Hitch Extension Options on OEM Hitches

Light duty towing, you may be able to get away with a 3' extension on an OEM 2.5" receiver. Once you start approaching 3000 lbs behind that 3' lever of an extension, you are putting stresses on the receiver for which it was not designed - Just think of the twisting forces on the mounting hardware and box structure when you apply weight to that leverage. There are correct tools to do this job, but towing heavy on an extension with the OEM receiver are not the ones.

BTW: Lighter trailers that do not have their own brakes may actually stress the receiver more than a heavier one that does have its own braking.