Trailer Hitch

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Adam Roby

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I am guessing this question will be subjective, based on if you are lifted or not, how big your tires are, and what you are hauling... but here it goes.

I am at standard height, no lift and standard tires.
I bought a 2" drop hitch for my popup camper. It does not weight very much (~1000 lbs). It rides pretty darn level with this hitch.

I needed to move a friend's popup last fall because his truck was too heavy for the lawn. I could not get the ball to lock because of the type of end, I needed to remove the tire from the back of the Jeep to make room.

What do most people do in this case?

  • Buy a longer hitch (or extender)
  • Always remove the tire when needed
  • Buy a lower hitch (say 3 1/2" drop
  • Other?

I am not sure what the best course of action is. I plan on renting a trailer this summer to haul some wood to the country, and have no clue if the rented trailer will fit. I don't much like the idea of always removing the wheel because A) it's heavy and B) I usually have the back filled with other stuff. An extender or longer (receiver?) would likely cause more stress on the box (maybe even lower the total tongue weight I can handle?). A lowed hitch might be the answer... not sure if 1 1/2" more than I have now is enough, and how bad is it to have the front of the trailer lower than the back... should the trailer always be as level as possible and if it is off, is it better to be higher or lower in front?
 

sota

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It's desireable to get the pivot point as close to the axle as possible, and keep the trailer level when sitting on level ground. That being said, you have 2 basic choices...
1) run a longer draw bar to clear the spare tire
2) remove the spare tire (and possibly the bracket) when towing

I disliked option 1, as it caused a lot of trailer "feedback", so for a while I ran option 2. I was also running a 4" drop and a short draw bar length.
Once I installed the lift I was able to switch to a 6" drop and no longer need to remove the spare tire.

A lot of the "feel" will also depend on what you're towing; how heavy, how big (surface area), how many axles, etc., which can affect what options and choices feel OK.
My opinion: if you're towing only up to about max before brakes are required (or should be used, if your particular state's laws are lax) then you will probably be fine with a longer bar. If you're towing something that needs trailer brakes, then I'd strongly consider running as short a draw bar as possible, and pulling the spare/bracket.
 

TwoBobsKJ

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On my boat trailer I do two things depending on what surface I'm on when I'm connecting or disconnecting the trailer.

1) If on my concrete driveway or other smooth, hard surface I actually connect the drawbar to the trailer then roll the trailer slowly as I guide the drawbar into the receiver. I put in the hitch pin, crank down the trailer jack, connect the wiring and off I go.

2) If the trailer is on a rough surface, I'll back up close to the trailer, open the rear gate, wrestle the trailer onto the ball, close the lock, close the gate and get going.

If I'm towing my utility trailer I can't open the gate because the trailer tongue is too short so I can't open the rear gate all the way so I have someone help me back up so I can drop the tongue on the ball with the gate just cracked open. Then I can push down the lock and carry on.

I'm using a 2 1/2" drop and running 265/70-16 Duratracs and able to get the trailers connected. I'm kinda surprised with stock tires you don't have enough room to get connected with the same drawbar as mine. The lock on your trailer must be really long/tall...?

Bob
 

Adam Roby

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Thanks both for the advice.

On my trailer, I have just enough room to set the on the ball and latch the tongue coupler.

With my brother-in-law's trailer, his tongue required the lock to stand straight up in order for the ball to fit, and just that is enough that it hits the tire.

Problem when renting is you never know what you'll get stuck with.
I think I will just buy one with a longer draw bar and swap it out when needed.
 

sota

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Oh I hear ya. I also recognize I have "special" needs since i'm on the ragged edge of what should be towable with these things, so i'm an extreme case. But that also means I can tell you my experiences as to what happens when you're towing 5500# estimated.
 

Adam Roby

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I'm still not sure if I can tow 5000 pounds.... I am pretty sure 3500 is fine, I see a second radiator in front and I have the 2" trailer attachment... but not sure what else defines the "trailer package" or if it would be written anywhere.
 

tommudd

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More lift no worries
6 inch drop to pull my open trailer plus its on 265-70-16s
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But seriously I know one guy who redrilled another hole about an inch or so back from the original on the hitch, just had enough to hook up the trailer that way, still had like 3 inches past the hole in the receiver
 
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sota

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this was pre-lift. mine was the same way, couldn't get attached with the ball latch up. had to pull the tire and bracket off to make it work.
now, I don't. also I run a forged draw bar with locks to keep it from moving around in the receiver.
 

HoosierJeeper

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Lift it!!! That'll solve it. :D

Try flipping the spare tire bracket around, I think upside down/180degrees. That should give you more clearance with no downsides.
 

Adam Roby

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While I like the idea of the lift, I think I'll try the 180 degree bracket thingy first.
Thanks for the suggestions...
 

profdlp

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I think this is the first Trailer Hitch thread on here which didn't degenerate into an argument about free stuff. :icon_lol:
 

tommudd

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Go out the back door and down the alley. There's a guy waiting there who will "help" you. :boxing:

No didn't work,
he said it would be 100 dollar for 20 minute with his best girl
I only had 98.50
he wouldn't honor the AARP card either for the discount
 

CalcityRenegade

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No didn't work,
he said it would be 100 dollar for 20 minute with his best girl
I only had 98.50
he wouldn't honor the AARP card either for the discount

That my friend is why you should always go middle of the road. You would have had enough left over for a McDouble or two! :icon_lol:
 

CalcityRenegade

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I think this is the first Trailer Hitch thread on here which didn't degenerate into an argument about free stuff. :icon_lol:

I could not believe that crap either. One of the reasons I get annoyed on forums is the amount of people who seem to own and maintain vehicles but have no money for the things they want. Head down to Harbour Freight or Princess Auto (For us Canadians) and buy a hitch/ball combo for $20-$30... Even if FCA did include that in the recall 98% of people would not use it due to different drop requirements. Every vehicle and trailer I acquire I have to change my set up. My KJ required a 2.5" drop and my Titan required a 6" drop for my 14' StarCraft tent trailer. In the near future I will be requiring a 12" drop hitch once I get my 6" lift and 35's installed on the truck. Plus if you cannot afford a hitch & ball can you really afford to be towing a trailer? lol.
 

sota

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i'm not a fan of adjustable drop bars, if you plan on towing anything significant. The only reason I have one for the jeep is to pull the small trailer, as it was like $10 more than the fixed one and I knew I was weeks away from doing the lift. Also the trailer's rated for 1350# gross, so it's barely there. More pins, more movement, more noises, more wear, etc.
 
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Adam Roby

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One above is rated at 10,000 lbs but costs $300!
I'll try flipping the spare and see if that works first. ;)
 

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