Just got my LML 2 weeks ago.

1st time owning a 2.5 hitch and wondering.....

Is it significantly better to buy a 2.5 receiver hitch or is the adapter sleeve good enough not to sweat it?

I tow a 30' 10k trailer with about $150k of racecar inside and don't mind buying a new hitch if it makes a real difference.

Lastly, what brand and where to buy?

THX :)

im having the same issue i haul an expensive race truck setup and chancing it is not wrth it. i did buy a diversi-tech adjustable 2.5 shank drop hitch since my truck is lifted and its still not good enough . it has less play when not hooked up but i know im pushing it with tongue weight.

i cant find a 2.5 9-10" drop that can supoort the tongue weight i need either so i guess custom is the only option

I bought a new ball mount for my larger trailer that uses a 2 5/16 ball. The rest of my trailers (6k and under) I am using the sleeve.

I rarely haul anywhere near a 2500's towing limit so I'm fine with using a 2" receiver and the sleeve in the 2.5" hitch. The thing is, all but my lightest receivers are solid 2" of steel - the weak point has got to be the ball itself.

There's nothing to chance.....what could possibly go wrong with a sleeve vs. having a 2.5" receiver in there? I tow my race car and trailer(about 10k) in my sig with the adapter and a normal 2" ball mount(WD set-up to be exact). Never had a problem. Do you think GM would want the liability of something going wrong on their hands?????? They wouldn't have included an adapter(with no restrictions) with the trucks(forcing you to buy a 2.5" ball mount) if it was possible for something bad to happen.

I bought a Reese 2.5" insert for my Jayco TT which uses the 2-5/16th inch ball and then when I had to change it to the 2" ball to tow my boat, I bought another one for the 2" ball so I would not have to go out and undo one for the other and retorque it on to somthing like 450 ft lbs.

I keep the sleeve in case someone wants me to tow a 1-7/8" trailer and they have the 2" insert.

I bought two 2.5" ball mounts for my truck (2" and 2 5/16" balls) and have also used the sleeve. I have found both options have slop. I had more slop using the sleeve though, and fixed the slop with the 2.5" ball mount by welding some thin metal on two sides of the ball mount to get a snug fit in the reciever.

There's nothing to chance.....what could possibly go wrong with a sleeve vs. having a 2.5" receiver in there? I tow my race car and trailer(about 10k) in my sig with the adapter and a normal 2" ball mount(WD set-up to be exact). Never had a problem. Do you think GM would want the liability of something going wrong on their hands?????? They wouldn't have included an adapter(with no restrictions) with the trucks(forcing you to buy a 2.5" ball mount) if it was possible for something bad to happen.

"what could possibly go wrong"

Famous last words..... :rolleyes:




Not doubting the abilities of my truck, just looking for a better solution.

Slop with adapter was OK but didnt make me happy.

Havn't seen many 2" drop hitches with more than 10k load cap which is my normal towing weight. Wanted to have a safer/better margin of rating Vs actual towing.

Kinda thought a bigger pin/hole would have been a design upgrade but ??? The last HD hitch I had got all hogged out due to the loads put on the pin hole.

Solved my own problem today by buying a 2.5 receiver. Had to cut off inside length as it was so long as to hit spare tire.

Purchased at Eckhart trailer hitches in Thousand Oaks CA, about $250 with big ball.

Owner said the the hitch design on my LML looks much better than prior years. He was very skeptical of prior years hitches (and had a small mountain of take-offs out back to prove it).

If you want security and minimal slop, I would get a 2.5" height specific hitch.

Another option would be to dump the mostly over rated 2.5" hitch and find a heavy rated 2".
The LML hitch looks better than the LMM but with several heavy rated 2" on the market I dont know why GM could not just use or engineer something similar. The 2.5" seems more "I have bigger balls" marketing than a useful feature.

There are several mfg that make a 2" receiver rated for 14k-18k TONGUE, non WD. (I dont know if they have them out yet for the LML)
I might go that option if you need an adjustable receiver since I have not found many 2.5.
As mentioned Diversi Tech has recently come out with a 2.5. I have a 2" DT, it is nice but still has more play than a fixed drop.

The 2.5" seems more "I have bigger balls" marketing than a useful feature.

Buuuuuut, I do have bigger balls :idiot:

:p:



The guy at the hitch shop I mentioned was all gangbusters to sell me an upgraded 2.5 hitch for about $450 installed until he actually looked at my LML hitch. After that, he said "wow, looks like I wont be sellin hitches to 2011s".....

He also had several receivers with different drops available. www.eckharts.com (http://www.eckharts.com)

Just got my LML 2 weeks ago.

1st time owning a 2.5 hitch and wondering.....

Is it significantly better to buy a 2.5 receiver hitch or is the adapter sleeve good enough not to sweat it?

I tow a 30' 10k trailer with about $150k of racecar inside and don't mind buying a new hitch if it makes a real difference.

Lastly, what brand and where to buy?

THX :)
My 03 truck LMM came with a hitch that can do: max trailer weight 7,500/max tongue 1,000. Weight Distributing 13,000/1,500.

Thats like a class 3.5 hitch on a 2500HD with a diesel. The truck/engine can do 15,000K & they give you a class 3.5 hitch? Do an real hitch co. even make a class 3.5 hitch?

I pulled a 8k+ trailer with a weight distribution system over 1000 miles got home un hooked & my so called gm hitch was twisted & bumper jacked up.

So I replaced my bumper got a curt brand hitch class 4 towed that same trailer 8k+ same distance with the same weight distribution system & nothing happ to hitch or bumper.

I dont know if the 2011 truck have a better hitch but if they dont get a class 4 curt brand hitch.

I now have a 5th wheel.

My 09 truck LMM came with a hitch that can do: max trailer weight 7,500/max tongue 1,000. Weight Distributing 13,000/1,500.

Thats like a class 3.5 hitch on a 2500HD with a diesel. The truck/engine can do 15,000K & they give you a class 3.5 hitch? Do an real hitch co. even make a class 3.5 hitch?

I pulled a 8k+ trailer with a weight distribution system over 1000 miles got home un hooked & my so called gm hitch was twisted & bumper jacked up.

So I replaced my bumper got a curt brand hitch class 4 towed that same trailer 8k+ same distance with the same weight distribution system & nothing happ to hitch or bumper.

I dont know if the 2011 truck have a better hitch but if they dont get a class 4 curt brand hitch.

I now have a 5th wheel.