Longer Ball Mount Needed to Prevent Trailer from Hitting Truck During Turns

Question:

I have a cargo box truck 8 wide. Im towing a trailer 8 wide and the truck hits the trailer on tight turns. Is there a way to know if 6 extention will be enough for the truck to not hit trailer? Or is there a way to figure what the extension needs to be to not hit?

asked by: Ken

Expert Reply:

The only thing I can think of is to back the truck up to the trailer at the same angle as it was when it was hitting the trailer before. Then back up so that the trailer ball is 6 inches away from the coupler, and see if that is going to provide enough clearance.

When using these extenders, keep in mind that your hitch capacity will be DECREASED BY 50 PERCENT, due to the additional leverage that will be exerted on the receiver by moving it out 6 inches.

Perhaps a better solution would be to use a longer ball mount, like part # BM20. This ball mount has a 10,000 lb towing/ 1,000 lb tongue weight capacity and would gain you extra clearance.

expert reply by: Mike L