Draw bar length, anything magical?

A popular RV dealership in Canada actually cuts off about two inches from the shank and re-drills the pin hole to bring the hitch head as close to the vehicles rear bumper as possible. The impact of doing this is to reduce the overall length from the hitch head to the rear axle. This makes a better handling vehicle and eliminates the unnecessary leverage that the long shanks exert on the receiver.

This also helps with the slack in the receiver tube. Most receiver tubes are oversized and the WD shanks tend to angle up in the receiver tube. While shortening the shank as much as possible doesn't change the amount of angle this slack creates it does shorten the shank so there isn't two more inches of shank height to overcome by the hitch set up.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I think I was asking more of a general question about any relationships that people were aware of. Based on your statement about distance from the axel, it would appear that given two draw bars, the longer one will have more impact on sway BUT does that also apply to the spring bars... will they become "springier"... will you have to increase the "tension" on them or go to a higher rate spring bar to reduce any effect of the longer draw bar.... ???

Maybe the reason you have no replies is you have given no specifics on the type of WD you are using?.?. Is this a general question about WD systems, or are you asking about the specific type you employ????


But as a general rule, the further out the WD assembly is from the rear axle, the more leverage the trailer will have on the TV. This is why 5th wheels are so much better at reducing sway(or eliminating it), as the pivot point is generally over the axle. The most effective, TT hitches "project" the pivot point as far forward as possible.