hitch reciever length

[AdamNH]

I am curious what people think about optimal ball mount length. I'm trying to find the best mount to tow our Scamp 16 with our VW Touareg. The ball mount that I've used is 10" and sticks out by about 3". Plus it was a 3.5" drop/2" rise and I decided its just a little high.

The other issues I have is that the safety chains just barely reach (and I don't think they can cross - I just read that they should be crossed today). And in the few times that I've towed, I've had the plug pull out of the car and drag on the ground which is very bad for multiple reasons.

So yesterday I went to TSC to get a ball mount with a 3/4" rise which should be a good height at roughly 19". I swore I measured the length and got one that was 7", but nope its another 10" receiver so I'm going to have the same issue. Now I can't decide if I should look into a shorter ball mountor if I should get slightly longer chains and see if I can get any extra slack on the trailer plug by investigating it inside the trailer.

I thought the slightly shorter ball mount may be better for maneuvering the trailer, but I suppose it also makes it a bit difficult to access the hatch when the trailer is hooked up. The other thing that drives me crazy is that the mfr's (Reese in this case) don't seem to provide the length anywhere on the packaging. I don't even know if TSC has a shorter one without driving back to the store to measure. Oh, and I'm supposed to tow it 3.5 hours tomorrow morning. No pressure.

So, for those towing with SUV's, what receiver length do you like? Something tight to the hitch or something that extends out a few inches?

[AdamNH]

This thread would be better with pictures so here is my setup this past weekend. I believe this is spot on to the 21" height recommendation that Scamp publishes. This is with the 2" rise. I thought it was just a touch high and I also had to put a 4x4 under the jack in order to lift it high enough to get it mounted because it was on a hill which is why I was planning to drop it an inch. The ball mount I just bought but haven't tried yet will lower it 1.25". Sitting here staring at it I feel like I still want to get that ball pulled back closer to the bumper. I wonder if the hatch would still clear the jack. I think so.

Any thoughts on this setup?

[Jon in AZ]

Yes, the closer the ball to the rear axle of the tow vehicle the better. I know a couple of people, in a quest for perfection, pushed the ball mount further inside the receiver tube and drilled a new hole for the pin. I’m having a hard time believing that a inch or two will make a noticeable (or even measurable) difference. But that’s an option depending on how much clearance you have at the back of the receiver tube.

It can, as you say, create inconvenience. I have not had any clearance issues with our Honda Pilot, but our Scamp 13 sits pretty low (I’m using about 6” of drop).

Personally I’d just use it as-is and not worry too much.

More important to me is using an anti-rattle device to eliminate slop in the ball mount. The racket can be really annoying in a unibody vehicle.

[AdamNH]

The terminology of towing is tough. Ball mount is what I mean. I'm going to edit the above posts for clarity. I am definitely am not trying to drill a new hole, but definitely considering going down to a 7 or 8" ball mount.

[Raspy]

I like shorter drawbars. It reduces the leverage the tongue weight has on the tow, and it may increase stability slightly. Pushed all the way in, the braking load is not applied to the pin, but rather to the part that stops the bar from going in any farther.

But be practical, you still need to get the tailgate open, if possible, and the rear of the tow will more easily hit the trailer when backing, with a shorter drawbar.

Factory made drawbars seem to alway be longer than they have to be. You can cut off the excess that may interfere with the spare tire or body in front of the receiver socket, and you can drill a new cross-pin hole where you want it. I find that I modify most of the ones I use in that way.

First, find out how much must be cut off to allow the bar to go all the way in and stop against the receiver. Cut that part off. Then slide it all the way in and mark with a pencil where the new hole must be drilled by simply marking it through the receiver's cross-pin hole. Mark both sides of the drawbar, and drill the new holes from each side of the bar. Of course, if the bar is a solid piece, and not hollow, the drilling is harder and may be done completely from one side after setting it up carefully in a drill press.

Too often, trailers have very short tongues and the jack is mounted too far forward to allow the tailgate to open when connected, so be sure you allow for this.

[floyd]

Why not get longer individual chains with clips?
They sell them in sets most places that sell drawbars.
Go next step up from your stock chains and get rid of that single point attachment. You will find them better and easier to use.
Installed separately on opposite sides of the tongue just aft of the coupler, they form a basket better and provide stronger support in case of coupler failure.

[Peta]

... and measured from pin to ball to find a hitch long enough that I didn't have to saw a hole in my bumper to drop the coupler on. Surprisingly, the ball mount that finally worked was same length as a couple of others that did NOT work, but the difference was where the pin hole was. With less shaft in my receiver, it gave me just that extra 1' outside receiver that I needed to get the length to clear my tow vehicle bumper, and now I'm all set. Anyone steals my $30 ball mount I'm going to go crazy, because I went to SEVEN auto stores to find it!!!
As to rise/drop for a nice level tow, I needed a 2" rise and best I could find was a 2" rise / 1 3/4 drop when flipped upside down. It works perfectly. A half inch is neither here nor, there with such a lightweight camper at least. I'm new to towing (just got my first trailorboat camper, woohoo), and wasn't sure if you could flip the tow ball mount upside down but yes, you totally can, and they usually say in the fine print if not right up front on the ball mount sales pitch sticker.
Hope that might help you out; I was on a "tow her home tomorrow" timeline as well. I got a ball mount that was waaaay too short and fenangled it onto the car by hitching ball to mount, and THEN inserting mount in receiver and pinning, with RV dealer help (he wanted her sold ) just to get her home, but am now set. Good luck! Persistence pays in the end.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

A touch high? With people and stuff and dog in the car, it will probably be just right. Too far back? Don't get so close you can't open the tailgate. I changed to a power jack and the tailgate no longer cleared. Changed the drawbar to one that was 3 inches longer and noticed no change in handling. Plug pulls out? I had the same problem. I now keep the plug latch in place with a small bungee cord. Hope these ideas help.

[AdamNH]

Thanks for the replies. Lynn, I like your recommendations. I feel better about maybe keeping the hitch I have with the 2" lift. It was darn near level.

I'm not sure what you mean about bungy cord on the plug latch, but I think I had a similar thought. I was going to look for a way to at least secure it such that it won't drag on the ground if it pulls out.

I'm going to look into upgrading to some heavier duty chains as well. I realized that when they have the same bolt, it doesn't make any difference if they are crossed or not.

[Lockman]

Like Lynn I also bungee cord my 7 pin connect plug so I know it's OK. You can buy a package of about a dozen of these small cords about 7 in in length. It stretches around twice to make a tight fit,and use them for other purposes as well. Like holding the lid on the septic hose when at your site that has a cover or keeping your 7 pin cable in place on your hitch. You will find many other uses as well.

[Radar1]

Theoretically, the closer the ball is to the rear axle, the better it is for reducing trailer leverage on the tow vehicle both vertically and horizontally.
It's not so critical though, that a couple inches longer will affect that balance very much, so I like to size my draw-bar length based on convenience in either being able to drop the tailgate on my truck without hitting the jack, or raising my hatch to clear the jack. A really long draw-bar might end up scraping the ground as you pull out of or back into very steep driveways since you change the "departure angle".

[Lynn Eberhardt]

As Lockman said, the small bungee cord wraps around to hold the latch that's part of the 7 pin plug flap/cover in place. If your cover is missing or doesn't have that latch, you can probably wrap around the cord and clip it to the plug mount on the car. We also use one to keep one of our cabinets closed when traveling.

[AdamNH]

Thanks everyone. The bungee trick worked perfectly. I ended up using my original 2" rise ball mount which was at about 21" and it worked fine, but I think I will end up using the second one with the 3/4" rise. The trailer was pretty darn level, but I think slighly nose down would be better and it will be just a little easier to get the hitch off of the ball. As it is if I'm pointed up hill at all I have to put a block under the jack or it tops out without freeing the trailer from the TV.

[redbarron55]

Your VW manual has a drawing showing their specifications. Personally I redrilled the square tube to place the ball as close to the bumper as I could on my T&C and this is just a little off for the Touareg, but the difference is just 1/2" or so. I could not get the hitch pushed in far enough for the drilled hole due to a little deeper socket and hitting a weld on the hitch, A little grinding would fix that, but laziness kicked in.

[Borden]

Had the receiver cut shorter by about 3" and re-drilled by a trailer hitch specialist; they thought it was better as short as possible.

We are using as WD system set to 18" ball top for level ride and a class 3 frame hitch on our car, The transaxle cooler was also installed at time of car purchase along with 7 pin wiring for lights.

Dealer added hitch, 7 pin wiring and a full size spare so we could tow if we got a flat. They also insisted on safety systems upgrade if we wanted to tow our boler for warranty at the time.

boler has towed great for 10 years now only little glitch when the modual in trunk caught fire first year but we had a fire extinguisher and upgraded the stock factory unit to a heaver unit at a trailer repair location.

We only get about 20 mpg when we convert to US gallons but that is fine as we are pushing a lot of air.

[Jon in AZ]

I assume you mean you cut and drilled the ball mount, not the receiver...

I know we corrected the terminology once already, but the thread title is still misleading.

[redbarron55]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I assume you mean you cut and drilled the ball mount, not the receiver...

I know we corrected the terminology once already, but the thread title is still misleading.

Yes I drilled a new hole in the square tube for the ball mount. The receiver hitch should have no modifications whatever made to it.
The previous hole I had drilled for the T&C mount would work, but a little of the welding bead hits before it goes all of the way in. I could grind that flush and I think it would work fine.
I wonder about the distance for a WDH as shortening the arm from the ball to the axle centerline would reduce the leverage a little and require a little more spring, but having the ball closer to the axle wins for me.
One great thing about the VWs is the short overhang from the rear axle to the ball and this makes the rig more stable, but that has never been a problem for me.

[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by Peta

... and measured from pin to ball to find a hitch long enough that I didn't have to saw a hole in my bumper to drop the coupler on. Surprisingly, the ball mount that finally worked was same length as a couple of others that did NOT work, but the difference was where the pin hole was. With less shaft in my receiver, it gave me just that extra 1' outside receiver that I needed to get the length to clear my tow vehicle bumper, and now I'm all set. Anyone steals my $30 ball mount I'm going to go crazy, because I went to SEVEN auto stores to find it!!!
As to rise/drop for a nice level tow, I needed a 2" rise and best I could find was a 2" rise / 1 3/4 drop when flipped upside down. It works perfectly. A half inch is neither here nor, there with such a lightweight camper at least. I'm new to towing (just got my first trailorboat camper, woohoo), and wasn't sure if you could flip the tow ball mount upside down but yes, you totally can, and they usually say in the fine print if not right up front on the ball mount sales pitch sticker.
Hope that might help you out; I was on a "tow her home tomorrow" timeline as well. I got a ball mount that was waaaay too short and fenangled it onto the car by hitching ball to mount, and THEN inserting mount in receiver and pinning, with RV dealer help (he wanted her sold ) just to get her home, but am now set. Good luck! Persistence pays in the end.

I have one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-S...5273203&sr=8-9

Lube it with a drop or two of thin oil once or twice a year. I bought some cheap thing once and had a hard time getting it out and I am a mechanic with ALL the tools.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by ThomasC

I have one of these.

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-S...5273203&sr=8-9

Lube it with a drop or two of thin oil once or twice a year. I bought some cheap thing once and had a hard time getting it out and I am a mechanic with ALL the tools.

Yes! A locking pin on the drawbar is a good idea, both for theft and malicious vandalism. I know of one forum member who had his drawbar stolen while attending an event near the campground. Replacing it necessitated a 4-5 hour round trip to the nearest decent-sized town before he could even move the trailer.

[redbarron55]

A thief with a nice pipe with the ID that fits over the lock can break it off in about 15 seconds or less.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lq6_N5K1L4

[IMG]