Ball mounts and drop hitches
B&W Tow & Stow ball mount review
A ball mount is the simplest thing in a towing setup and also the thing everyone eventually walks into in the garage, because it lives at shin height in the receiver whether a trailer is hooked up or not.
The B&W Tow & Stow solves that specific problem by rotating up and stowing inside the receiver tube when it is not towing. This review covers what B&W actually publishes for it, what that convenience costs relative to a plain adjustable mount, and when a cheaper mount does the same job.
On this page
- What is the B&W Tow & Stow, and what does B&W actually publish for it?
- How does the Tow & Stow compare against its own tri-ball sibling, a CURT channel mount and a plain adjustable hitch?
- What does B&W actually publish for the Tow & Stow dual-ball mount?
- What is the drawback of the B&W Tow & Stow?
- What are the alternatives if you do not need the stow-away feature?
- What should you check before buying a Tow & Stow?
What is the B&W Tow & Stow, and what does B&W actually publish for it?
The Tow & Stow pulls two stainless steel pins to raise or lower the ball head for level towing, and the same ball assembly rotates to switch between a 2 inch and a 2-5/16 inch ball rather than requiring a spare ball. B&W states the anti-theft design locks the adjustable arm in place once the hitch itself is locked in the receiver. It ships on a 2-1/2 inch shank, finished in an e-coat plus powder coat, and B&W backs it with a limited lifetime warranty.
How does the Tow & Stow compare against its own tri-ball sibling, a CURT channel mount and a plain adjustable hitch?
All four of these put an adjustable ball at the right height. What actually separates them is whether the mount disappears into the receiver when it is not in use, and what that convenience costs.
| Published rating | B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount, 2-1/2 inch receiver, dual ball | B&W Tow & Stow Adjustable Ball Mount, 2-1/2 inch receiver, tri-ball | CURT 45902 Adjustable Dual-Ball Channel Mount, 2-1/2 inch shank, 6 inch drop | Rhino USA Adjustable Trailer Hitch, 2 inch receiver, 6 inch drop or rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $309.00 | $359.00 | $268.74 | $199.90 |
| Receiver size | 2-1/2 | 2-1/2 | 2-1/2 | 2 |
| Ball diameter | 2 and 2-5/16 | 1-7/8, 2 and 2-5/16 | 2 and 2-5/16 | not published |
| Drop | not published | not published | 6 in | not published |
| Adjustable drop range | not published | not published | not published | 6 in |
| Mount type | Adjustable, stowable | Adjustable, stowable | Adjustable channel | not published |
Every figure here is the manufacturer's own published rating. A blank is a figure the maker does not publish, and we leave it blank rather than estimating it. The rating stamped on the part you actually receive is what governs.
What does B&W actually publish for the Tow & Stow dual-ball mount?
B&W builds the Tow & Stow for a 2-1/2 inch receiver with a ball head that rotates between 2 inch and 2-5/16 inch and stows away when not towing.
Published standard A published, traceable figure: a standards body, a federal regulation or a manufacturer specification states it.
| Published spec | B&W Tow & Stow, dual ball |
|---|---|
| Receiver size | 2-1/2 in |
| Ball sizes | 2 in and 2-5/16 in, one rotating head |
| Mount type | Adjustable, stowable |
| Construction | E-coat plus powder coat steel |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime |
B&W does not publish a product weight in this listing.
What is the drawback of the B&W Tow & Stow?
The Tow & Stow is fundamentally a ball mount, doing the same job as a channel mount or even a fixed loaded ball mount at several times the price of either. The consensus of verified owner reviews describes it as noticeably heavier to lift in and out of a receiver than a plain fixed mount, which matters for anybody hitching and unhitching by hand rather than leaving it in place. The stow-away feature only pays for itself if the mount is actually left in the receiver between trips; a reader who removes the ball mount and stores it in the garage every time gets none of the shin-saving benefit and is paying the stowable price for a mount that never gets the chance to stow.
What are the alternatives if you do not need the stow-away feature?
A reader who wants adjustable height without the stowable price should look at the CURT 45902 or the CURT 45900, both channel-style adjustable mounts at roughly a third of the Tow & Stow price, though neither one tucks away when parked. A reader whose ball height is fixed and known should skip adjustability entirely and buy the CURT 45036 or the CURT 45041, loaded ball mounts that ship pre-torqued at a fraction of the cost of any adjustable design. A reader who tows several trailers with different coupler sizes but does not need the stow feature should compare the Draw-Tite Titan tri-ball instead.
What should you check before buying a Tow & Stow?
Confirm the truck has a 2-1/2 inch receiver, since this specific model does not fit a 2 inch receiver opening. Work out the drop or rise the tow vehicle actually needs using the hitch drop calculator and the ball mount drop or rise guide before assuming the adjustable range on any mount covers a specific truck and trailer pairing. Check a 22 inch receiver to a 19 inch coupler as a worked example, and confirm the ball size against the hitch class chart before ordering.
How we chose
We did not test this hardware in person and we never claim to. Picks are researched from manufacturer specification sheets, published towing standards, and the recurring themes in verified owner reviews. Every pick is matched to a real gross trailer weight rating, a real tongue or pin weight rating, a real receiver size or a real load index rather than to a price bracket, and it is placed in the tier where its published capability actually belongs. We rejected the unbranded flood that dominates the search results in several of these categories, because a weight distribution hitch, a brake controller, a trailer tire and a set of safety chains are all parts whose failure puts a loose trailer on a public road. Where a figure is towing convention rather than a published standard we label it that way, and where a manufacturer does not publish a figure we leave it out instead of estimating it.
Sources
- B&W published specifications for the Tow & Stow dual-ball and tri-ball ball mounts
- CURT published specifications for the 45900, 45902, 45036 and 45041 ball mounts
- Rhino USA published specifications for the adjustable trailer hitch
Frequently asked questions
Does the B&W Tow & Stow raise my truck payload or towing capacity?
No. A ball mount of any kind only sets the height the trailer tows at. It does not change payload, GVWR, GCWR or any axle rating on a specific vehicle, which come only from that vehicle own door jamb sticker and owner manual.
What receiver size does the B&W Tow & Stow fit?
The dual-ball and tri-ball versions reviewed here both ship on a 2-1/2 inch shank. A truck with a 2 inch receiver needs a different adjustable mount, such as the CURT 45900 channel mount, rather than this specific Tow & Stow model.
Is the B&W Tow & Stow worth the extra price over a channel mount?
Only if the stow-away feature actually gets used. Both designs adjust height and swap ball sizes, but the Tow & Stow rotates flush into the receiver when nothing is hitched, while a channel mount such as the CURT 45900 or 45902 stays assembled and has to be removed by hand.
Can the B&W Tow & Stow be locked in the receiver?
Yes. B&W states that once the hitch itself is locked into most receivers with a receiver pin lock, the adjustable arm cannot be removed, which is a theft deterrent as well as a convenience for anybody who leaves the mount in place between trips.
What ball sizes does the Tow & Stow dual-ball version include?
A 2 inch and a 2-5/16 inch ball on one rotating head, switched by flipping the assembly rather than swapping a separate ball. The tri-ball version adds a 1-7/8 inch ball for a third coupler size on the same style of stowable head.
Does B&W publish a weight for the Tow & Stow?
No. This listing does not publish a specific product weight. The consensus of verified owner reviews describes it as heavier than a fixed ball mount to lift in and out of a receiver by hand, which is worth knowing before buying one to store rather than leave mounted.
Free download
Get the complete tow rig setups emailed to you
Both ladders, conventional travel trailer and fifth wheel, at beginner, intermediate and expert budgets, every item priced and linked with a running total, plus a printable pre-trip weighing worksheet you can fill in at the scale.
One email with the setups. No sequence, no sharing your address, unsubscribe any time.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published standards, manufacturer towing guides and product specifications, and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Figures described as a rule of thumb are towing convention rather than published standards, and they are labelled that way wherever they appear. Nothing here overrides your own ratings. Work your payload sum before your tow rating, because payload is the limit that actually binds on most half ton trucks and nearly every SUV. Load a conventional trailer to 10 to 15 percent tongue weight and a fifth wheel to 15 to 25 percent pin weight, and never lighter: a tail heavy trailer is what starts sway. Weigh the rig loaded rather than trusting a brochure dry weight. A weight distribution hitch and a set of air bags both restore ride height and control, and neither one raises a single rating. Trailer brakes are required by state law above a threshold that varies by state, and a breakaway battery that has quietly gone flat is the normal condition of most trailers on the road.