TV 02 suburban pulling 71 23' safari. The shank that came w/trailer is 16".I dont think it needs to be that long,it has to reduce tounge capacity alot.The reciever is factory.Can I drill another hole to make it shorter.I'll try a photo.
TV 02 suburban pulling 71 23' safari. The shank that came w/trailer is 16".I dont think it needs to be that long,it has to reduce tounge capacity alot.The reciever is factory.Can I drill another hole to make it shorter.I'll try a photo.
If that was casted towbar the manufacturers advise you not to cut or alter their towbars. Yours looks as if it was welded cold steel bar. Personaly I do not see any reason for not doing so, providing you center the pin hole properly, and make sure that you have enough turning clearance with load levelers on. Thanks "Boatdoc"
You should be able to drill this one. Looks like you have a place for a frictional dampener on it also. If you do not have the twin cam setup, I might put a dampener on it. Be sure to take it off before you do any tight parking manuevers as that has the potential to bend the dampener.
Just as an added though, used draw bars are on eBay for a dime a dozen....ok, maybe not all that inexpensive, but might be worth a look. I picked a reese shipped for about $18.
__________________
Computers manufactured by companies such as IBM, Compaq and millions of others are by far the most popular with about 70 million machines in use worldwide. Macintosh fans note that cockroaches are far more numerous than humans and that numbers alone do not denote a higher life form. -NY Times 1991
You may want to just leave it , might be handy if you want to slip a bike rack or mud flaps on . I don't think it is hurting your particular setup all that much . It can be drilled but you won't be able to go back to that length again because of the extra hole . It will also take a good size drill press and some good bits to drill that hole . Another thought is you may be able to trade with someone who is after a longer one . Good luck
Yes you can---I did the very same thing--the closer you can get the ball mount to the tow vehicle the less leverage the trailer has on the tow vehicle.
I would use a drill press so the hole is straight through.---pieman
Thanks for the feedback,
I think I will drill.Should I go From 16" to 10" or 12" or shorter.Also sorry if other post of the same show up I was really struggeling trying to post a photo.Thanks Robert
Although I would not recommend drilling - if you must - check and see if the bar will slide all the way in. On mine, the spare tire blocks any additional bar length - this means you may have to cut the length also.
Drill slow and start with a pilot hole and work your way up. Use a drilling fluid to cool the bit. Good Luck.
I did the same thing on my drawbar ,it was an upgrade from the old 1 3/4
60s EZ lift (not equalizer) .The new was standard 2" and was 4 to 5" longer .
i towed once with it and noticed notable sway that I relieved with more friction on the sway control .I got home and proceded to shorten it 5" to
what the older length was .i had a machine shop do it so they could square
the drawbar and center the hole .Results were excellent and solved the
"new" sway (not there before ) the closer the ball is to the rear axle results
in much reduced sway .Thats why alot of SUVs with minimal rear body length
past the rear axle have minimal sway issues .agree with the others to check
how much you can go in without turning interference with the bumper or
trailer in tight turns ,but the closer the better .
I'd be real cautious before I reduced the length - your 'Burb barn doors or tailgate may not have enough clearance to open. If you have a 2500, you've got plenty of tongue weight capacity. You still do with a 1500, by the way.
I agree with Scott (on hitch setup matters, anyway ). A short overhang is probably as much a factor in stable towing as a long wheelbase, since the overhang affects how much leverage the trailer can place on the TV, and the wheelbase works to resist that leverage. A longer overhang setup also needs more tension on the wdh to achieve weight transfer, because there's more weight on the rear axle to begin with. Getting the ball as close to the bumper as possible is just a sensible and economical way of ensuring maximum stability. It may not make a noticeable difference in every case, but it sure can't hurt.
If you have a receiver that's open at the front end (like the factory GM receivers), don't cut the shank but simply drill another hole. That way you can adjust the position if you want to, e.g. to clear the tailgate.
A shank is typically cold rolled mild steel (SAE 1010 to 1020 at best, I expect), 2" square; I can't see that the strength would be unduly affected by drilling. It's certainly a lot stronger than the 2.5" x 1/4" wall receiver tube that it slides into. If anyone has first hand experience that would counter my opinion, please let me know.
The easiest way to drill the new hole (5/8" BTW) is to slide the shank into a receiver tube (with the correct, centred hole in it to use as a template), clamp the works onto a drill press table, and go for it. However, unless you fabricate custom receivers or go to a shop that does, you won't have a spare tube available. Therefore, you will want to carefully measure, centre punch, and pilot drill the hole before drilling to the final size.
Any small machine shop or welding shop would be able to do this job in short order if you don't have the equipment and tools.
Thank you everyone,
I drilled another 5/8 hole today shortend it 5".The rear door clears jack by1".I have only pulled the camper one time to bring it home recently.I will have to read up more about setting up WD.it seems that the rear of TV is squatting to much.What I have read says to set ball 1/2" above top of tounge w/level trailer.I think my bars are 1000# I'm afraid to pull and cause damage untill I learn more.I like photos to. I'll try
Thanks Robert
That looks good there bertro ,and you should immediately notice better stability and less sway ,even the little movement that you can feel can be helped considerably .You do need to take up some links as you definately
have no upward curve to your bars .When the TV and trailer is level ,the bars will show this upward curvature of about 2" at the ends .
Quick Links
Towbar question.
). A short overhang is probably as much a factor in stable towing as a long wheelbase, since the overhang affects how much leverage the trailer can place on the TV, and the wheelbase works to resist that leverage. A longer overhang setup also needs more tension on the wdh to achieve weight transfer, because there's more weight on the rear axle to begin with. Getting the ball as close to the bumper as possible is just a sensible and economical way of ensuring maximum stability. It may not make a noticeable difference in every case, but it sure can't hurt.
Linear Mode
