What's the best way to break my rig while towing?

[HadEnough]

I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 crew cab short bed.

It's got an Arctic Fox 811, 4569lbs, fully loaded and wet, in the bed.

I am getting ready to go south for the winter and need to bring about 15 trash bags of clothes and shoes, about 150 lbs of boat equipment, and another 100lbs of tools.

So I think I'm looking at bringing about 350lbs of junk along.

Would it be better to stuff all that into the crew cab, into the crew cab and truck camper? Or get an enclosed cargo trailer and tow it in that?

It's a one way trip and the extra junk would be left in the cargo trailer at a marina once I arrive there. It's a 1 way, 1000 mile trip on a smooth interstate.

Can I get away with this?

The 2500 is all modded out with ridiculously over spec rims and tires, extra leafs in the rear springs, exhaust brake and air bags. It's already set up with a frame mounted towing hitch.

Am I good to go with this?

[Ski_Pro_3]

I want to also add that your safety chains need to attach to the tow vehicle. If you attach at the extension end near the ball, you could get a ticket.

Maybe you've noticed many of the extensions out there have a set of chains with turnbuckles back to the truck at angles to tighten and attach tow trailer chains to in order to satisfy the chain-to-tow-vehicle requirement.

[Ski_Pro_3]

Going with one extension is going to be a whole lot better than going with two extensions pinned together. With the ball, you'd have three pins holding the mess together with all the slop these receiver hitches are notorious for. Heck, I bet the whole assembly would sag a couple inches due to slop in the connections. Then there's side-to-side movement.

So, here's what I'd do;
Go with the solid bar extension with the ball attachment that gets you the length you need. Also use receiver hitch anti-wobble stabilizers at the hitch and at the ball connection. This will make for a much more solid extension. The stabilizers look like this and you can find them all over Amazon with 2 day shipping. Might also be at Walmart.
https://www.amazon.com/MICTUNING-Heavy-Duty-Anti-Wobble-Stabilizer-Compatible/dp/B073PXQ6X5/ref=sr_1...

[burningman]

And about hitch extensions: no matter how strong it is, it still puts lots of extra leverage and unwanted weight transfer on the truck. Stretching the trailer tongue is physically and mechanically superior, it keeps the hitch closer to the rear axle.
The best towing trailers are goosenecks and 5th wheels, for precisely that reason.
The further behind the axle you put that hitch the worse the physics are.
They’re fine for lightweight trailers. The heavier the trailer, the worse an idea they are.

The reason everyone uses them is because it’s the only store-bought ready-made solution.
Stretching the trailer is custom work, there’s not a product they can sell you for that.
It isn’t better, it’s what you can buy at a store.

[burningman]

jimh425 wrote:

burningman wrote:
It’s not the shop’s fault if someone buys a trailer and jackknifes it too far just because that’s possible to do. I really hope you’re kidding!
ALL trailers have a point at which you’ll damage things, that’s up to the driver to figure out and watch.

I don’t just tow without an extension, as noted I stretched my trailer tongue longer to be able to do that.

Op said "They didn't give me a long enough extension". That implies to me that he was told he'd be ok. Maybe that's not the case.

And he would be OK, if he didn’t jacknife it too far for the amount of clearance he had.
Every trailer has that point and it’s up to the driver to make sure he doesn’t crank it more than he’s got clearance for.
Trucks and trailers aren’t foolproof. You have to drive like a pro or you break stuff.

[HadEnough]

Done. I should have this Reese solid bar extension by Friday.

Thanks for the advice.

[jaycocreek]

Edit because of trick or treaters interrupting..Laffin

I didn't mean to say I do not recommend that because that is exactly what I have except my hitch ball is not extended..I originally was in a hurry and just bought a regular hollow extension and saw how flimsy it was and immediately ordered the solid Reese.It is rated higher than the hollow extensions.



Good luck on your trip..

[jaycocreek]

HadEnough wrote:
Hmmm. I see.

So what an I supposed to do?

The trailer company said I'm good to go and I'm leaving for Florida at the end of the week.

The hitch has been fine. No observable metal fatigue. Already put about 350 miles on it. Going about 1000 miles next.

Hitch receiver says 10,000lb capacity. I need 20" or more to get the trailer away from the TC.

What am I supposed to do?

Well,if it were me,and I do not recommend this,I would have got the Reese Item # RP11004 "Solid bar" 18" extension then an extended ball hitch for the remaining length needed.

Both are rated for more weight than two extensions and then a hitch ball.The 18" Reese extension is solid metal instead of hollow..Then the hitch ball say at 4"(or whatever length needed" is also rated more than an extension.

That's about as good as you can get, short of going the expensive Torklift route..

[HadEnough]

Hmmm. I see.

So what an I supposed to do?

The trailer company said I'm good to go and I'm leaving for Florida at the end of the week.

The hitch has been fine. No observable metal fatigue. Already put about 350 miles on it. Going about 1000 miles next.

Hitch receiver says 10,000lb capacity. I need 20" or more to get the trailer away from the TC.

What am I supposed to do?

[jaycocreek]

This is a quote from e-trailer about using two hitch extenders together..

The thing about hitch extenders is that with each one you use you end up cutting the hitch's capacity in half. Since you would be using two of them you would end up cutting the capacity by 75 percent.

JFYI

[jimh406]

I think many of those reading along don’t think it is working fine.

I have a 2 1/2 inch hitch and use a 18 inch 2 1/2 extension. I cut it down to 18 because shorter is better. Many here who need to go longer use the super truss or some other form of Torklift product. Some here built their own extension, but that won’t do any good if the hitch is a standard relatively weak 2 inch hitch. You are putting a lot of leverage on a hitch, so it pays to go stronger if you plan to do an extension.

[HadEnough]

GeoBoy wrote:

HadEnough wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
You could get an extended ball mount. It would probably make up the distance. https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Extended+Ball+Mount

I was looking at these but I got a little nervous.

I already have a pair of 10" extensions. I'm afraid to lose structural integrity adding more than 20" on.

Any thoughts on this?

Because I've been very tempted to order another extension like this off Amazon while I'm as a fixed address this week.

I'm currently at 20" from the normal hitch receiver with a pair of 10" extensions like you'd buy at Uhaul.

This is all a 2" system and a trailer just shy of 3000lbs though not loaded up much at all. Still, it's a 12x6 trailer.

Here is the trailer...

https://www.trailersuperstore.com/shop/american-hauler-6-x-12-enclosed-trailer-barn-door/

I can’t believe that you even think that it is OK to start linking up these 10” hitch extensions and then put a ball mount on top of them! Your stock truck hitch was never designed or rated for a hitch extension, no matter how little hitch weight you think you have.

Uh.... So what is everyone else doing?

Seems to be working fine for me. ?????

[GeoBoy]

HadEnough wrote:

jimh425 wrote:
You could get an extended ball mount. It would probably make up the distance. https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=Extended+Ball+Mount

I was looking at these but I got a little nervous.

I already have a pair of 10" extensions. I'm afraid to lose structural integrity adding more than 20" on.

Any thoughts on this?

Because I've been very tempted to order another extension like this off Amazon while I'm as a fixed address this week.

I'm currently at 20" from the normal hitch receiver with a pair of 10" extensions like you'd buy at Uhaul.

This is all a 2" system and a trailer just shy of 3000lbs though not loaded up much at all. Still, it's a 12x6 trailer.

Here is the trailer...

https://www.trailersuperstore.com/shop/american-hauler-6-x-12-enclosed-trailer-barn-door/

I can’t believe that you even think that it is OK to start linking up these 10” hitch extensions and then put a ball mount on top of them! Your stock truck hitch was never designed or rated for a hitch extension, no matter how little hitch weight you think you have.

[Ski_Pro_3]

HadEnough wrote:
Would love to know how far I can extend safely with the hitch extensions.

I have a short bed with a Lance 855S on it. I use Torklift Superhitch with a 42" Super Truss extension and the ball is a few inches past the camper bumper. I can flat tow my Samurai making a 360 degree turn without anything hitting. Super Truss are sold in varying lengths up to 60" long. The ball mount adds maybe another 6" or so, making it 5' 6" total max.

[HadEnough]

Kayteg1 wrote:
With short bed your truck is having turning radius way smaller than average for other members, so IMHO other experience doesn't apply here.
From my experience sooner or later you will have a situation when you will be forced to make max turn. When trailer might not interfere with truck/camper on 90 degree turn, it might at 180 turn.
I learned the hard way years ago that to avoid costly mistakes, with new trailer go to empty lot and do 360 degree loop at max turn, while closely observing the corners.
Good idea to have another person to watch it from outside.
When you pass that test, then you can turn your combo without sweat.

I agree.

Would love to know how far I can extend safely with the hitch extensions.

[Kayteg1]

With short bed your truck is having turning radius way smaller than average for other members, so IMHO other experience doesn't apply here.
From my experience sooner or later you will have a situation when you will be forced to make max turn. When trailer might not interfere with truck/camper on 90 degree turn, it might at 180 turn.
I learned the hard way years ago that to avoid costly mistakes, with new trailer go to empty lot and do 360 degree loop at max turn, while closely observing the corners.
Good idea to have another person to watch it from outside.
When you pass that test, then you can turn your combo without sweat.