Hitch Extension / Is your hitch too short? Extend It!
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2019
- The tailgate on my truck would not go all the way down with the trailer attached due to the power tongue lift. I needed a solution that would extend the hitch yet be able to support the tongue weight of our trailer. The solution was not in adding an additional extension bracket but to get a longer shank for the weight distribution hitch I already had.
This is the hitch extension we bought: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
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2 things. One, for those concerned about changes in wd hitch capacity a wd hitch changes the dynamics of young weight. It won't make as much difference as you think and you can likely adjust your head angle to compensate for it. You get a bonus of a sharper angle without hitting your truck in a jack knife situation while backing up. Two, if you only need an anchor or so you can turn the head of the jack 90°. It's realively easy to do. On some jacks it may require you to drill a hole.
Thanks for this. I was disappointed with hitch extenders that I was researching due to them not being able to handle the weight and tongue weight of my travel trailer (like you mentioned).
You just made my life way easier! Thanks!!!!
Thanks man!!!....U just saved me hours of looking around...Got the same problem.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MAN!! YOU HELPED US SOLVED OUR PROBLEM!!
Extending the hitch lowers your towing abilities
Thanks for the tip. I just looked online the solid 12" extension is rated for 10,000 lbs which is more than the weight of my 21" trailer, so i think i'm just going to go with the regular extension you had in the first part of the video but get a solid one.
Glad it helped, thank you for watching!!
You have to extend safety chains and can run with tailgate down I load my rzr 570 in my ram 3500. Works great
The issue I found by the extension of the hitch is the ride. With the weight distribution hitch the front end was light…ie more down force on the receiver. I adjusted the hitch but the front end still felt light and created more bounce. I had to go back the the original configuration didn’t feel it was safe.
Why not just rotate the head on that lippert tongue jack? Then you're not messing with they physics of the hitch at all :)
Great video ! Thanks for sharing.
6" makes a huge difference!!! :)
Turn the head on jack.Did that on my camper.
Awesome, so glad I came across this video! I’m ordering the 18” shank today to do the same thing. 🙌
Thanks for the video
I had the same problem. All I did was turn the electric jack in it's holes. I did have to drill one new hole and use two of the original holes. Problem solved
you might have been able to turn the jack around
Any hitch extenders vastly lower your tongue weight. Which is a bad idea when towing heavy trailers
The adjustment you are referring to in the side bolts is for the ball angle and is adjusted by shims. This adjustment puts more or less pressure on the equalization springs and is a crucial step in proper leveling hitch adjustment which there are many youtube videos about and would have to be re-adjusted if you extend hitch as you are putting way more tounge load on truck rear end by doing this that has to be compensated for by the leveling spring arms.
It is usually pretty easy to just turn the jack head by loosening the bolts and turning the head sideways for more clearance
I need one of those. Tks for the tip. Been just living w it. Let me know how she tows now.
will do 👍 I don't expect any major difference but I'll find out tomorrow.
Does an extension lower the tongue weight allowance on your receiver? I would think it’s dropping big time
How is it when you turn a tight corner? Plenty of clearance?
Why wouldn’t you just spin the powerhead of the jack,there are only two bolts that hold it on ,take it off and run a 5/16” tap thru the other two holes and put the powerhead back on, and this would only cost you a few dollars for the tap and safer than an extended shank
This has got to drop your tongue weight capacity on truck
A note of caution. What's done here has roughly doubled the moment (ie torque) on the hitch. In other words the down weight limit should be halved. If this guy really has 800lb on the drawbar that sounds like a recipe for disaster.
With that extended shank you’re going to remove more weight off the front axle !
Todd, Just Curious, does adding the extra length change the weight distribution on the tongue or the back of the truck?
Hi Mark Roth, I don't use the full weight distribution bars with my trailer because my truck doesn't really need them. However it is a solid steel shank so I doubt if it would make much of a difference but I really can't say for sure. Thanks for watching - Todd
Just get a Jack-E-Up and you can remove the jack when the trailer is hooked up to the truck.
What's the name of the hitch....I have the same truck & problem....this video is very useful....thanks
How do I lower my camper really low in order to get it level.
How to I lower my camper really low to get it level.
I trying to get the 18” shank with no lock in Amazon, any other side where I can get one 18” shank! Thanks! George
The link goes to a 14in is the the correct one?
Extending the distance from the tow vehicle rear axle to the articulation point (towball) by 6 inches does not sound such a big deal. But this small lengthening has the potential to change the handling dynamics of the trailer and tow vehicle completely. The 2 most common causes of trailer sway and loss of control are improper loading of the trailer and excessive distance from tow vehicle rear axle to tow ball. For safety reasons I'd much prefer shortening this axle/tow ball distance and leaving the tailgate shut.
Don't forget your tailgate open then you will hate yourself for doing that🤣 been there
Thank you for the tip on extension, I just clicked on link and it comes up 16 inch? Can you help me find 18 inch?
Hi, and thank you for watching and commenting. When you click the link here amzn.to/3p2OYL9 you should be able to select the 18" option. I hope this works, sorry for your trouble.
👊👍😎
👊Right on Bird Man, Thanks
With the longer shank, can you hitch up the trailer with the tailgate down? Also, can you tow and back-up with the gate down?
I have a 2020 Ram 2500 with the short bed. I pull a 5000 lb. Camper and 2 jet skis behind my camper. Would this allow me to put a golf cart in the bed of the pickup leaving the tailgate down? I know the cart will fit with the gate down and I would back it in so that the weight of cart would not be on the tailgate. I guess my real question is would my tailgate have enough clearance of the power jack to actually tow while down?
I put plastic automotive car ramps in the bed of the truck up next to the cab. This brought the cart in almost enough to close the tailgate. I just bent the hook on a strap and stuck it in the tailgate latch to hold the tailgate up as far as it would close. That allowed me enough clearance. Hope this helps. I found the idea on a UA-cam vid. You might search for it.
How does it affect backing?
I would think your putting more stress on the shank and on the receiver depending on your tongue weight and trailer weight.
Can you send me the link for the Amazon purchase? I can't find it on there. Thank you
Hi Napoleon, here's the link amzn.to/3BFwAgW
I bought a 14 inch solid shank and I tow over 1400 pounds of tongue weight. No problems .
Surely you mean over 1400 pounds trailer weight, yes?
@ I would never use a hitch extension you're just asking for trouble and trailer sway is one of them why not just load your truck before you hook the trailer up that seems like the most sensible way to do it
it must reduced your towing capacity for sure.
No way
Would you ride with it open you just have to worry about sharp turns
fatboyinskinnyjeans, funny name :-) Todd hooked it up with the tailgate down last week and it seemed to do okay turning. We think we might be able to haul our 4-wheeler in the back with the tailgate down as long as we dont make any super sharp turns. ~Carla
@@RunawayRoses If you backup in gravel, it could jackknife to one side real quick and hit the bumper.
@@RunawayRoses Any update on towing with the tailgate down? I am in a similar situation putting my golf cart in back of truck. Thanks
@@RunawayRoses any updates with tailgate down?
don't do this
You just successfully turned a 60sec video into 6min. 👏
There are natural remedies for a short hitch. And, a lot can depend on how the trailer tongue is used.
Putting an extension on your hitch does the exact opposite of what a weight distribution hitch does. Simple physics.