Need To Move Ball Mount Aft - Options?

GatorEgg

I've searched the forum, hoping for a new idea.  We got our new tow vehicle, a Tacoma.  Upgraded from an older Tacoma.  New Tacomas have a deeper tailgate so using my old hitch ball mount the tailgate hits the tongue jack post when  lowered.  Options: 
1. don't lower tailgate with trailer attached
2. longer ball mount
3. mod jack into removable
4. remove jack. 

Since the trailer is brand new and I'm not into hokey mods that kill trailer value, #3 and 4 are probably out. Since I have hitch and tow capacity allowance with the truck I'm leaning to # 2.  Has anyone experienced similiar clearance problem and how was it overcome?  Thanks.

RollingBnB

They make ball mounts with longer stingers(shafts). Etrailer probably best bet 

TNOutback

How much more length do you need?  Some ball mounts have more than one pin hole in the shank to adjust the length.

Marceline

GatorEgg said:

Since the trailer is brand new and I'm not into hokey mods that kill trailer value, #3 and 4 are probably out. Since I have hitch and tow capacity allowance with the truck I'm leaning to # 2.  Has anyone experienced similiar clearance problem and how was it overcome?  Thanks.

I have friends with Jeep and they use this. I don’t think it looks hokey at all and I cant see how it would kill the value of their trailer. 

https://jack-e-up.com/

Sharon_is_SAM

We use a TaB specific version of the jack-e-up.  Works well.  Remove the jack post until ready to unhitch.  No biggie.

Verna

I purchased a 14.5” long draw bar so my Ford F150’s tailgate would lay flat when opened. You may have to go to a truck accessory business to find this. 

GatorEgg

Marceline said:

GatorEgg said:

Since the trailer is brand new and I'm not into hokey mods that kill trailer value, #3 and 4 are probably out. Since I have hitch and tow capacity allowance with the truck I'm leaning to # 2.  Has anyone experienced similiar clearance problem and how was it overcome?  Thanks.

I have friends with Jeep and they use this. I don’t think it looks hokey at all and I cant see how it would kill the value of their trailer. 

https://jack-e-up.com/

Thanks.  I'd heard somewhat of this but didn't know the name.  Interesting.  When I mentioned hokey and value I mean some homemade thing.  While looking at numerous trailers during shopping for mine we ran across many folks ideas of a "better" idea for something on their trailers.  And we had to pass on those and keep on looking.

teztab

@GatorEgg I can think of three options available to you:
- Basic hitch extender, widely available in various lengths (will have a negative impact on hitch load capacity)
- Jack-E-up which allows you to remove the tongue jack (but requires the jack to always be removed)
- Ultimate Jack which allows you to easily drop the jack to clear the tailgate or, if necessary, remove the jack completely 
https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Ultimate-Jack/322-RDJ-2K.html
I fitted an Ultimate Jack to my 320S and i am extemely pleased with the device.  

Photomom

I’ve had very good luck with Etrailer customer service. If you tell them your problem they will help you find a draw bar that works.

easttntab

I have a 2017 quad cab Tacoma and use a hitch extension. I have a 2016 CSS and my tongue weight is about 218 depending on how full my propane is. I'm very comfortable towing with it and I only notice the slightest bobble from qusting quarter side wind or from an occasional 18 wheeler.  I might have that anyway, I don't really know because I never towed with a standard length hitch. I believe my extension is 18 in. Hope that helps.

chpiv

I have a 2017 Tacoma 4 door off road and use a

CURT 45260 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 7,500 lbs. GTW, 1-Inch Ball Hole, 2-Inch Drop, 3/4-Inch Rise

for extending my ball from the tow vehicle,   I am not an expert but have read that hitch extensions which extend your existing ball mount decrease your tongue weight in half.  There appears to be no such decrease for the unit from Amazon. My tailgate opens fine unless the I am parked with the front of the truck up and the front of the trailer down (I hope that makes sense).  Being able to open the tail gate once properly parked on level ground was a plus as I originally did this to give me more turning clearance as I added a 60 inch box to the front of the T@B 320 Outback.  The box protrudes forward of the Outback platform reducing the turning radius.  I recently took this on a 3000 mile trip and had no issues.

Dalehelman

Verna said:

I purchased a 14.5” long draw bar so my Ford F150’s tailgate would lay flat when opened. You may have to go to a truck accessory business to find this. 

X2

Horigan

chpiv said:

I am not an expert but have read that hitch extensions which extend your existing ball mount decrease your tongue weight in half.  There appears to be no such decrease for the unit from Amazon...

A tow vehicle hitch receiver is rated for vertical load (tongue weight) AND the torque that vertical load applies to the receiver frame and vehicle structure it attaches to.  Whether Amazon says so or not, any hitch extender will reduce the vertical load (tongue weight) capability of the hitch receiver and tow vehicle.  If you double the length of the draw bar, as measured horizontally from the pin to the ball, you double the torque you're applying to the hitch receiver structure.  Imagine a ten foot draw bar.  If you stood on it you would deform the hitch receiver with the torque you would be applying.

teztab

Well stated @Horigan.  The longer the hitch extender the greater the loss of tongue load capability, because the tongue weight of the trailer is amplified by leverage (which is why, when suggesting a hitch extender as one of three possible options available, I said it would have a negative impact on load capability).  However, depending on the tongue load capability of the truck, relative to the tongue load of the T@b, a loss of load capability from an extender could still leave a margin of safety to make it a viable solution.

JEB

Horigan said:

chpiv said:

I am not an expert but have read that hitch extensions which extend your existing ball mount decrease your tongue weight in half.  There appears to be no such decrease for the unit from Amazon...

A tow vehicle hitch receiver is rated for vertical load (tongue weight) AND the torque that vertical load applies to the receiver frame and vehicle structure it attaches to.  Whether Amazon says so or not, any hitch extender will reduce the vertical load (tongue weight) capability of the hitch receiver and tow vehicle.  If you double the length of the draw bar, as measured horizontally from the pin to the ball, you double the torque you're applying to the hitch receiver structure.  Imagine a ten foot draw bar.  If you stood on it you would deform the hitch receiver with the torque you would be applying.

Exactly.  That’s why the frames on the 400, for example, say that you should not use hitch extenders at all.  The problem may not be as acute with the 320, which has a lower tongue weight.  But I’d still be very leery about using an extended mount on something like a 4 Runner, which has only a 500 pound static tongue weight capacity using a normal draw bar length.

targ

Get yourself an "Ultimate Jack."  IMO, it's better than the Jack-e-up because it's adjustable as well as removable.  Search the forum - there's another thread here where I posted a few pix.

MiquelCamo

@GatorEgg How close are you to being able to open the gate? Mine was about 1.5 inches off and I just bought a slightly longer ball mount (2014 F150). Problem solved. Extension wasn't required and all towing capacities remain. 

tybladesmith

For a 2018 Chevy Colorado I added a Class 4 ball mount with a 9 3/8" length or reach, to clear the tail gate with about 1" clearance. I used Dale Helman's mod for power tongue jack to get the crank handle out of the way.

GrandmasKid

Sharon_is_SAM said:

We use a TaB specific version of the jack-e-up.  Works well.  Remove the jack post until ready to unhitch.  No biggie.

I'm looking for a T@B specific Jack-E-Up but don't see one on the Jack-E-Up website. May I have how you got one? It looks like if I use washers under the plate I should be able to get over the heads of the bolt that fasten the coupler onto to the frame of my 400 BD. Is that what you did? Thanks.

Sharon_is_SAM

@GrandmasKid - a former TaB owner fabricated the TaB specific Jack-E-Up and they are no longer sold by the TearDropShop.  There is another online fabricator, but I am not sure if they are marketing the TaB device.  The washer trick does work.

gulfarea

I did this, so I did not have to use longer spacers to keep the Jack-E-up lower. I took the Jack-e -up to a welding shop and had them torch remove the areas shown. It worked great and did not need a longer bar hitch.  Art

GatorEgg

Well, my final fix to tailgate interference was to just sell the trailer.  Gone.  Problem fixed!  

Naw,  but actually did sell it.  Prior to,  I did go with a slightly longer ball mount.  I definitely wasn’t going to remove the factory jack.  Kinda in between another cruising sailboat or back to a T@b400 right now.  Thanks 

Denny16

Using a extended draw bar to move the hitch ball further way from the receiver, will reduce your towing capacity and could pass reduce the towing dynamics when using a small mid size truck like a Tacoma towing a TaB400.  Not a good idea at all.  Well selling the trailer is one solution... 
cheers

GatorEgg

I had a 320 when extended the ball mount. No problems encountered.  It was only extended 1 inch.  Prior to extension I had driven 5k miles like that.  I just didn’t drop the tailgate all the way down while trailer was attached.  I’d probably do the same with a 400 if I find one.  Being a bigger trailer maybe the tongue will be an inch longer.

rh5555

Has anyone explored replacing the existing 2" coupler with one with a longer reach, like this?

I think this is about 4" longer than the stock coupler, so extends your tongue (not your hitch) by that much.  Stability-wise, this has to be the way to go if you only need a few inches more room.

Dalehelman

Here is another option. Yes I know it will reduce the tow vehicle tongue capacity but not by much. Run the numbers. It could be a simple solution.
CURT 45260 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 7,500 lbs, 1-Inch Hole, 2-In Drop, 3/4-Inch Rise
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0007M308U/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_imm_awdb_GSKAVX89NV6NAKZBC6QF

Horigan

Dalehelman said:

Here is another option. Yes I know it will reduce the tow vehicle tongue capacity but not by much. Run the numbers. It could be a simple solution.
CURT 45260 Class 3 Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Fits 2-Inch Receiver, 7,500 lbs, 1-Inch Hole, 2-In Drop, 3/4-Inch Rise
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0007M308U/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_imm_awdb_GSKAVX89NV6NAKZBC6QF

That extended ball mount will reduce your tongue load capacity by a third.  The key measurement is the horizontal distance from the hitch pin to the ball.  For a typical ball mount this distance is ~8".  For the one above the value is over 12", so the tongue load capability is 8/12 times the rating.  The key concern is the torque/moment the tongue load applies to the hitch and vehicle chassis, hence longer mounts create higher moments on the vehicle.

Dalehelman

Should not be an issue for the OPs tow vehicle.

Verna

@Horigan, this is not a coupled extension with two or more coupled parts that will reduce your possible tongue weight. According to the specs above, this is a one piece ball mount, with no mention of diminished tongue weight. 

WilliamA

Pickup folks could get a tailgate made for pulling a fifth wheel trailer. They have a cutout in the center. Tailgates (the stock one) are relatively easy to swap without tools in most cases. 
Hitch extenders are a terrible idea.....
WilliamA

Horigan

@Verna, Extending the hitch applies a greater moment to the receiver and vehicle chassis, even a single piece like this one.  They may not mention reduced load capability, but the increase in load is real.  A free body diagram would show this. 

A better solution is to extend the tongue, assuming the frame rails can handle the increased moment load on the trailer.