By definition "A tow hitch (or tow bar) is a device attached to the chassis of a vehicle for towing.It can take the form of a tow-ball to allow swiveling and articulation of a trailer, or a tow pin and jaw with a trailer loop-often used for large or agricultural vehicles where slack in the pivot pin allows the same movements." (www.wikipedia.org)

Most people think that they need a professional to install a Towing Hitch. With a lot of common sense and a few tools you will be able to install your own hitch and save yourself some money in the process.

It is recommended that you jack up your vehicle so that you may have sufficient "ground clearance needed.. It may be necessary to loosen the truck's bumper, exhaust system, or other parts. to fit into place. It is vital that these parts are retightened after the installation is complete." (www.ezinearticles.com)

Another recommendation is to drill holes in your vehicle versus drilling them in the Towing Hitch itself. Experts feel that drilling the hitch will weaken the metal and, thus, create an unsafe situation. If your truck does not come with holes already drilled infor this purpose you will have to drill them in yourself. It is also recommended that the holes you drill are "no more than one 1/16th of an inch bigger than the bolts that will fit through them. Before drilling, the installer needs to insure that they are not about to drill through any important components of the truck's undercarriage." (www.ezinearticles.com)

Due to the variety of trailers available there have been weight classes instituted that provide guidelines as to what type of Towing Hitch you will need while staying within stipulated safety measures:

"When selecting the appropriate tow hitch make sure the weight rating of the trailer hitch is greater than the loaded weight of the trailer that will be towed. The tow vehicle capacity for weight carrying and hitch attachment will vary and will sometimes dictate the class of hitch that can be used.

Class I Trailer Hitches

• Class I tow hitches are weight carrying (WC) hitches rated up to 2000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 200 lbs.
• A Class I hitch usually has a 1-1/4" square receiver opening.
• A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch.
• Class I hitches usually attach to the bumper, truck pan or vehicle frame.

Class II Trailer Hitches

• Class II hitches are weight carrying (WC) hitches rated up to 3500 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 300 lbs.
• A Class II tow hitch usually has a 1-1/4" square receiver opening.
• A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch.
• Class II hitches usually attach to the bumper or vehicle frame.

Class III Trailer Hitches

• Class III hitches are weight carrying (WC) and also are weight distributing (WD) depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
• Not all Class III hitches are rated to be both. See the specific hitch for that information.
• Class III hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 6000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 600 lbs.
• Class III hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 10,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1000 lbs.
• A Class III hitch usually has a 2" square receiver opening.
• A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
• Class III hitches attach to the vehicle frame only.

Class IV Trailer Hitches

• Class IV tow hitches are weight carrying (WC) and weight distributing (WD) hitches depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
• Not all Class IV hitches are rated to be both. See the specific hitch for that information.
• Class IV hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 10,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1000 lbs.
• Class IV hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 14,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1400 lbs.
• A Class IV tow hitch usually has a 2" square receiver opening.
• A higher class drawbar does not increase the towing capacity of the hitch. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
• Class IV hitches attach to the vehicle frame only.

Class V Trailer Hitches

• Class V hitches are weight carrying (WC) and weight distributing (WD) hitches depending on the vehicle and hitch specifications.
• Class V hitches used as weight carrying are rated up to 12,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1200 lbs.
• Class V hitches used for weight distributing are rated up to 17,000 lbs. gross trailer weight (GTW) with a maximum trailer tongue weight (TW) of 1700 lbs.
• Your ball mount and hitch ball need to both be rated for Class V to safely tow these weight loads. To use this class of hitch for weight distribution requires a weight distribution system.
• A Class V hitch has a 2-1/2" square receiver opening.
• Class V tow hitches attach to the vehicle frame only." (www.usa-trailer-hitches.com)

There are different types of Towing Hitches which have been manufactured to perform different tasks with different types of vehicles. These hitches are: sway control, fifth wheel, gooseneck and front mount. The hitches that have been manufactured for use with different vehicles include trailer, motorhome and ATV.