Does Front Hitch Make It Easy To Maneuver In Tight Spaces?

[Adiredneck]

I'm looking to build a garage or carport to get my A/S in out of the sun, weather (and possible hail!) My TV is a Ram 3500 QuadCab with 8' box, so it is a bit of an adventure backing my 27FB into the driveway with a 169" WB vehicle. Getting it into a building at the end of that driveway sounds like an even bigger adventure.

I'm wondering if a front hitch might make it easier to maneuver it into the garage?

I've searched other posts and there seems to be some posts that support the concept, but not much in the way of conclusive testimony.

Anyone out there use a front hitch to jockey their AS around? Thoughts and/or recommendations?

As always, thanks in advance for the great advice and insight that I get from Air Forum members!

[Al and Missy]

In a word, yes. I put one on my F-150 and it made parking the trailer in my right angle driveway much simpler. Two cautions:
1. I bought a wheeled extension for my tongue jack to limit the amount of load placed on the front suspension. HF sells one rated for 1000#.
2. If you take it out by hitching to the rear of the TV, be careful when you align to hook up to get the same angle the TV was at when you parked it from the front. Don't ask how I learned this.

Al

[Moflash]

Just practice backing your trailer,it will pay off in your travels.


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[WaLee]

I use one happily. My driveway is 360 ft long down with two turns. I can pretty easily back it down to where i have a summer parking spot where i have a hookup. But alongside the garage ,where i have only inches clearance on both sides, i get place it the first time with the front hitch.

Agreed that improved backing skills pay off, but the front hitch saves time and anguish in really tight situations.


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[HiHoAgRV]

If your situation will allow it, mount the new front hitch offset toward the passengers side of the truck. This will let you sight down the side of your trailer since your mirrors are useless.

[Adiredneck]

HiHoAgRV, I've not come across an offset front hitch - they all seem to have just a center receiver. Do you know of a hitch manufacturer that makes/sells an offset?

The hitch that had caught my attention was one that bolted onto the tow hook brackets. You basically unbolted the tow hooks and then, with the longer bolts supplied by the hitch manufacturer, put the hitch on and the tow hooks in front of it and bolted them down. I could've swore I bookmarked the hitch when I saw it, but, of course, couldn't find it when I just went looking for it. The only hitch that mounted on the TH bracket that came up on a brief google search was Draw-Tite:

Draw-Tite Front Mount Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - 2" Draw-Tite Front Hitch 65063

But I see that this receiver, as well as the one that kicks up from Curt when I put in my year/make/model of truck, both have tongue weights of 500# and have a weight capacity of 5,000#. That's a no-go for me inasmuch as my 27FB Classic has a TW of around 800# and weighs 7,600# empty.

Guess this project needs further research... Any ideas?

[Al and Missy]

The tongue weight restriction is another reason I got the wheeled tongue jack foot. You can let the foot carry most of the tongue weight. I just didn't worry too much about the trailer weight since I was only moving it about 25 feet and going slow and easy.

Al

[Isuzusweet]

I'm sure with a bit of thought a better mouse trap could be made of this version but this would be less than the cost of fabbing up a front hitch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3AM88sfDuc

Cheers
Tony

[perryg114]

You can't see anything when you have a front hitch. With a rear hitch and good mirrors you can easily see the trailer from either side. I move my trailer with a tractor with a rear hitch but I am blind in the process. I don't move it far and I really can't tell what the trailer is doing. I am much better off with my Excursion and the stock towing mirrors. Now if it was a small trailer or a flat bed then a front hitch might be just the ticket.

Perry

[FollySteve]

Front hitch is a drastic improvement for maneuvering into tight spaces. Look for my posts on this thread (also lots of good discussion by everyone).

http://www.airforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131303

Also, view this link to video of my backyard parking using front hitch. This approach is much tighter than it looks and is literally impossible without front hitch due to TV swing on tight turns. I am completely sold on front hitch, not as a general answer to backing a trailer, but as a solution to those situations where the geometry involved in backing simply doesn't work.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/86mc36xq8w...%20am.mov?dl=0

Best

Steve


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[FollySteve]

Sorry, previous link to video was broken. Try this one.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...%2028%20AM.mov

[Vantair]

Pricey but a properly rated electric tow dolly may be easy way out for some. Certainly for us at home after towing up 300ft winding driveway. Once on top, Allows easy 180degree 2 point turn of 25ft 2005 International @6kGVW in restricted upper landing. Simple. No way we could do hitched or with front hitch due to overall combined lengths.

See " PowerMovers " And others.

[dames7]

Why, you just need to practice on backing in.

The last two months traveling we only had one
pull-thru and now I can back in to anything. In addition to that, I now get a nice round of applause from another campers.

You can do it, go for Gold ring.

[batman]

Front receivers are great for putting your trailer right were you need to in super tight spots booney camping or driveways. Plus the added benefit of the receiver for a bike rack or cargo carrier usage. Hope you can find one with your weight rating.


-Dennis

[spclkaz]

I have used both a front hitch and something called a "power caster" to move my TT in tight spaces. The front hitch is a good solution out in the wilds IF you have someone you trust to direct you. The power caster worked wonderfully at home ... though only on concrete or asphalt... not on sand or a rock driveway... and certainly only on flat surfaces... not inclines... BUT... it is a PRICEY solution... however as someone else mentioned... if you PRACTICE enough, you can back your TT into most any tight spot using some tricks... like laying out some colored line on the driver's where you want the TT tires to go and then back the TT tires right along the edge of the line... works every time... BUT... you have to have confidence in your skills... just go very slowly and have a spotter just in case...don't be afraid to pull out and start again... go to some vacant parking lot some Saturday with your TT and practice, practice, practice until you can do it...

[gmcneil5]

I had one on my last ford van and it worked great, i had to have it custom made. But now they make a factory hitch for my qwigley ford E-350 4x4 diesel van. much easier going frontward.

[Adiredneck]

I don't mind backing into camping spaces and my driveway - although with two vacations per year that's all the practice I get - but the idea of backing it into a garage with a foot clearance on each side is a bit intimidating.

[HiHoAgRV]

Originally Posted by Adiredneck

HiHoAgRV, I've not come across an offset front hitch - they all seem to have just a center receiver. Do you know of a hitch manufacturer that makes/sells an offset?...Any ideas?

Sorry, they only ones I've seen were special built. One was on front of a small RV and used to launch boats, the other was on a tractor/front loader used to move campers at a pals lake lot.

[Gene]

I'm wondering what people have experienced backing into a parking area at a 90˚ angle to the street—a fairly narrow suburban street.

I have been trailering for 17 years, but when we moved into the city and had a narrow gate in the side yard to back through, then have to avoid the house A/C and large boulders (landscaping!), backing into that spot was a challenge. I have backed into some pretty hairy spaces, but this was more of a challenge than I had anticipated. We found using our phones on speaker helped a lot because it is impossible to see one side or the other at any one time. Fortunately the street goes no where but a few more houses, so we didn't back up traffic. But the worry of people coming or leaving home in a hurry is always in your mind.

I had to back the trailer into a tight space at our previous house, but had a much better approach and no traffic, so I could do it in a few minutes except for the first time every year when I had to learn over again. Unless you do this very frequently, you lose some skills you once had.

I bought a front hitch years ago for a different purpose but it didn't work for that. I still have it. I guess when you turn the steering wheel, the trailer goes the opposite direction—am I right? Does it turn much or very little compared to the steering wheel? I could get a TV camera for the rear of the trailer, but I still could not see the sides, so I don't think that works and a helper is absolutely necessary.

Any advice is fine, except practicing backing since I have been backing for years. Some parking spaces are much more challenging and only doing it makes a difference. These parking areas next to suburban houses and accessed through the cheap plastic fences they use are a challenge, but better than parking at a storage facility.

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by Adiredneck

I don't mind backing into camping spaces and my driveway - although with two vacations per year that's all the practice I get - but the idea of backing it into a garage with a foot clearance on each side is a bit intimidating.

I understand. I back mine into a 12x12 garage door. What I do is place orange cones down on the side I can see so I can get perspective, because you can’t see both side clearly. I have found it works quite well.

And then just go very slow. I get out of the pickup quite a few times to make sure I have it right. I’m in no hurry. That is the key. Take your time. Think. An go slow.

As to a front hitch I would think it would depend upon the weight of the hitch and the ratings. You’d probably need a truck with a snowplow reinforced front. But I can see where it would be really nice.