Recommended Hitch for Travel Trailer With 68-1/2 Inch Outside to Outside Spaced Frame Members

Question:

I have a 2015 Jayco WhiteHawk Summit Edition 28DSBH. Trying to decide between C13704 and 13703. The C13704 looks to have higher capacity but the 13703 looks like it has better attachment to the frame. I plan to use for towing small boat and other times for bike rack. I have S shape frame. The bottom flange is to the inside. Outside to outside dimension of frame is 68.5”. Flange width is 2”. Which hitch is the best for what I plan to use it for?

asked by: Brett

Expert Reply:

The Curt # C13704 fits frame members with an outside dimension up to 66 inches long, so it wouldn't be compatible with your 68-1/2 inch outside to outside frame spread. You'll want to use the other hitch you mentioned, the Curt # 13703 which fits frame members up to 72 inches wide which would work great on your travel trailer. The hitch would be compatible with the frame member you described.

The hitch would work okay for towing a small boat as long as it doesn't exceed the 3500 lb towing/350 lb tongue weight of the hitch and the capacity of the frame members of your travel trailer. For the capacity, you'd want to check with Jayco.

Finally, you'll want to make sure that the bike rack you use is one that'd designed for use on a towed vehicle. A rack installed on the rear of a travel trailer will be subjected to bouncing forces much stronger that what it would be exposed to if it were used on a passenger vehicle, so you'll want to use a rack designed for that purpose. A rack like the 3-bike Swagman Original # S64152-2 or the 4 bike model, part # S64400 is what I'd recommend.

I've linked to some demonstration videos for the bike racks I mentioned

expert reply by: Mike L