B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount, 2.5" Shank, 8.5" Drop, Dual Ball 2" x 2-5/16", Black (TS20043B)

The B&W Tow & Stow solves three problems with one ball mount. It adjusts on pins so every trailer tows level, it carries two ball sizes on a rotating swing arm so you are not carrying spare mounts, and when the trailer stays home the head swings up and stows behind the bumper instead of waiting there for your shins and your garage door. This TS20043B is the 2.5" shank version with an 8.5" drop, built for three-quarter-ton and one-ton pickups. An 8.5" drop is the deepest drop B&W offers on this shank, for a lifted truck pulling a low trailer, where anything shallower leaves the trailer nose in the air. The swing arm carries a 2" ball and a 2-5/16" ball, which between them cover the coupler on almost every boat, utility, dump, equipment and travel trailer sold in North America. The black finish is B&W's two-step system, an e-coat inside and out followed by powder coat, so the corrosion protection reaches the inside of the tube as well as the outside. Capacity follows the ball you are actually towing on, never a single headline number: 18,000 lb GTW and 1,800 lb tongue weight on the 2-5/16" ball; 7,500 lb GTW and 750 lb tongue weight on the 2" ball. Whichever number applies, your real limit is the lowest-rated part of the whole setup, which may well be the truck or the receiver rather than the hitch. Every Tow & Stow is tested for strength and endurance to SAE J-684, ships with B&W's stainless steel pins, and is built by B&W in Humboldt, Kansas.

What's Included:

• Tow & Stow adjustable ball mount body with 2.5" shank, two-step e-coat and black powder coat
• Rotating swing arm with two balls fitted (2" and 2-5/16")
• B&W stainless steel adjustment and swing-arm pins with clips
• B&W Tow & Stow Owner's Manual
• Not included: hitch pin and clip or locking pin for securing the shank in the receiver, sold separately (see TS51230)

Features

Height Adjusts on Two Pins, No Tools
Pull the two stainless adjustment pins, slide the head to the height that tows your trailer level, and put the pins back. That is the whole procedure, and it takes longer to walk around the truck than to do it. A level trailer tracks better, brakes better and wears its tires evenly, which is the real reason B&W built the adjustment in rather than selling you a stack of fixed-drop mounts. When you need the ball above the receiver instead of below it, invert the shank in the receiver and the same head works the other way up.

Rated Per Ball, Not Per Hitch
The 2-5/16" ball is the one that carries the big numbers on this hitch: 18,000 lb gross trailer weight and 1,800 lb tongue weight. Rotate to a smaller ball and the rating comes down with it, to 7,500 lb on the 2" ball. B&W publishes capacity per ball rather than as one figure because the ball in use is what sets the limit, and it is worth knowing which number you are actually towing under.

8.5" of Drop, and Why That Number
An 8.5" drop is the deepest B&W builds on the 2-1/2" shank, and it exists for the lifted three-quarter-ton and one-ton trucks that a 7" mount cannot reach. Measure before you order, and measure ground clearance too: B&W asks for at least 11" between the ground and the lowest part of the hitch, which a drop this deep can eat into on a steep approach. B&W builds the same hitch in 5" (TS20037B) and 7" (TS20040B) if your measurement lands somewhere else.

Two Balls on One Rotating Swing Arm
Pull the single swing-arm pin, rotate the ball you need into the towing position, and re-pin. The balls fitted here are 2" and 2-5/16". Nothing comes apart, nothing gets left in the driveway, and there is no second ball mount rolling around the back seat when the boat trailer and the equipment trailer use different couplers.

Stows Behind the Bumper
When the trailer stays home, rotate the head up and stow it under the bumper. A stowed Tow & Stow is not sticking out at shin height in a parking lot, it is not the thing that stops the garage door closing, and it is not out there collecting the first hit when someone parks by feel. B&W's own advice is to stow it in whichever position gives you the most ground clearance.

The Swing Arm Cannot Be Removed While It Is Locked In
Once the hitch is locked into your receiver, the adjustable arm cannot be pulled off, so locking the shank locks the whole hitch. A slide-pin retention system keeps the arm and balls attached even with the adjustment pins out. A handful of receiver designs leave enough clearance to defeat this, and for those B&W supplies an anti-theft plate through its customer service line.

Tested to SAE J-684
SAE J-684 is the strength and endurance standard for bumper-pull hitches, and every Tow & Stow is tested to it. B&W's general habit is to over-test rather than test to the minimum: on its gooseneck and fifth wheel products it runs a single hitch through all three 300,000-cycle dynamic tests and the six static tests instead of using a fresh sample for each.

Two-Step E-Coat and Powder Coat
B&W finishes the black Tow & Stow in two stages, an e-coat that reaches inside the tube as well as outside, then powder coat over the top. That matters on a part that lives behind the rear wheels in salt and road spray, because rust on a ball mount usually starts where you cannot see it.

Stainless Steel Pins, Included
The adjustment and swing-arm pins are stainless steel with clips, and they are in the box. B&W asks that you only use B&W pins in a Tow & Stow, and that you pull them occasionally, wipe them off and put a thin coat of white lithium grease on them so they keep sliding freely through years of road salt. Replacements are stocked (TS35010 for the 2" and 2-1/2" shank hitches, TS35011 for the 3").

Made in the USA
B&W has built hitches in Humboldt, Kansas since 1987 and has been 100% employee-owned since 2007. The Tow & Stow is made there from American steel, and warranty and technical questions are answered by B&W's own people in Kansas rather than passed to an importer.

Fitment & Compatibility

Specifications

• Model: Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount
• B&W Part Number: TS20043B
• Shank Size: 2.5", fits a 2-1/2" square receiver
• Drop: 8.5"
• Ball Sizes: 2", 2-5/16"
• Rating with the 2-5/16" Ball: 18,000 lb GTW / 1,800 lb tongue weight
• Rating with the 2" Ball: 7,500 lb GTW / 750 lb tongue weight
• Adjustment: Pin-and-hole height adjustment, no tools, and the head can be inverted in the receiver
• Pins: B&W stainless steel pins with clips, included
• Finish: Two-step e-coat and black powder coat
• Material: Steel
• Testing: Tested for strength and endurance to SAE J-684, the standard for bumper-pull hitches
• Product Weight: 34.6 lb
• UPC: 843233005493
• Warranty: B&W Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty
• Made In: USA, Humboldt, Kansas

Installation

Type: Drop-in. The shank slides into a 2-1/2" square receiver and pins in place, no tools and no drilling  ·  Time: About 5 minutes the first time  ·  Tools: None for the hitch itself. A hitch pin and clip, or a locking pin, is needed to secure the shank in the receiver and is sold separately  ·  Difficulty: Easy, no mechanical experience needed

Slide the shank into your 2-1/2" receiver and secure it with a hitch pin and clip or a locking pin. Measure your receiver opening with any reducer sleeve removed before you order: B&W warns that running a reducer sleeve lowers the tow rating of the hitch and adds noise and play. To set the height, pull the two adjustment pins, slide the head up or down, and replace the pins. To change ball size, pull the single pin, rotate the ball you want into position, and replace the pin. B&W asks for at least 11" of clearance between the ground and the lowest part of the hitch, and recommends a thin coat of white lithium grease on the stainless pins so they keep pulling freely.

Resources

Everything you need for your B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount, 2.5" Shank, 8.5" Drop, Dual Ball 2" x 2-5/16", Black, in one place.

• B&W Tow & Stow Owner's Manual (PDF), the manufacturer's step-by-step guide covering mounting, included hardware and adjustment.

Warranty, Shipping & Returns

Warranty. B&W covers this product with its Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty. For as long as the original consumer owns the product, B&W will replace a product or component found to have a defect in material or workmanship, or at B&W's option repair it or refund the purchase price. Installation, removal and shipping costs are not covered, and normal wear and finish aging are not defects. Warranty claims go directly to B&W, which issues a return authorization first. Registration is not required for the warranty to apply.

Free shipping. This item ships free to the lower 48 states. Because it is an oversized item, it ships by freight and typically arrives in 3 to 7 business days.

Inspect on delivery. Please inspect the packaging before signing. If you see any damage, note it on the delivery receipt and contact us right away, and we will make it right.

About B&W Trailer Hitches

B&W Trailer Hitches started in 1987 in a garage in Humboldt, Kansas, where Roger Baker and Joe Works, the B and the W, were building custom truck beds. They got tired of the gooseneck ball welded permanently into the middle of a bed, so they designed one that turned over and stowed flush when the trailer stayed home. That was the Turnoverball, and it is still the product the company is best known for. A few years later the same under-bed mounting idea became the Companion fifth wheel hitch, and today B&W builds the Turnoverball, the Companion, the Tow & Stow and the Continuum weight distribution hitch in a plant in Humboldt that has grown past 490,000ft². Every hitch is still made in the United States from American steel, which B&W points out makes it one of the last remaining hitch makers in America.

Since 2007 the company has been 100% employee-owned, with roughly 500 employee-owners in Kansas. That shows up in how the products get tested. B&W treats SAE J-2638 for gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches as a floor rather than a finish line: instead of using a fresh hitch for each test, it puts a single hitch through all three of the 300,000-cycle dynamic tests and then the six static tests, so the part that passes has already lived a hard life. The Tow & Stow line is tested for strength and endurance to SAE J-684, the standard for bumper-pull hitches. Everything B&W builds is backed by the company's Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty, handled directly by B&W in Kansas.

Prestige Truck is an authorized B&W Trailer Hitches dealer. Every hitch, ball mount and accessory we ship is new, genuine B&W product, covered by the full B&W factory warranty and supported by B&W's own US-based customer service team.