Towing

[JShiv]

I need a little advice. I want to tow a MX5 Miata on a trailer behind my Lance 950s. The truck is a Ram 2500 w/bags, sway bar and 19.5 wheels. I will need an 18" or21" extension to reach beyond the camper. Factory hitch is adequate without the extension. I am looking at adding a Super Hitch.That won't help much w/out their extension. $900!! Your thoughts?

TIA Shiv

[languiduck]

jshiv, I wanted to use a trailer too but I wasn't willing to install a Torklift receiver and then have to buy the truss, and then have to buy a long wiring harness too. I toyed around with making my own truss and using some chain for stabilizing it. In the end I found it was much easier and cheaper to sell the trailer and tow 4 down. I couldn't have made a better decision. No more storing or maintaining a trailer, or the hassle of finding a place to park it at a campground or wherever I end up.

[Hemi_Joel]

trail-explorer wrote:
Torklift Superhitch and 24" extension are going to be far safer than a cobbled together bolted on hitch extension that's mounted to the tongue and a-frame of your trailer by drilling holes through the A-frame, compromising the strength and rigidity of the trailer and reducing it's resale value.

"how's that for a mega run-on sentence"

With all due respect, and appreciation for the fact that you are trying to be helpful, what experience do you have to back up your claim that my system is less safe, cobbled, or compromising?
Have you tried such a system and had problems? I'd like to hear about it so that I can learn from your experience and save myself some grief.
Personally, I have used hitch extensions before, and I do not like how far rearward the ball is. The forces on the truck, both up and down as well as side to side, are multiplied by the extended hitch. Yes it works, but I don't think it is better. With the extended A frames on my 2 trailers, I find that the rig is more stable. I have towed all over the USA, on some of the roughest roads, over 120,000 miles in the last 12 years, with a loaded trailer weighing between 9500 and 13,500 pounds, and had zero problems related to my trailer extenders.

[pjay9]

Aren't all the hitches being suggested in the Class V category? Don't you need a V for extensions that is pulling that sort of weight? (Rhetorical)

[Grit_dog]

A super hitch with a truss extender thingy is the best solution, for probably the most money.
On the flip side, a Miata on a little trailer is not really a substantial load depending on the trailer and car placement for tongue weight.
Without knowing the overhang of the camper and depth behind the bumper, type of trailer, trailer tongue length, tongue weight, if you own the trailer already or are going to buy one, etc it is hard to say what the bet way to go is.
Some options are, from cheap to expensive, sort of.........
Throw a hitch extension on it and roll. I put a lot of rough miles on my truck with a 24" ext for my sled trailer, 2500lbs and not much tongue weight, no problems. Depends what the tongue weight is and if you can get it acceptable by moving the car on the trailer.
If you own the trailer and have enough vertical room for break over angle, get the tongue extended for $2-300.
If you need a trailer, get a dolly and flat tow the car. No tongue weight, will work fine with a extension. Dollies are not conducive to backing around corners though. This would be my pref if I had to buy a trailer still and didn't want the hassle of installing another hitch.
Put a tow bar on the car and tow it 4 down with a hitch extension.
Buy a Superhitch.

Note if it's a 3rd gen Ram you need to lift the truck bed to remove the OE hitch from the truck.

[Healeyman]

JShiv wrote:
I need a little advice. I want to tow a MX5 Miata on a trailer behind my Lance 950s.

Shiv,

If your Miata is a MANUAL transmission, you can tow it 4-down.

I have towed 3 Miatas for 60,000 miles and I have helped nearly 100 other Miata owners to get their cars RV towable.

PM me with your Email address if you want more information.

Tim

[kbaum]

Agree Super Hitch is the best way to go. They are not inexpensive by any means, however now that I have one I would never tow without one when you need an extension to clear your TC especially with the weight you will be towing.

[hedge]

I can't understand how a hitch extension would work anyway. The hitch would still hit the camper or the jacks on tight turns or going through ditches etc. Maybe if it was on flat pavement all the time it would work.

[trail-explorer]

Torklift Superhitch and 24" extension are going to be far safer than a cobbled together bolted on hitch extension that's mounted to the tongue and a-frame of your trailer by drilling holes through the A-frame, compromising the strength and rigidity of the trailer and reducing it's resale value.

"how's that for a mega run-on sentence"

[Hemi_Joel]

I think it is better and more stable, plus cheaper and easier to extend the trailer tongue than to extend the hitch. You can either get a trailer with a longer A-frame, have your existing A-frame extended, or have a removable extender built.
Then the center of gravity does not move rearward, like when you extend the hitch.

Here is the removable extender I built for my 27' open trailer:


Here is my 28' race car trailer that I had the A-frame permanently extended on, hooked up behind my old Lance.

On the Lance I put 2x6 lumber under the camper to gain clearance, plus I had to remove the rear jacks to clear the A-frame on tight turns. I stored them behind the seat in the cab. This help move the center of gravity forward. On the Real Lite that I used to have and the Arctic Fox 1050 that I have now, the rear overhang doesn't drop down so much as the lance, so All I had to do for clearance was raise the jacks a bit.



Here is the open trailer with the extender behind the Arctic Fox

[mkirsch]

Yup, Superhitch and no doubt, or something cobbled together and constant worry.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Another option might be a Reese Titan 2.5" receiver, though.

[eagle777]

get the torklift superhitch and extension and forget about the car while hitched. next year you may want to tow something bigger and heavier..

[poncho62]

That seems to be a lot of strain on your hitch and truck frame in my mind

[Jaxom]

$900 vs. your car, trailer, life. No brainer to me.

[tonymull]

Some more info would be helpful... Do you have a class III or class IV hitch now. How much do the car and trailer weigh and what is the tongue weight? An extension of that length will typically halve your rated tongue weight .... so if you have a class III it's going to be about 300 lbs and for a class IV about 750. If you currently have the class IV you may well be OK.