Extension Hitch Question
Hello! Back again for assistance with my setup. With the camper on the truck, I'm 29" exactly from the center of the pin on the hitch to the door of the camper. The question is: what is the best way t...
Forum Discussion
^Perfect advice. A 2.5” receiver will handle what he’s doing without even breaking a sweat, or a weld, lol. The good ones (idk what the Ford OE is, but Ram is 1800lbs iirc) will be rated for 3x + of his actual tongue weight. And a 2’ moment arm (hitch extension) would allow for 900lbs tongue weight (@1800lb hitch rating) and before exceeding the “rating.”
The next part is where folks who don’t understand (understandably) the basics of design factor of safety, some of which is completely necessary and some of which is to idiot proof and reduce financial liability of commonly overloaded or abused components, like trailer hitches, rims and tires, the stuff that in a catastrophic failure may make the evening news and a law firms principle’s desk, both in short order.
With a little knowledge gleaned either formally, in formally (like on this forum) or by experience, good or bad, one can be relatively assured that dipping a little into the “idiot proof” portion of the factor of safety isn’t a bad thing.
The same people who ask how to shift their automatic transmission on their new motorhome are the same type that generally aren’t good with going over the “rating” due to lack of knowledge and their perception that it’s “unsafe.” When in reality, them simply being behind the wheel of something they aren’t qualified to handle or even understand the basics is arguably a far greater personal liability.
It’s ok, ratings are there for a reason, but the aire of reasonableness seems lost on many.
The next part is where folks who don’t understand (understandably) the basics of design factor of safety, some of which is completely necessary and some of which is to idiot proof and reduce financial liability of commonly overloaded or abused components, like trailer hitches, rims and tires, the stuff that in a catastrophic failure may make the evening news and a law firms principle’s desk, both in short order.
With a little knowledge gleaned either formally, in formally (like on this forum) or by experience, good or bad, one can be relatively assured that dipping a little into the “idiot proof” portion of the factor of safety isn’t a bad thing.
The same people who ask how to shift their automatic transmission on their new motorhome are the same type that generally aren’t good with going over the “rating” due to lack of knowledge and their perception that it’s “unsafe.” When in reality, them simply being behind the wheel of something they aren’t qualified to handle or even understand the basics is arguably a far greater personal liability.
It’s ok, ratings are there for a reason, but the aire of reasonableness seems lost on many.
