How to Select a Trailer Hitch
Match hitch class to the door sticker and the live card before you shop a heavier trailer than the vehicle can honestly tow.
Watch on YouTubeAluminum Ball Mount Tips (Canada)
Looking for practical aluminum ball mount tips in Canada? Start by matching shank size to the hitch tube, then open CURT 45361 for the four inch drop and three inch rise aluminum mount or CURT 45362 for the six inch drop and five inch rise aluminum mount. Both live cards use a two inch shank and a one inch ball hole on solid aluminum so weight and corrosion habits stay front and center. This page is about those aluminum versus steel practical tips, not a redo of loaded ball mounts, adjustable ball mounts, breakaway kits, bike trays, weight distribution, gooseneck chain, clevis, or anti-rattle comparison essays. Confirm ratings on the live product cards. Canada orders often ship free on qualifying baskets, so confirm the cart note before you check out.
Parts-counter shortcut.
Match the two inch shank first, then pick rise or drop that levels the trailer.
For adjustable channel mounts open
adjustable ball mount tips.
For mounts that arrive with a ball already installed open
loaded ball mount tips.
For trailer ball size habits open
trailer ball size guide.
Prefer the full index?
Open the towing guides hub.
Watch these CURT videos first
All four videos are from the official CURT YouTube channel (@curtmfg). Use them for class selection, install habits, wiring basics, and ball-mount height before you dig into the product cards below.
If an embed does not load, use the YouTube link under the card. Aluminum ball mount shoppers still need an honest tube size, a ball that matches the coupler, correct torque on the ball nut, and the lowest rating in the hitch stack before they treat aluminum weight or corrosion resistance as a fix for every towing question.
Trailer Hitch Installation Techniques
Confirm the live card still lists your year and configuration. Shared sheets are easy to mix up when sibling badges sit nearby.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Connect a Trailer Wiring Harness
Plan lights after the hitch. A four-flat or seven-way still needs a clean ground before the first night tow.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Choose a Ball Mount and Trailer Ball
Match shank size to the live tube, then level the trailer with rise versus drop once the hitch is on.
Watch on YouTubeWhat these live CURT aluminum mounts actually do
CURT 45361 is the two inch aluminum ball mount on the live card with about four inch drop and three inch rise. It mounts in a two inch by two inch receiver tube, uses a one inch hole for a trailer ball shank, and is built from solid aluminum so it stays lighter than a comparable steel mount and resists rust without a thick paint story. Flip the mount to choose rise or drop once the hitch height and trailer frame agree. A hitch pin and clip still matter even when the mount itself shrugs off salt better than bare steel.
CURT 45362 is the two inch aluminum ball mount on the live card with about six inch drop and five inch rise. Same two inch shank story, same one inch ball hole, same solid aluminum weight and corrosion habits, but with more drop and rise for taller hitch heights or lower trailer frames. Use 45362 when the trailer still sits nose-high or nose-low on the 45361 path. Guessing drop from a driveway photo is how mounts get returned.
Capacity honesty means the lowest rating among the hitch, ball, mount, and trailer still wins. Aluminum does not invent a higher legal cutoff just because the mount is lighter. Torque the ball nut to the ball maker’s guidance, re-check after the first hard tow, and do not invent a provincial weight cutoff on this page. If you need a channel-style adjustable mount, step to the adjustable ball mount tips page. If you want a mount that arrives with a ball already installed, step to the loaded ball mount tips page. This page does not redo breakaway, bike tray, weight distribution, gooseneck chain, clevis, or anti-rattle comparison essays.
Four inch drop aluminumCURT 45361Aluminum two inch shank mount with about four inch drop and three inch rise on the live card.
Six inch drop aluminumCURT 45362Aluminum two inch shank mount with about six inch drop and five inch rise on the live card.
CURT 45361 aluminum
In-stock aluminum two inch ball mount path when four inch drop or three inch rise is what levels the trailer and you want the lighter rust-resistant shank.
Open live 45361 product →Parts-counter note. Step to 45362 when six inch drop or five inch rise is what levels the trailer. Step to adjustable ball mount tips when you need a channel-style adjustable mount. Step to loaded ball mount tips when you want a factory-installed ball already on the mount.
Open live 45362 aluminum mount
How to choose without guessing
Step 1Match the tube
These aluminum mounts use a two inch shank. Confirm the hitch tube is honestly two inch before you cart.
Step 2Match the ball hole
Both cards use a one inch hole. Buy a ball whose shank and rating match that hole and your coupler.
Step 3Pick rise or drop
Four inch drop and three inch rise on 45361, or six inch drop and five inch rise on 45362. Level the trailer frame, then re-check after the trailer is loaded.
Step 4Read the lowest rating
Take the lowest honest rating among the hitch, ball, mount, and trailer. Do not invent a legal cutoff from a parts essay.
Aluminum versus steel
Weight and corrosion
Solid aluminum stays lighter and shrugs salt better.
- Less dead weight hanging on the receiver than many steel mounts
- Natural rust resistance without relying on paint alone
- Still needs a pin, clip, and ball nut that stay torqued
45361 path
Four inch drop
Live aluminum mount when four inch drop or three inch rise is enough.
- Two inch shank for two inch receiver tubes
- One inch ball hole on the live card
- Flip for rise versus drop once height is measured
Honesty
No invented cutoff
Aluminum mounts do not invent a legal trailer limit.
- Confirm local rules and door-sticker limits instead of quoting a parts page as law
- Lowest rating in the stack still wins
- This page does not redo loaded or adjustable ball mounts, breakaway, bike tray, weight distribution, gooseneck chain, clevis, or anti-rattle comparison essays
Related guides worth opening
Adjustable ball mount tipsChannel-style adjustable mounts when fixed drop is not enough
Loaded ball mount tipsMounts that arrive with a ball already installed
Trailer ball size guideCoupler and ball size matching habits
Ball mount rise versus dropHeight habits that stay on that page
Parts-counter summary: aluminum ball mount shoppers match the two inch tube first, start with live CURT 45361 for four inch drop and three inch rise or live CURT 45362 for six inch drop and five inch rise, torque the ball nut honestly, take the lowest rating in the hitch stack, and open the adjustable or loaded ball mount tips pages when the question is those habits rather than this aluminum-mount page.
