Hitch shank too long?

I had to replace my WD shank with a bigger drop one when I switched trucks. It's a longer one reinforced with a piece of steel welded at an angle. It has to stick out further by design. I've had no issues with it. As an added bonus, I can open my tailgate now.

As long as it's rated for the weight, it should be fine. Unless you really feel you are getting pushed/pulled or the leverage is too much, I'd leave it.

Won't hurt anything except your shins if you decide to leave it in when unhitched. BTDT!

Reminds me of our first rig, a '94 F150 and '94 Aljo 21' TT. Dealer sold us a WD hitch with a shank that put the ball 14" from the pin. We really felt the push and pull from passing trucks. Especially box trucks. Then I found a very short welded Quality S WD hitch at a flea market and bought it. Much less push and pull from passing trucks. Then tried an even shorter weight bearing ball/shank. Best yet. I'm going to try the unnecessarily long shank on my Reese WD hitch with our new 32' TT. I foresee going down the same path. I wish the manufacturers would offer a short shank to begin with.

The shank acts like a lever so the longer it is the more effective weight and stress it will place on the receiver. If you don't need the clearance, shortening it would be good, but if you're nowhere near the receiver rating i wouldn't bother. A couple of inches won't make that much difference. If you do drill a new hole to shorten it just make sure you have enough clearance with your spare tire ( if it's under mounted)

When we got our current trailer I had to get a new shank. The length didn't come up in my search. I ended up with a long shank and at first was concerned like you are.

Not has it not been a problem, Like Billy said, I really like being able to open the tail gate of the truck when the trailer is hooked up.

If your tow vehicle is a pickup, that long shank may allow you to open the tailgate while hitched up. Many here, me among them, have entertained getting longer shanks for that reason.

Some WD shanks are long. If you look at this Blue Ox shank, it is the longest I've ever owned. (Not my truck, Blue Ox photo).

Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.

Thanks for your response. Yes, mine is straight out about the same amount. So, it won't cause excessive torque, more strain on the receiver, or affect towing being that long?

Should be fine, here is mine.