Hitch prob on Liberty
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Barry Bean" <bbbean@beancotton.com>
:
: 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
: ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
: most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a
BBQ
: grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
: Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
: the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
This is probably the way to go but also be aware that by extending the
distance from the rear axle to the ball will effect the handling. While
going down the highway, steering corrections will be magnified through the
tail swing of the Liberty.
You're probably going to be absolutely fine and I don't want to sound like
I'm blowing this out of proportion... but...
To correct for this, if you extend the tongue 2" you should move your axle
on the trailer back 2"... which further increases tongue weight.
The optimal setup for towing is to have the ball as close to the rear axle
as possible and the axle of the trailer as far back as possible while not
exceeding your tongue weight.
This is why tractor trailers use a fifth wheel, to keep the pivot at or
ahead of the axle. Anyone that pulls a fifth wheel camper trailer on a pick
up truck will tell you they would never go back to a hitch and ball set up
because it handles so well.
When I bought a boat without a motor several years ago I towed it home
behind my Suburban and the trailer tracked great... I made a point of
'testing it'... 70-80 mph without so much as a wiggle. When I rebuilt the
boat and hung a 6 cyl Merc outboard off the back, it handled terrible. I
slid the axle back two holes, levelled the trailer and balanced the tongue
with a piece of wood on a bathroom scale. Close, but not enough. Moved back
two more holes, balanced it again and just shy of 300 lbs at the tongue. I
should have gone a bit more because when I filled the boat with gas, it
lightened up a bit but it was light years better than it was.
Okay, now I'm just rambling... hope this helps.
-Brian
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Barry Bean" <bbbean@beancotton.com>
:
: 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
: ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
: most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a
BBQ
: grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
: Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
: the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
This is probably the way to go but also be aware that by extending the
distance from the rear axle to the ball will effect the handling. While
going down the highway, steering corrections will be magnified through the
tail swing of the Liberty.
You're probably going to be absolutely fine and I don't want to sound like
I'm blowing this out of proportion... but...
To correct for this, if you extend the tongue 2" you should move your axle
on the trailer back 2"... which further increases tongue weight.
The optimal setup for towing is to have the ball as close to the rear axle
as possible and the axle of the trailer as far back as possible while not
exceeding your tongue weight.
This is why tractor trailers use a fifth wheel, to keep the pivot at or
ahead of the axle. Anyone that pulls a fifth wheel camper trailer on a pick
up truck will tell you they would never go back to a hitch and ball set up
because it handles so well.
When I bought a boat without a motor several years ago I towed it home
behind my Suburban and the trailer tracked great... I made a point of
'testing it'... 70-80 mph without so much as a wiggle. When I rebuilt the
boat and hung a 6 cyl Merc outboard off the back, it handled terrible. I
slid the axle back two holes, levelled the trailer and balanced the tongue
with a piece of wood on a bathroom scale. Close, but not enough. Moved back
two more holes, balanced it again and just shy of 300 lbs at the tongue. I
should have gone a bit more because when I filled the boat with gas, it
lightened up a bit but it was light years better than it was.
Okay, now I'm just rambling... hope this helps.
-Brian
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Barry Bean" <bbbean@beancotton.com>
:
: 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
: ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
: most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a
BBQ
: grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
: Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
: the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
This is probably the way to go but also be aware that by extending the
distance from the rear axle to the ball will effect the handling. While
going down the highway, steering corrections will be magnified through the
tail swing of the Liberty.
You're probably going to be absolutely fine and I don't want to sound like
I'm blowing this out of proportion... but...
To correct for this, if you extend the tongue 2" you should move your axle
on the trailer back 2"... which further increases tongue weight.
The optimal setup for towing is to have the ball as close to the rear axle
as possible and the axle of the trailer as far back as possible while not
exceeding your tongue weight.
This is why tractor trailers use a fifth wheel, to keep the pivot at or
ahead of the axle. Anyone that pulls a fifth wheel camper trailer on a pick
up truck will tell you they would never go back to a hitch and ball set up
because it handles so well.
When I bought a boat without a motor several years ago I towed it home
behind my Suburban and the trailer tracked great... I made a point of
'testing it'... 70-80 mph without so much as a wiggle. When I rebuilt the
boat and hung a 6 cyl Merc outboard off the back, it handled terrible. I
slid the axle back two holes, levelled the trailer and balanced the tongue
with a piece of wood on a bathroom scale. Close, but not enough. Moved back
two more holes, balanced it again and just shy of 300 lbs at the tongue. I
should have gone a bit more because when I filled the boat with gas, it
lightened up a bit but it was light years better than it was.
Okay, now I'm just rambling... hope this helps.
-Brian
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
Barry Bean wrote:
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
Barry Bean wrote:
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
Barry Bean wrote:
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
Barry Bean wrote:
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
> After installing a receiver hitch on my liberty, I find that the ball is
> directly under the spare tire, which makes it difficult to hitch/unhitch,
> especially at an angle. I end up having to partialy open the back door and
> try to keep the door from hitting the trailer while I mount the trailer on
> the ball. Its doable, but a hassle.
>
> I've been considering two remedies:
>
> 1) Get a ball mount with a lower drop. This would make it easier to hitch
> up, but would lower my clearance, possibly causing problems going through
> dips or starting a steep rise.
Cure that problem by installing a suspension lift to put your clearance
back to right (and better handle heavier loads):
http://tinyurl.com/2qcvc
"But honey, we have to buy it so we can tow the trailer safely"
> 2) Extend the ball mount a few inches past the receiver. This would be
> ideal, but would obviously increase the leverage on the receiver. FWIW,
> most of the trailers I pull have fairly light tongue weights (usually a BBQ
> grill with a 50-60 lb tongue weight and 200-300 lbs total weight).
> Obviously I couldn't use this on a heavier trailer, or one that approached
> the vehicle/receiver weight limit.
Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
a hitch extension:
http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
Steve
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Steve" <xjlifter@bogus.com> wrote in message
:
: Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
: a hitch extension:
:
: http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
:
Great link Steve, I bet that would solve his problem! (a wee bit cheaper
than a lift too!)
-Brian
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Steve" <xjlifter@bogus.com> wrote in message
:
: Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
: a hitch extension:
:
: http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
:
Great link Steve, I bet that would solve his problem! (a wee bit cheaper
than a lift too!)
-Brian
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: Hitch prob on Liberty
"Steve" <xjlifter@bogus.com> wrote in message
:
: Maybe this thing will give you enough clearance to preclude the use of
: a hitch extension:
:
: http://www.rocky-road.com/kjtirespace.html
:
Great link Steve, I bet that would solve his problem! (a wee bit cheaper
than a lift too!)
-Brian
