Help me out. Please share your thoughts. I have a 2015 F350 4x4 CC, single rear wheel, gas, 4:30 axle, camper package, etc. I was lucky enough to find a 2008 Northern Lite 9'-6” classic camper in really nice condition. Camper has the rear bumper mounted between the jacks with the attached step platform with 2 folding steps. I have an older Featherlite aluminum 2 horse straight load trailer. I am guessing this trailer weights maybe 2500 lbs max empty, and maybe 4000 lbs when loaded with one horse and gear, and 5000 to 5500 with two horses. We probably will be towing with one horse 95% of the tows, and we will only be towing several times a year. F.Y.I., Ford includes a 2 ½” inch square receiver hitch standard on F350 series models that have a diesel, but they only put a 2” square hitch on the same models with the gas engine (go figure). I am trying to figure out my options for towing with this truck and trailer combo. The most common option is to use a hitch extension. I will not be towing that many times with this trailer, but I do want to do it safely. Trying to keep my expenses down, I have been looking at getting a Reese Titan 2 ½ inch receiver and using the Reese extension. I have been doing research on the web in reference to a “trailer tongue” extension and I found this web site with photos: http://www.pbase.com/jimthode/trailerext. I have never seen anything like this and found it very interesting. I am only guessing, the cost of having something like this fabricated would be about the same as purchasing a new receiver, extension, extended wiring, etc. The only negative I can see about having an extension like this is that if I ever wanted to tow some other trailer I would still be faced with having someway to attach it if I had my camper mounted. Your thoughts?

Using a tongue extension actually lightens the applied hitch weight to the truck (which is good). What you have watch is when you go through dips or driveways that you do not make contact with the underside of the camper or one of the rear jacks (which is bad).Using a receiver extension reduces or eliminates the chance the of the tongue interfering (which is good) but now you have more leverage against your receiver (which is bad).The simplest solution is also the most expensive by replacing your receiver with a SuperHitch and SuperTruss. It will be a big sting in your pocket, but it will only be once until you decide to replace the truck. Other solutions, like using a heavy 2.5" receiver with extension can accomplish what you want in a safe manner for less money, but you will only have about half the capacity of the Torklift setup when using a less expensive extension solution.Think about your usage today and how soon you think that will change to make your decision. I know what I like (I'm on my second one), but my demands are much greater than yours.

I can see several problematic situations develop here. When you encounter a low spot in the road or trail the hitch could potentially hit the bottom of the camper because the pivot point is all the way forward under the camper. I like the hitch extension because it keeps the trailer/truck pivot point behind the camper not under the camper as with the trailer tongue extension.I would prefer the hitch extension but I do not believe Reese make a heavy duty version. I made my own extension out of solid steel bar and added stabilizer bars on each side to prevent the extension hitch from moving left and right.

Explorer1016 wrote:I can see several problematic situations develop here. When you encounter a low spot in the road or trail the hitch could potentially hit the bottom of the camper because the pivot point is all the way forward under the camper. I see that as a problem too.

Don't screw around with anything as precious as your horse's life. TorkLift Super Hitch. Period.

I opted for an extended trailer tongue...we tow a Classic Whaler...not horses.This has worked very well for us.Total weight is 1500#, TW = ~ 200#.Bill

Sanity check: Hitch extension vs trailer tongue extension.

30 Replies

Bedlam
Moderator
Apr 30, 2015
There is more than one way to safely tow a horse. Having as much information in front of you to make an informed decision is the best way to decide on a solution. Anyone that thinks only one method will work is wearing blinders. That was the reason for my post with typical weights for trailers and horses and the warnings I have seen on some hitch extensions.
NMace
Explorer
Apr 30, 2015
I have had 4 truck campers, have owned a number of bumper pull horse trailers, I have ridden in and driven friend's truck camper/horse trailer combination. And I did not wreck. I believe there are better solutions to the OP'S situation.

You guys are free to disagree with my advice, but you cannot discount my experiences.
_DJ_1
Explorer II
Apr 30, 2015
People come on to a public forum and ask advice. When they get an answer they don't like they get PO'd!! LMAO
zb39
Explorer
Apr 30, 2015
I would suggest the OP choose a safe method to tow. If your not a degreed engineer( I am) then go with people who are. The super hitch was engineered very well because they have to. If you understand liability you know what I mean. Why take a chance for a few dollars. As I get older I find that peace of mind is worth quite a bit to me. my.02.
Farmerjon
Explorer
Apr 30, 2015
NMace wrote:
Sport, you were the one that trotted out your experience, taunting others to "trump" you.

I am far from a member of the weight police, and when pulling static weight, it is often of minor significance. But I do not believe what the OP wishes to do is the best answer, he can weigh our relative experiences, that of others, and make his decision.

You seem to have a problem with horse trailers being pulled behind truck campers and choose to answer the Op's request for suggestions by telling him to get a living quarters.
"I love truck campers, they are great, but to move horses a living quarters trailer is much safer"
And to prove it you tell us all about your vast experience hauling horses and cattle " And unlike Wildfire, I have seen 6 accidents involving death of horses, cattle, dogs, and humans. And have friends and family involved in another dozen. About 1/2 were because of being overloaded. I have watch a couple hundred horse trailers dangerously sway when in high wind, the live cargo moved or passed by an 18 wheeler.
Well I have been "hauling horses and cattle since the 60's also and I guess I have been blessed with either luckier or safer drivers as friends and family and must also have been blessed and missed seeing hundreds of horse trailers dangerously sway when in high wind, the live cargo moved or passed by an 18 wheeler.
I have and do haul horse, cattle and large bulls and have not had the moving live cargo make me sway dangerously, I'm not saying you don't feel it, but it's not swaying me dangerously. As for gusts of wind or 18 wheelers making us sway? Watch the semis move each other around and in high winds... Of course we get moved around ,as do all RV's including living quarter horse trailers.

This is a truck camper forum and the OP is asking for suggestions to make what he has, a truck camper, work. What he's not asking for are suggestions for an alternative to a truck camper. Perhaps you are on the wrong forum and need to find one where the posters are asking for suggestions regarding their living quarters horse trailers. But this is not the forum for suggesting we get rid of truck campers. Where else should someone go for answers about truck campers if not here?

On a final note, in all you've written here, I have yet to read about your experiences in pulling a horse trailer with a truck camper. If you never have, then you have little to add to this conversation. Better yet, have you even owned a truck camper?
NMace
Explorer
Apr 30, 2015
Sport, you were the one that trotted out your experience, taunting others to "trump" you.

I am far from a member of the weight police, and when pulling static weight, it is often of minor significance. But I do not believe what the OP wishes to do is the best answer, he can weigh our relative experiences, that of others, and make his decision.
imwildfire
Explorer
Apr 30, 2015
NMace wrote:
I, too, started hauling horses and cattle in the 1960's. And unlike Wildfire, I have seen 6 accidents involving death of horses, cattle, dogs, and humans. And have friends and family involved in another dozen. About 1/2 were because of being overloaded. I have watch a couple hundred horse trailers dangerously sway when in high wind, the live cargo moved or passed by an 18 wheeler.

I don't know if this "trumps" his experience, but my mileage hauling animals is well over 500,000 miles. Some in big rigs, most in pick-ups. And I recommend enough truck and a gooseneck with living quarters.

This is exactly why I wrote :"This is why I don't post on forums very much and I'm sure that's true for others as well. The OP has asked a specific question and specific answers from those who know what they're talking about would be nice so the OP can make an informed decision. Posting figures to prove your opinion correct is not helpful."

You have to graduate to cattle, dogs and humans to try to prove a point that has no information relative to the OP questions.

And, you do know how many miles that divides down for each year if you are spanning 50 years and have to include "animals" to get that. FYI, I've been hauling cattle all my driving life, too. That's not relevant to this conversation.

It seems out of whack to suggest that it's so horribly dangerous, even though the weights posted are within specs and even more difficult to swallow the enormous amounts of accidents witnessed yet not true for me or my friends and family. Yet we all have similar hauling experiences. So I called my brother today, who retired with over 4 million miles as a Wal-Mart truck driver and that does not include the miles as an independent for 10 years prior. He knows how much HORSE hauling I've done and laughed out loud at 500,000 miles over the course of 50 years. I asked him how many horse trailer accidents he saw while driving the semi (something that sticks in his mind since he has a sibling well traveled with horses)and he said maybe 2. No 2 horse trailers involved. It seemed like they were more like stock trailers. What he saw a lot were bumper pull camp trailers and motor homes accidents and most were during heavy winds.

I fail to see how any of this helps someone determine if extending a tongue on a 2 horse and/or using an 18" ball mount is safe.

Living quarter trailers are NOT the only safe way to pull a horse down the road. You can't quote credible statistics that prove otherwise, only strong personal opinions. Everyone chooses what they have based on need, affordability and lifestyle. The truck camper allows for camping without hauling a whole lot of extra trailer (aka living quarters), camping with horses, empty pickup bed for hauling a gooseneck with hay or tractor on board, just a 2 horse trailer for quick trips for conditioning rides and so on. It has worked and still works, safely. I'm sure farmerjon can attest to that, too.
NMace
Explorer
Apr 29, 2015
I, too, started hauling horses and cattle in the 1960's. And unlike Wildfire, I have seen 6 accidents involving death of horses, cattle, dogs, and humans. And have friends and family involved in another dozen. About 1/2 were because of being overloaded. I have watch a couple hundred horse trailers dangerously sway when in high wind, the live cargo moved or passed by an 18 wheeler.

I don't know if this "trumps" his experience, but my mileage hauling animals is well over 500,000 miles. Some in big rigs, most in pick-ups. And I recommend enough truck and a gooseneck with living quarters.
imwildfire
Explorer
Apr 29, 2015
Extension?

I have the exact same set up as farmerjon who said "We ordered an 18in ball mount Rated at 9000lbs and have a 2 horse trailer that was manufactured with an extended tongue. It works well for us and is well below max weights on all components. "

This is why I don't post on forums very much and I'm sure that's true for others as well. The OP has asked a specific question and specific answers from those who know what they're talking about would be nice so the OP can make an informed decision. Posting figures to prove your opinion correct is not helpful.

Quite a leap to assume I've only driven flat miles in the Midwest, especially after I told you about driving winding mountain roads. Again, anything to prove your opinion, which is apparently all you have since you haven't given any account of personally hauling horses.

Since competition took us through the mountains all over this country, which is where the competition was usually held and where we trained, one could say we've put the hitches to the test. And they work. If we were to go to a 3 horse slant load, we would adjust our equipment accordingly. But with the numbers the OP quoted, which are right in line with mine and no doubt farmerjon's as well, we offer our experiences that have served us well. AND WE HAVE EXPERIENCE, not just opinions and come up with numbers to prove our point.

See you out on the trail.
Bedlam
Moderator
Apr 29, 2015
A simple two horse trailer will be about 2500 lbs empty and each horse will weigh about 1000 lbs. That puts the tongue weight at 500-700 lbs. Although many new receivers have a higher rating than this for dead carry weight, this changes quickly once you use an extension and increase the leverage. If you read some of the warnings on basic extensions, they state they are not to be used with weight distributing hitches. I suggest the OP uses the information presented to find a safe way to haul his horses - I have no doubt there is more than one to do this safely if you factor in weights and applied forces.

imwildfire: I'm glad you had powerful engines in your trucks out in the flatter Midwest and were able to tow your horses successfully. The truth is that there were plenty of small block V8's available with as little as 120 hp in the 60's and 70's. I never advocated towing bellow safe speeds on highways. Most people that towed slowly were smart enough to stay on the secondary routes which allowed them to make it to their destinations safely. Today you see people with heavier loads cresting 7000-8000' passes at freeway speeds - The hitch required for panic situations has to be designed heavier than those that took the slow road.