24 Inch Hitch Extender Under The TC

A splitter cable works fine. I have the male end into to truck with a female right next to it for the camper. Another female connector is on a bracket at the of the extension. The splitter is attached to the extension since it is only needed when I use the TC and tow at the same time.

dadwolf2 wrote:


The chains I am referring to are not the trailer safety chains. Like you said, that needs to go to the truck. The chains I mentioned are just to strengthen the extended hitch point in turns and any side to side play/movement.

I bought 2" stock / receiver and then cut & welded the parts to the size I needed from the local trailer hitch supply store.

Great pic ... thanks. Similar approach to what my welder is taking except instead of the chain and turnbuckle set-up, he's going to weld braces on ... that will bolt/unbolt to the OEM hitch edges.

I also want him to weld a piece on top of the extension that runs parallel to it. I envision a coupler hooking into a bumper ball at one end and a hinge at the receiver end. Your turnbuckle system could work too as I initially was thinking of using a load binder.

I have a question for anyone ... with the new axle I just installed on my cargo trailer, it now has electric brakes. I use to use a 4 pin wiring harness with it but as I think this through, seems to me I now need to use a 7 pin wiring harness to the trailer (it is equipped with one and previosly I used a 7 to 4 adapter).

That would mean I need a splitter harness that runs to both the TC and trailer. Right? ~ Bugjr ~

dadwolf2 wrote:


The chains I am referring to are not the trailer safety chains. Like you said, that needs to go to the truck. The chains I mentioned are just to strengthen the extended hitch point in turns and any side to side play/movement.

I bought 2" stock / receiver and then cut & welded the parts to the size I needed from the local trailer hitch supply store.

That's the same thing I just did with 30" extension.

mkirsch wrote:
The thing about extending the receiver is there are bolt-on solutions out there.

Not so when extending the trailer tongue. You need custom fabrication.

Reality Check has piqued my curiosity on the tongue extensions. Do you have any pictures you could share?

Finished this one in a hurry last winter; still need to get it to my shop for a quick sandblast and paint. Function before beauty for sure.

I think the actual extension is 20". Tongue weight on this rig is more than I want (about 1700) and I'm moving/adjusting some items.





Couple of pieces of channel to make the 'box' tube, plate for gussets on the end of the original 'A' frame.

This one is going to get weight distribution. I'm not a fan of it..PITA and tongue weight doesn't affect my truck. But it does affect the extension, and this one needs to get lower and spread out, soooooo... WD is getting put on.

The chains I am referring to are not the trailer safety chains. Like you said, that needs to go to the truck. The chains I mentioned are just to strengthen the extended hitch point in turns and any side to side play/movement.

I bought 2" stock / receiver and then cut & welded the parts to the size I needed from the local trailer hitch supply store.

dadwolf2 wrote:
... snipped ... what kind of tongue weight are you expecting? ... Also, don't forget that your hitch receiver doesn't have to go all the way to the edge of the camper, by the time you put the trailer ball in, that extends the pivot point back another 8-9". I still added chains and forged turnbuckles from extended hitch to frame for added strength.

Good question and great points. Of the two trailers we have, the heaviest is a 3,500 lbs. covered cargo trailer. If you go by the 10-15% recommended tongue weight, we're talking 350 - 525 lbs. maximum. We usually run about 3,000 lbs. fully loaded including the trailer and I'd like to keep the tongue weight closer to the 350 mark max. and my welder would also like to see that.

Good point on the trailer ball hitch adding some inches to the overall extension length. If possible I'd still like to have the extension receiver end built flush with the rear edge of the TC.

My welder also explained here in Ontario at least, the safety chains MUST be affixed to the truck frame/existing hitch receiver and not to the extension which would be a big MTO (your DOT) no-no.

mkirsch wrote:
The thing about extending the receiver is there are bolt-on solutions out there.

Not so when extending the trailer tongue. You need custom fabrication.

Reality Check has piqued my curiosity on the tongue extensions. Do you have any pictures you could share?

I'll get some.. give me a day.

What do you plan on towing and what kind of tongue weight are you expecting? If your tongue weight is really low, you don't need the SuperTruss route. Also, don't forget that your hitch receiver doesn't have to go all the way to the edge of the camper, by the time you put the trailer ball in, that extends the pivot point back another 8-9". I still added chains and forged turnbuckles from extended hitch to frame for added strength.

Myself I only use my trailer to put some kayaks on or flat tow in the future. Very little tongue weight.

Once the fabrication is complete, I will take and post pics. I've never posted pics before but I assume there are "how to" guidelines posted somewhere. I also owe some pics of the new-to-us TC so I'll post those as well.

The thing about extending the receiver is there are bolt-on solutions out there.

Not so when extending the trailer tongue. You need custom fabrication.

Reality Check has piqued my curiosity on the tongue extensions. Do you have any pictures you could share?