TC + extended hitch
I'm a newbie when it comes to TC's and towing. I don't own a TC yet (still shopping/reading/learning) and don't have an immediate need to tow concurrently. I'm trying to make sure I understand the p...
Forum Discussion
Bedlam wrote:
Running the tongue under the camper may sound like a good idea, but the day you you cross a dip in a driveway or at campground may change your mind. What direction do you think that trailer tongue will go when the front truck tires or your trailer tires are higher than the rear truck tires?
I'm not guessing. I've towed for years, thousands of miles this way.
The day you go through a dip on a curve in the rain and your front end slides out, you may change your mind!
Caveats: this is best on a 4WD truck with some extra clearance, and you need to know what you're driving.
In my experience (which is substantial, I'm 51 and have worked with trucks from tow trucks to semis all my life plus owned numerous truck/camper/trailer combos) a long hitch extension bottoms out on the ground about as soon as an extended trailer tongue contacts the bottom of a camper (provided you've set it up with decent clearance).
The fact you can buy premade hitch extensions does not mean it's a better system. It's because they are plug & play universal, while stretching a trailer tongue is custom work.
There is not rocket science engineering in a trailer frame. It's steel C-channel. Properly done, the stretched tongue can be the strongest part of it. Mine certainly is.
Semi-truck frames commonly get modified and stretched. If you're not handy with a welder, a decent local welding shop can do whatever you need.
With a heavy truck & camper towing a relatively light trailer, an extension is certainly OK. But I challenge anyone to hook up a good size/weight trailer on an extension and scale out their weight balance, especially on the front end, and compare it to hitching right behind the bumper and see which is better.
When I drove tow trucks, the wheel-lift had hydraulic in and out, you could move the towed vehicle closer or further out while driving. A foot or two made a big difference.
It's physics, and it is what it is. An extension is much easier, granted. I'm just telling you guys what's really best, and I'm a guy who actually knows first-hand.
