towing with extension

[wcjp]

I've seen many people rave about their Torq Class V hitch. Does anyone tow with an extension? I need to upgrade the stock junk to get out from underneath the 11. 5' slidein. I talked with a guy today that mentioned he had problems when using Torq's 48" extension. I'm curious if he was an anomolay? If anyone is using a different manufacturer I'd be curious to know opinions good or bad. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post publicly.

 

[TowPro]

I am about to buy one also, but only a 1' one. I was towing my dirtbike trailer last summer with my 9' camper on. I ended up putting a dent into the back of the camper backing into my buddys driveway. (I can back into my drive with no problems, but mine is downhill, his is uphill )

 

[wcjp]

I was told that with the OEM hitch the maximum extension is 18". An 18" extension decreases towing capacity by about 1/3. The factory hitch is rated for 6000pds(?) non weight distributing.

 

[dewdo]

I replaced my 4' extension with a Tork Lift Super Hitch a couple of months ago since I need to pull my sons 22' boat on occasion. The 4' extension worked OK for pulling my 17' bass boat.



If anyone around the Seattle area would like to buy the 4' one I took off, I will sell it at a good price. You have to come pick it up though. It is heavy!



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[AlFischer]

Where can I find actual facts from a manufacturer are other formal source about the effect of adding an extension to a standard Dodge supplied hitch? Reason is that I am unable to convince my son-in-law that he is grossly overloading his hitch to the point of being dangerous with a 3' extension to pull his 21' boat behind his 2500 with a 11 ' Lance camper.



I agree with what you are saying in this thread but need facts.

 

[Berrigan]

I think its tongue weight not the trailer weight thats reduced. I did the same on a 90 Dodge 1 ton with a 10 foot 9 inch Lance. Then extended and pulled a 2500 lb trailer with about 200 lbs tongue weight for years with no problem. Mine was custom made from a shop and he said dont put over 300 lbs on it.



Where there is published data on this I dont know. Find a reputable shop. Then follow there advice. It does derate the capacity. lol.

 

[dewdo]

WCJP:

It appears you are just a short distance from the Tork Lift factory in Kent. The best way to find out whether a 3' or a 4' extension works for you, give them a call. They would be happy to discuss any and all potential problems you might face with an extension.



When I bought mine and had them install it, they removed the OEM hitch and replaced it with a stronger unit that they furnished. As I previously stated: "I have had mine for about three or four months and have found no problems towing my 17 ft. bass boat. " I haven't tried my sons new boat yet with the Super Hitch. The Super Hitch is rated to tow up to 15,000 lbs with equalizers.



I don't remember what the max tongue weight would be, but I am sure it can handle most trailers and loads a person would want to tow behind a slide in.



Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[wcjp]

I have discussed this with Torq. I was curious what others had to say without trying to throw me a sales pitch. I ran into someone about a week ago that mentioned the Torq w/extension wasn't what it claimed to be. I wanted to see what a greater pool of people would say without making a decision off of one person. To date, I haven't heard of any other negative comments. I was interested to see if there was any other type of extended towing setup I hadn't investigated yet.

 

[smartineau]

dewdo,



When tork lift put on your superhitch how many holes did they drill?



After reading the thread about hole sizes, no drilling into the top or bottom of frame rails,and on and on. I started to think that having tork-lift drill '5-6 holes' per thier website; might not be the best option.



I like the tork lift setup better than Titan's but I may need to change my mind.



TIA



steve

 

[dewdo]

Steve:



I didn't watch them install the hitch, but to the best of my knowledge there were no adfditional holes drilled. They removed the OEM hitch and replace it with their double insert system that accomadates the Super Hitch. So far I am happy with the Super Hitch. Of course I haven't used it a lot yet.



I will be tasking off for Yuma AZ in a few days and will be towing my 17' bass boat, so after that trip I will let you know how it does.





Dewdo in the other Washington

 

[Big-D]

Dewdo,



I will be departing for AZ later this month and pulling a loaded horse trailer. Traveling over Siskiyou Summit maybe a weather related problem on I-5 this time of year and wonder if you care to disclose your routing?

Thanks!

Dave