Extra Long Ball Mount for Launching Heavy Boat Trailer

Question:

Already have a solid shank unit that is 8 1/2 inches hole to centre of ball. do you have something that will get me out a min of 18 inches? Also is 1/4 hollow channel as strong as 2 inch solid bar for GTW capacity?

asked by: Larry

Expert Reply:

I spoke to my contact at Curt about the Curt Solid Steel 2" Hitch Bar part # D36 and they informed me that it does not have a weight rating because it is not in the finished form. The weight capacity will vary depending on the length and amount of gussets or reinforcements that are used.

If you need something with an exact weight rating you may want to look at the Draw-Tite Ball Mount part # 4285 which has a 12" long shank (center of hitch pin hole to center of ball hole), comes with a 4" drop, and has a 12,000 lb weight capacity. If you can let me know the amount of rise/drop you need in a ball mount (see article) then I will see if we have a better option for you.

expert reply by: Conner L

click to enlarge

Larry

9/24/2018

Conner L.

9/24/2018

The issue that you are going to run into is the further out you go, the less weight capacity you have. For example, the longest ball mount we offer is the Hidden Hitch Ball Mount part # 80232 which is 15-3/4" from the center of hitch pin hole to the center of the ball hole. However, this unit only has a 6,000 lb weight capacity. Your best option is going to be to modify the Curt Solid Steel 2" Hitch Bar part # D36 (see photo) that you had originally asked about but I would not be able to give you a weight capacity once done so. A 1-1/4" hollow shank will not be nearly as strong as a solid 2" shank. I really wish I had better options for you but we don't have anything off the shelf that is going to do exactly what you need. The Curt Solid Steel 2" Shank should work but you need to reinforce it to get the weight capacity you need.