Drop Hitch Receiver

NSA does recommend that their tow bar/brake system is set up as close to level as possible, and it is good to try and get it close to level. Drop bars are the way to achieve that.

However, know that drop bars come with other downsides. They increase the torsion load on your hitch receiver (due to extra length), and the more of a 'drop' you use, the more ground clearance you take away back there and leave it more prone to scraping. When you back up over any kind of incline, or pull out from gas stations or whatever that has an incline....The bottom of your drop bar is usually the first thing that will scrape. Too many hard hits or scraps can weaken it, leading to risk of it failing.

The less of a drop bar you can use back there, the better off you are in terms of risk of scraping. But, then, especially if using a Readybrake system, the more off level the tow bar is, the less effective your braking will be. You just have to find a 'happy middle ground', and pick a drop hitch that gets you fairly close to level without causing too much scraping.

When I towed a Ford Fusion, I used a 4" drop. That thing scraped, a LOT. When I took the 4" drop bar off, the scrapes underneath it looked really bad. After the Fusion was totaled in a wreck (bout year and a half ago) and I replaced it with a Ford Taurus, fortunately the Taurus height was a little higher, so I went to just a 2" drop. Much less scrapes now.

I bought a Blue Ox drop receiver rated for 5000 lbs. The curb weight of the Honda CRV is about 3500 lbs so I should okay. We'll try not to load it down too much. The 4" is perfect for the drop needed. I measured good! Thanks for the advice.

You want your tow bar to be level with the height of the bar no more than 2" higher than at the toad. What ever you do don't select a drop receiver that puts the tow bar height at the toad higher than at the motorhome hitch. Doing that could cause your toad to jack up and crash into the rear of your motorhome in the event of a very hard stop or a crash of the motorhome itself.

I would t worry about the extra inches in between the MH and Toad. Just make sure your cables and wiring are long enough to connect. And yes you want it level or close to level. I think read somewhere they want it within 2” of level.

I use a 6" drop down to RAISE my tow bar. I have 2 of the U bolt type clamps to prevent any movement. The extra length is a non issue as all cables and wiring are coiled and easily extend.

My drop down is plenty long to accommodate say a bike rack on the 2" part.

I bought my 4" drop from NSA - same people that made your towbar. They offer drop hitches in 2" increments.

https://www.readybrake.com/store/p24/0%22-_6%22_Drop_Class_V_Trailer_Hitches_%7C_8%22-_10%22_Drop_Class_III_Trailer_Hitches.html

stargirl96 wrote:
We tow our Honda CRV with a Ready Brute elite tow bar. The tow bar setup worked fine with our first motorhome. Now that we have a new MH, we notice that the tow bar slopes downward toward the CRV. I estimate a 4" difference in height. There are a number of drop receiver hitches on the market, but I don't know which one would work best. I'm also concerned about the extra inches added between the motorhome and the towed car. What should I look for in buying an adapter? Thank you.

not trying to sound flip but what you're looking for is to make the connection level. i'd buy a quality drop down from a known name but beyond that, IMO, this is not complicated. we had a 6" height difference when we took delivery of our MH. i was lucky. the dealership owner, whom we've known for 15-years, had a nearly new 6" Blue Ox drop down that he let me have for $10. very lucky. as for the extra few inches maybe i should but i haven't given it a second thought. i did have to make a longer break-away cable for the aux brake.