I know many of you have said in the past you have trailers with tongue extensions instead of a hitch extension. So those of you who do this how long is your tongue and how much does your camper overhang. What is your setup?

deltabravo wrote:Look for the video of the guy that has destroyed at least two Ford trucks with his heavy Okanagan camper and extremely long trailer tongue.https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28079284/

If you don’t understand the physics....

I'll sing a bit different tune than Delta. Currently we have 17 trailers..so I'm new at this. But...I have a 48" extension on the TC truck. It puts the joint right at the rear of the camper overhang.Four of the trailers get pulled by the TC rig. One's a boat; narrow front end, standard tongue, works great. One is a short snowmobile trailer (box). The tongue is approx. 5' long stretching from the 'V'. Works great..and it was standard.The other snowmobile trailer is a blunt front end; we extended the tongue 24". Without it, the trailer would hit the camper while turning in a lock turn. Trailers literally create a 90 degree corner, even while going forward. The last trailer is our 'support' rig (lack of a better term). 20' box, I had the thing built with an additional length, which is 6' total(it's a standard upgrade/option when ordering). That allows the same movement needs as the others.Without the adjustments (extensions) the trailers would hit the camper in tight turns, which of course would be a given backing up too. There is no down side other than a slightly longer trailer. When one gets up around 34'+, it really doesn't matter.I have considered and would if needed, go longer and shorten the extension some. It would allow a slightly higher tongue weight (shorter extension) but there are things to watch for that also.For towing, most won't notice the difference if the joint is directly at the rear of the rig, or in a foot or so. Backing...it changes things a bit but I dare say most don't get into situations where it would matter.That's clear as mud, yes??

Reality Check wrote:I'll sing a bit different tune than Delta. Currently we have 17 trailers..so I'm new at this. But...I have a 48" extension on the TC truck. It puts the joint right at the rear of the camper overhang.Four of the trailers get pulled by the TC rig. One's a boat; narrow front end, standard tongue, works great. One is a short snowmobile trailer (box). The tongue is approx. 5' long stretching from the 'V'. Works great..and it was standard.The other snowmobile trailer is a blunt front end; we extended the tongue 24". Without it, the trailer would hit the camper while turning in a lock turn. Trailers literally create a 90 degree corner, even while going forward. The last trailer is our 'support' rig (lack of a better term). 20' box, I had the thing built with an additional length, which is 6' total(it's a standard upgrade/option when ordering). That allows the same movement needs as the others.Without the adjustments (extensions) the trailers would hit the camper in tight turns, which of course would be a given backing up too. There is no down side other than a slightly longer trailer. When one gets up around 34'+, it really doesn't matter.I have considered and would if needed, go longer and shorten the extension some. It would allow a slightly higher tongue weight (shorter extension) but there are things to watch for that also.For towing, most won't notice the difference if the joint is directly at the rear of the rig, or in a foot or so. Backing...it changes things a bit but I dare say most don't get into situations where it would matter.That's clear as mud, yes??So do you use the hitch extension with the trailers that have extended tongues?

Cargo trailers with tongue extensions | Good Sam Community

deltabravo
Nomad
Jan 23, 2020
..
deltabravo
Nomad
Jan 23, 2020
deltabravo wrote:

Look for the video of the guy that has destroyed at least two Ford trucks with his heavy Okanagan camper and extremely long trailer tongue.

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28079284/
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Jan 23, 2020
If you don’t understand the physics....
Reality_Check
Nomad II
Jan 23, 2020
I'll sing a bit different tune than Delta. Currently we have 17 trailers..so I'm new at this. But...

I have a 48" extension on the TC truck. It puts the joint right at the rear of the camper overhang.

Four of the trailers get pulled by the TC rig. One's a boat; narrow front end, standard tongue, works great.

One is a short snowmobile trailer (box). The tongue is approx. 5' long stretching from the 'V'. Works great..and it was standard.

The other snowmobile trailer is a blunt front end; we extended the tongue 24". Without it, the trailer would hit the camper while turning in a lock turn. Trailers literally create a 90 degree corner, even while going forward.

The last trailer is our 'support' rig (lack of a better term). 20' box, I had the thing built with an additional length, which is 6' total(it's a standard upgrade/option when ordering). That allows the same movement needs as the others.

Without the adjustments (extensions) the trailers would hit the camper in tight turns, which of course would be a given backing up too. There is no down side other than a slightly longer trailer. When one gets up around 34'+, it really doesn't matter.

I have considered and would if needed, go longer and shorten the extension some. It would allow a slightly higher tongue weight (shorter extension) but there are things to watch for that also.

For towing, most won't notice the difference if the joint is directly at the rear of the rig, or in a foot or so. Backing...it changes things a bit but I dare say most don't get into situations where it would matter.

That's clear as mud, yes??
zcookiemonstar
Explorer
Jan 23, 2020
Reality Check wrote:
I'll sing a bit different tune than Delta. Currently we have 17 trailers..so I'm new at this. But...

I have a 48" extension on the TC truck. It puts the joint right at the rear of the camper overhang.

Four of the trailers get pulled by the TC rig. One's a boat; narrow front end, standard tongue, works great.

One is a short snowmobile trailer (box). The tongue is approx. 5' long stretching from the 'V'. Works great..and it was standard.

The other snowmobile trailer is a blunt front end; we extended the tongue 24". Without it, the trailer would hit the camper while turning in a lock turn. Trailers literally create a 90 degree corner, even while going forward.

The last trailer is our 'support' rig (lack of a better term). 20' box, I had the thing built with an additional length, which is 6' total(it's a standard upgrade/option when ordering). That allows the same movement needs as the others.

Without the adjustments (extensions) the trailers would hit the camper in tight turns, which of course would be a given backing up too. There is no down side other than a slightly longer trailer. When one gets up around 34'+, it really doesn't matter.

I have considered and would if needed, go longer and shorten the extension some. It would allow a slightly higher tongue weight (shorter extension) but there are things to watch for that also.

For towing, most won't notice the difference if the joint is directly at the rear of the rig, or in a foot or so. Backing...it changes things a bit but I dare say most don't get into situations where it would matter.

That's clear as mud, yes??

So do you use the hitch extension with the trailers that have extended tongues?
Reality_Check
Nomad II
Jan 23, 2020
Yes...

Sorry if that wasn't clear. 48" extension puts the joint (hitch) at the back of the TC. Extended hitch keeps the trailer clear of the camper. A shorter extension would just require a longer tongue.

We have some box trailers that are towed by flat beds/utility beds that also have extended tongues. Without them, the truck bed would hit the box, similar to our TC's. It's an 8' wide and 90 degree angle thing. The two meet at the same point..need space between them. And, one needs a little leeway because sometimes these things are at different grades (slope).
toddb
Explorer
Jan 23, 2020
I just changed trailers. The TC extends about 30" from the hitch. The first trailer was a 77x16' open with a front rail. I used a 2' extension that put the ball about 7" under the camper, the trailer tongue was only 42" due to the width. I could pinch it with the camper legs if I cut it tight. It sucked to back, with the extension and short trailer it turned very fast.

I now have a 18' enclosed with a tongue of 63", the stinger is about 8" out if I remember. Turning sharp isn't much of an issue, just have to keep in mind the jacks have about 3" of clearance over the tongue. The trailer tows like it's that long and backs so much easier. One of our tracks has a short steep incline that hasn't been an issue, more than I have run into anyplace else.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Jan 23, 2020
I have a 20' deckover equipment trailer that has a long enough tongue that I can hitch to the truck with a standard shank under the camper. My camper overhang is roughly 18".

With this setup the trailer tongue coming up and hitting the underside of the camper is a very real concern. I have to be very cognizant of sudden elevation changes such as humps and dips.
noteven
Explorer III
Jan 23, 2020
I haul a camper with overhang and tow an enclosed using the extend the truck hitch method. I prefer this because it works with all me trailers, and less off tracking in turns mentioned by others.

Departure angle of the truck is greatly reduced.

I wonder if a hinge built in the extension that allows it to only go “up” when it is grounded would work for departure angle?
zb39
Explorer
Jan 23, 2020
I have a 20 foot enclosed that I ordered with a extended tongue. Either 72 or 84 inches, can't remember which. It works great regardless if the camper is on or not.