil-handling setup.