90fws and hitch extension

I have a super hitch and extension. SOld the extension when I went to a TT. Now I'm back with a TC and a boat. I didn't want to buy another expensive extension and went with a cheap 24" in single tube extension from a truck store or something. THen I put a 16" drawbar in it to make it reach out from under my TC fully. Seemed like a great idea. Went on a road trip and my 200lb toung weight boat bent the extension down about 2 inches. I flipped it over for the trip home and it bent it straight, then about 1 inch down going the other way. Just do it right with a proper hitch and extension.
Craig's List is your friend!
Found a 33/34" superhitch extension with wiring, chain mount, and 7 pin round mount attached to the hitch...$150. Sure beats $600. You can probably find a super hitch used for 300-500.

Langleycummins wrote:
Thanks for the reply, having just dropped a lot of money on the camper tork lifts and fast guns I'd like to do this in expensively but properly for now anyways. I think I could do a 36" extension, do they usually come with chains and everything to help with the side to side movement?

I have to say as always there is a ton of good advice and no shortage of opinions.
Well here is another. I drive a F550 with a 94 Caribou. Needed a 48" hitch extension. I went to craigslist and found a super hitch with the 48" extension for $500.00. A bonus was the torque lift camper tie downs were included. If you have a little time do a craigslist search there are deals out there.
There is no question if you are doing a hitch extension Torque lift is the way to go.
Below are some pics of the comparison of the 17000 lb Super hitch and the 12000 Lb Reese. You can understand why with the superhitch you can stop worrying about the tongue weight and extension length after seeing the images.
I am all about overkill when it comes to safety. F550 dually with load range F tires for a 3500 lb dry weight camper towing a 3500 lb race truck on a 1500 lb trailer. While overkill gives me peace of mind. Find a used superhitch and stop worrying.

Just a quick search of craigslist in my area under "hitch extension' turned this up.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/pts/3847888650.html

It's pretty much a given that you will have to upgrade the receiver on the truck, if it is the factory receiver. Extensions will severely de-rate the capacity of the factory receiver.

Factory receiver likely has 500 or 750lb weight-carrying capacity, and 36" will cut that by 2/3. Personally I just wouldn't feel comfortable.

About the only extension system that I know of that comes complete and ready-to-use is the Torklift Superhitch.

Reese makes some extensions that work with their "TITAN" receivers, but no stabilization chains and nowhere to attach them. They leave that all up to you, and provide no guidance (presumably to limit liability). All you get from Reese is a piece of box tube with safety chain loops welded on.

hedge wrote:
I can't understand how a trailer tongue extension is a viable option. It will still hit the camper or jacks on turns or uneven terrain. Sure doesn't seem like a very good solution to me.

Good point. He definitely would want to check clearances on his jacks and rear corners if he was to extend it. All depends on where everything is. I am pretty sure others have talked about having extended tongues on the forum. Maybe someone who uses one can chime in???

I can't understand how a trailer tongue extension is a viable option. It will still hit the camper or jacks on turns or uneven terrain. Sure doesn't seem like a very good solution to me.

joe123 wrote:
You would be far better off to have the tongue on the trailer extended would be safer also and probably cheaper.

This is good advice if you are trying to keep costs down. Although more money than just a hitch extension, it may be a better option IMHO. A local welder can extend your trailer tongue in a couple of hours or less. Check out the comments in the next reply on potentially hitting your jacks and camper when turning or going over bumps, etc.

When you use a hitch extension, there are other things you need to be aware of. First off, the receiver on your truck is rated for a specific tongue weight. When you install a hitch extension, you will be de-rating your receiver due to the high torque that it experiences due to the length of the extension. For example, the max tongue weight on a 36" extension in a 500# receiver will only be around 150 lbs. Depending on how you load your trailer, you can easily exceed this.

Secondly, you need to watch the total load on your rear axle. Using a hitch extension can increase this considerably. Not sure of what your loaded weight is without the trailer, but it is something you should consider.

That said, something that will mitigate this to some degree is the use of a weight distribution hitch. Properly installed, it will reduce both rear axle weight and load on your receiver.

For information on using a hitch extension, check out THIS LINK. There is a chart showing the effect of different hitch extensions on receiver load at the bottom of the page.

I did not want to spend the money on a super hitch (much higher here in Canada) so I designed my own. You can read about it HERE Also, several other members here have built their own as well and have excellent designs. Hopefully they will post here and share the info with you.

You would be far better off to have the tongue on the trailer extended would be safer also and probably cheaper.

Here is a link to the Superhitch. Yes it is in the $500 price range, probably even more because you need to replace the hitch then buy the extension for $500.

http://www.torklift.com/products/supertruss.php

But it is strong!! No worries about towing a mere 5,000 pounds, or even some horses in a 9,000 pound trailer!



I can understand your budget though. You can buy a 24" extension, combined with a normal or perhaps longer hitch receiver, will get you most of the way from being under your camper. As long as there is about 8" from the top of your hitch to the camper, you should be fine. But also you will need to be able to back up and get the trailer about 45 degrees from the side of the camper (as in a sharp turn) and not have the front of the trailer contact the camper (that would be a bummer).

ETrailer.com probably has a 24" long extension, and also might retail the Torklift for a better price than other retailers. Look for a Reese extension, or call the 800 number, and let them look it up. they do sell items that are not on the website.

the nice thing about Torklift is your turnbuckels will bolt right onto the new dual receiver hitch in the back.

Fred.

I second the quality of a Superhitch setup. I'm using a 32" extension with the double receiver hitch and stabilizer chains/turnbuckles. Seems to be rock solid when towing a 12' 3,000 lb. Wells Cargo trailer.

I have an extension but don't use it. The tongue of my trailer is long enough that it is not really needed. We have an 05 90FWS and really like the layout. It is to bad they discontinued the model.