RV Hitch Accessories

Picking the right hitch hardware

A few dollars of hardware backs up thousands of pounds of trailer. That five-dollar hitch pin retains a ball mount rated for your full tow weight, and a pair of clip-on mirrors decides whether you can see the lane you're merging into. What matters is matching each part to your rig so it fits and does its job.

• Hitch pins and clips. The Tow Ready 5/8" zinc pin and clip drops into a standard 2" receiver; a 1-1/4" receiver takes a 1/2" pin instead. Check your receiver opening before you order, and step up to a locking pin if you leave the ball mount in at the campsite.
• Safety chain hardware. RV Designer 3/8" S-hooks give you a rated way to connect and cross the chains under the coupler. Crossing them means a dropped tongue lands in the X instead of on the asphalt; match the hook size to your chain link.
• Tow mirrors. The K-Source clip-on unit adds width for glancing past a wide trailer with no tools, and the stick-on Camco convex mirror erases the blind spot on your existing glass. If the trailer is wider than the truck, most states require the added view.
• Anti-sail mud flap brackets. Buyers Products brackets in galvanized or chrome-plated steel hold flaps flat against wind and highway speed so they can't fold under and fling debris. Size the bracket to your flap width, 20" or 24".

With the hardware handled, the rest of the tow rig sits nearby: a full weight distribution kit to level the load, and dedicated sway control to keep the trailer tracking straight behind you.