If you want to pull a trailer or another car behind your vehicle, you’ll need a hitch. There are five classes of hitches, each with a different weight rating, so you’ll need to have a good idea of what you need your hitch for before you start looking.

Class 1 hitches tow up to 2,000 pounds or 907 kilograms; they can be used to pull a trailer that is six feet or 1.8 meters long, or a boat that is 14 feet or 4.3 meters long. These hitches are good for use on smaller cars, such as small sedans, sports cars, and compact cars. Although some class 1 hitches are only available in designs that attach to the bumper, a hitch that attaches to the frame in some fashion is more desirable. You can also get a hitch with a removable tongue, so that when you’re not towing anything you don’t have to have a hitch sticking out of the back end of your car; however, if you plan on towing frequently, you are probably better off with a hitch that has a permanently affixed tongue.

Class 2 hitches tow up to 3,500 pounds or 1,588 kilograms; they can be used to pull a trailer that is 12 feet or 3.7 meters long, or a boat that is 20 feet or 6 meters long. These hitches work well on larger cars, such as midsize sedans and minivans, but are not suitable for compact cars. Like all larger hitches, class 2 hitches attach to the frame of a vehicle.

Class 3 hitches are more heavy-duty hitches. They come in different sizes, but the largest of them can tow up to 5,000 pounds or 2,268 kilograms. A class 3 hitch can be used to pull a 24-foot or 7-meter boat trailer.

Class 4 hitches are also much more heavy-duty hitches, especially because their mounting brackets distribute weight more evenly along the frame of the truck that is doing the towing. Class 4 hitches are designed for use with full-size trucks, and will easily pull 7,500 pounds or 3,402 kilograms.

Class 5 hitches are the largest hitches available. Like class 4 hitches, they utilize heavy-duty mounting brackets designed to distribute weight more evenly along the frame of the truck, which helps prevent an uneven load from being placed on the driveshafts or suspension in the rear of the car. Class 5 hitches can pull as much as 14,000 pounds or 6,350 kilograms.

Clearly, choosing a hitch for your car is an important decision, one you need to be fully prepared and well educated to make. It’s important to know what you will be using the hitch for, and how much weight you could possibly be pulling, as well as what kind of vehicle will be doing the pulling.