hitch & spare tire problems - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-18-2007, 05:26 PM   #1
Member
 
ted saxton's Avatar
 
Trailer: 2007 13 ft Scamp / 2006 Jeep Liberty Renagade V6
Posts: 75
Thumbs up

When we hitch the trailer to our Jeep we have to remove the spare tire because its mounted in the center of the back door right over the hitch. We can hitch on the ball but can't lock it down, because it hits the bottom of the tire. We're thinking about extenting the hitch. Will this change the way its towed
safely
Ted & Vera
ted saxton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 05:31 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Chester Taje's Avatar
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 4,897
I know of a few folks who have made some extentions on there hitch.They had no problems.I beleive our web master was one of them.
__________________
Retired Underground Coal Miner.
Served in Canadian Army (1PPCLI)
Chester Taje is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 06:59 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
I'm one too. The drawbar on my truck is about a foot longer than normal, I need it that way, so I can open the back door on my canopy. A short drawbar caused the door to hit the tongue jack. Now, no more problems! AND, it hasn't caused any problems. Win-win.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:02 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
Quote:
When we hitch the trailer to our Jeep we have to remove the spare tire because its mounted in the center of the back door right over the hitch. We can hitch on the ball but can't lock it down, because it hits the bottom of the tire.
This has been seen before, and affects at least one current FiberglassRV member with a Jeep Liberty.

Quote:
We're thinking about extenting the hitch. Will this change the way its towed safely?
Yes, extending the hitch will adversely affect towing characteristics, but perhaps acceptably. The further the ball is placed behind the rear axle, the greater leverage the trailer has to affect the tow vehicle. More leverage means, for instance, that more load is transferred from the Jeep's front axle to its rear axle.

Quote:
I know of a few folks who have made some extentions on there hitch.They had no problems.I beleive our web master was one of them.
Chester, maybe you're thinking of extensions of the trailer tongue, rather than the vehicle's hitch. Mike (the Webguy) has an extended tongue on his Casita; Gina has a custom-extended shank for the weight-distributing hitch head in her Liberty hitch. A tongue extension is good - or at least harmless - for towing stability and control, while a hitch extension is undesirable.
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:04 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
Quote:
The drawbar on my truck is about a foot longer than normal, I need it that way, so I can open the back door on my canopy.
... it hasn't caused any problems.
What size of truck is this, Donna? The Liberty is a short-wheelbase SUV, which would be affected more by an increase in hitch length than a vehicle with a longer wheelbase, such as a typical pickup truck.
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:05 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Chester Taje's Avatar
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 4,897
Yup---Your right Brian.My screw up
__________________
Retired Underground Coal Miner.
Served in Canadian Army (1PPCLI)
Chester Taje is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:07 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Quote:
What size of truck is this, Donna? The Liberty is a short-wheelbase SUV, which would be affected more by an increase in hitch length than a vehicle with a longer wheelbase, such as a typical pickup truck.
2000 Ford F-150 Extended Cab, standard box.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:26 PM   #8
Junior Member
 
Dave Van Vugt's Avatar
 
Trailer: 75 Trillium 13 ft
Posts: 23
Ted,

If it is indeed a Jeep Liberty you are dealing with, there is a possible solution.

Remove the tire and then remove the tire carrier, rotate it 180 degrees and re-mount it (upside down).

This moves the tire up slightly giving you more clearance below, as well as canting the tire slightly rearwards at the top.

I have larger than stock tires, so I also had to add a couple of washers behind the top bolts to allow the window to clear the tire, but a stock size tire should be OK.

I now have a weight distribution / anti-sway setup which moves the hitch ball further from the Jeep, so I no longer have this problem, but I had it this way for a while.

Incidentally for Liberty owners, there are some great forums out there - I am a member at http://www.jeepkj.com and http://www.lostkj.com , one of which this information probably came from originally :-)

Hope that helps,

Dave
Dave Van Vugt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:29 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
DanPatWork's Avatar
 
Trailer: 88 Scamp 16 ft
Posts: 196
Registry
Quote:
When we hitch the trailer to our Jeep we have to remove the spare tire because its mounted in the center of the back door right over the hitch. We can hitch on the ball but can't lock it down, because it hits the bottom of the tire. We're thinking about extenting the hitch. Will this change the way its towed
safely
Ted & Vera
I too own a Jeep Liberty (06 patriot blue ) All Liberty models with rear mounted spare tire and a receiver hitch require an extended length drawbar, If the person who sold you the hitch didn't mention this when they sold you the drawbar, take it back and ask for an exchange. Any [b]good parts store, or installer should have no problem doing this.

I couldn't tell you if this would change the tow characteristics because I've never towed with a short drawbar.
DanPatWork is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:30 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
Quote:
2000 Ford F-150 Extended Cab, standard box.
A current F-150 with SuperCab and 8' box has a wheelbase of 163"; the previous-generation 2000 model would presumably be similar. In contrast, the Liberty has a 104" wheelbase. I believe that this difference is quite significant when considering the effect of extending the hitch.

P.S. Donna... ya got enough truck?
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:33 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
I like Dave's approach, which addresses the root problem. I've seen the bracket construction, and wondered if something could be done, but didn't have the solution... great tip, Dave!
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-18-2007, 07:51 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Greg A's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1981 13 ft Scamp / Nissan Titan
Posts: 1,852
I have a Jeep Liberty and I have a "funky hitching routine" that I go through, but it works. You leave the coupler locked while you back into position and get the height right to hook-up, then you swing the rear door open until it hits the propane bottle and this allows the space to unlock the coupler. You have to remember before you start this to turn the tongue jack handle upside down so you can lower the coupler down on the ball otherwise, the tongue jack handle won't go around. Once on the ball and the coupler locked down you can shut the door. Sounds complicated, but really isn't once ya got the steps down.

Didn't know there was a longer bar option, but I may look at that to eliminate the Jeep Liberty Hitch Dance.
__________________
Owner:
Fiberglass-RV-4Sale.com
Scamp Owners International
2015 Escape 19 & 1997 Scamp 19
Greg A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2007, 04:53 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Pete Dumbleton's Avatar
 
Trailer: Scamp
Posts: 3,072
Send a message via Yahoo to Pete Dumbleton
My old Dodge D150 (114" W handling was significantly improved when I *shortened* the rear overhang by about 3-4" by moving the receiver bar up and forward and by shortening the ball mount by drilling a new pin hole. I highly recommend AGAINST lengthening the overhang, esp on the shorter WB.

BTW, I had been towing for many tens of thousands of miles before I got into a major sway condition on a wet, banked gravel road in BC at less than the posted speed limit, so "so far, so good" might not be good enough.

I also moved the spare tire to the front bumper, thus taking weight off the rear and adding it to the front end.

Even a WDH will still feel some sway effects of longer overhang, but this would be a good application for a WDH with dual-cam or Equalizer (not friction sway control).
Pete Dumbleton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2007, 05:32 PM   #14
Member
 
Kevin242's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1976 Beachcomber 15 ft and 1977 Airstream Tradewind 25 ft
Posts: 32
My ford f-150 is a 4x4 with the pretty typical 2" receiver. When I hook up a standard FG RV, the tongue is way up because of the height of the truck and the rear bumper of the trailer is almost dragging. I solved this by getting a hitch with an 8" drop. Now the trailer is level when towing and the trailer tongue is 8" lower. Drop hitches come in 2", 4", 6", 8" and 10" drop heights. This might lower the trailer tongue enough to clear the rear spare tire issues if the vehicle has enough height to handle the drop.

Would a drop hitch solve the SUV towing problems you have?
Kevin242 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2007, 05:52 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
Quote:
I also moved the spare tire to the front bumper, thus taking weight off the rear and adding it to the front end.
I don't know that I'd put the spare on the nose of a Liberty, but it could be carried in the roof rack (preferably as far forward as possible), which would solve the clearance problem and somewhat help the front/rear weight distribution, at the expense of some convenience and a slightly raised centre of mass.

Quote:
Even a WDH will still feel some sway effects of longer overhang, but this would be a good application for a WDH with dual-cam or Equalizer (not friction sway control).
Interesting, since the Equal-i-zer design is a WD system with integrated and entirely friction-based sway control. It's probably better than the straight friction bar devices... but it's still just friction.
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2007, 07:38 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Trailer: Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 138
Registry
I had an '02 Jeep Liberty and had the same problem with coupler clearance and the spare tire on the Jeep. I purchased an 8" extension and problem was solved. Never had any handling problems or anything. I towed a 13' Scamp with mine. The Jeep is rated for 5K and more than sufficient tongue weight, so the reduction in hitch weight rating won't bother you with a 13' trailer. The only thing to note, it is an additional link, so there will be some noise when cornering, etc. (you will get used to it as a normal noise). Again, I used that extension and towed my Scamp many thousands of miles from '02 til this spring when I got rid of the Jeep. Good luck.
Chris L. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2007, 02:03 PM   #17
Senior Member
 
Brian B-P's Avatar
 
Trailer: Boler (B1700RGH) 1979
Posts: 5,002
If someone really does want to use the extended hitch approach, it may not be necessary to use a separate extension component. If you are using a weight-carrying configuration, you just need a longer ball mount; if using weight distribution, a longer shank supporting the WD head. The required length will determine if appropriate parts are available on the shelf; custom modifications of off-the-shelf components are also possible.

Avoiding that extra piece avoids another point of point of potential failure, and the source of the extra noise which Chris mentioned.

By the way, if you use an extension... did you remember to attach the safety chains and breakaway switch cable to the actual receiver, not just to the extension?
__________________
1979 Boler B1700RGH, pulled by 2004 Toyota Sienna LE 2WD
Information is good. Lack of information is not so good, but misinformation is much worse. Check facts, and apply common sense liberally.
STATUS: No longer active in forum.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2007, 10:42 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Trailer: Scamp 13 ft
Posts: 138
Registry
Good point Brian. I forgot to mention, I had to install a longer set of safety chains to reach the reciever hooking point, and also had to lengthen the "umbilical cord". I have since shortened both for my new tug. My use of the extension was just weight bearing of @200 hitch weight.
Chris L. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2007, 09:17 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Gina D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: Former Burro owner and fan!
Posts: 9,015
Registry
I have an 06 Liberty.

I bought a wdh from drawtite, and had an extra couple of inches (Thats really all thats needed) welded onto the end of the drawbar, the inside bit that fits in the hitch. The welder then drilled a new hole for the pin, and I am "sitting" pretty. The ball just barely sits behind the tire now, and the lever effect is minimal.. I really don't notice any difference from before.

The cost was minimal, under 20 bucks as I recall. I can swing the door all the way out, as my tongue jack is side mounted, no center mount.
Gina D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2007, 09:28 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Gina D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: Former Burro owner and fan!
Posts: 9,015
Registry
Here is a pic of my set up. You can see where the original drawbar hole is, just at the end of the hitch, at the drawbar.

This pic was taken before I installed the sway control.
Attached Thumbnails
wdhball.jpg  
Gina D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
spare tire Vicki A. General Chat 9 03-09-2010 01:00 AM
Hitch receiver and spare tire carrier BobB Modifications, Alterations and Updates 14 10-10-2007 11:22 AM
Spare tire Lainey Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 1 08-12-2007 06:48 AM
Spare Tire Rim Nancy and Don Ostaff Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 5 08-08-2007 06:52 PM
under spare tire christineb Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 10 01-25-2007 06:58 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:24 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.