Hitch Extended to Keep Trailer From Hitting Flat Bed Truck While Turning

Question:

I have a 1 ton dually that I tow a 14ft landscape trailer with. The trailer max gvwr is 3000lbs. I believe my current stock hitch tonge rating is 950lbs. I need to use a 8inch ball and that is rated for 5000lbs. Currently my issue is when making sharp turns, I will hit the trailer with the back of my flatbed. I need a hitch extension but Im nervous about how much weight Ill be loosing for my tonge weight and max trailer weight. Is this a product I should consider? Or is there a better option for me that I dont know about? I tow the trailer weekly and often find myself in tight situations and the real problem is turning the trailer around in my driveway. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

asked by: Cameron C

Helpful Expert Reply:

Since flat beds are longer than regular truck beds situations like yours can occur more often than with a regular truck. Using a longer ball mount or a hitch extender is a viable option. Since the longest ball mount with an 8 inch drop is # C45338. It measures 9-3/8 inches from the center of the hitch pin hole to the center of the ball hole.

If that is not enough length then an extender will need to be used. The use of an most extenders reduces the tongue weight capacity of the trailer hitch by 50%. The # ST18 extender reduces the tongue weight capacity by 33-1/3 percent but does not reduce the gross trailer weight capacity. So if your hitch tongue weight capacity is 950 pounds the use of an extension such as # ST18 will reduce that to 633 pounds.

Considering that the gross trailer weight is 3,000 pounds the tongue weight should be around 300 to 450 pounds. Provided that you kept the tongue weight in that range (or below 475 pounds) you will be good to go.

expert reply by: Michael H