Hitch Question

[bertro]

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.

[boatdoc]

Originally Posted by bertro

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"

[dwightdi]

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.

[Silvertwinkie]

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.

[ticki2]

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

[Mike Lewis]

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

[Melody Ranch]

Thats a Dusey!

(Ref. another thread.)

[bertro]

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

[clancy_boy]

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.

[scottanlily]

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 .

Scott

[pmclemore]

Bertro,

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.

Pat

[AlbertF]

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.

[bertro]

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

[scottanlily]

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 .


Scott

[bertro]

I'm on the eighth link and use pipe to pull up the chain buckles.As I had seen in another post My bars appear to be 1000 pound bars.Mabey my set up is wrong.if I went 6 or 7 links would something bend or would it be to ridged.
I'll do my homework

[LI Pets]

If you tilt the ball foward wouldn't that bring the bars up with less links?

[scottanlily]

Do you lock the coupler to the ball then raise the trailer /ball hitch with the tongue jack up past level some ? this way you take the load off as much as you can and lock up the chains ,then lower down off the tongue jack completely.your bars should bend some upward ,thats what they are suppose to do ,they are spring bars .you could use 800 # bars but it depends on the tongue weight you have . you could tilt the ball forward to use less links
as lipits has said ,but still it is the tension of the bars that effectively levels out your TV and trailer .That load imparted to the TV and trailer frames by
the design of the WD is what causes both to become level .1000 # bars
are ok but if your Tv is not level in the rear you just don't have much
tension on them .The bars will have less curvature if they can level out your Tv without as much tension as 800# bars might need ,because they are
1000# bars.I have my links sinched at the 6 or 7 link depends on my tongue weight and loads ,if the front water tank is full (happens sometimes) and they
are 750# round bars ,i use a round bar hitch that can accept different sizes of bars ,up to 1000 # .

Scott

[dwightdi]

The 1000 pound bars may not need the full 2 inches of deflection to achieve the proper weight transfer you need. Follow the Reese instruction gives on properly setting up the hitch. Your TV should squat equally in the front and rear after you hook up the trailer and install the bars. It is usually about an inch for a 1500 Suburban and your size trailer. If the hitch ball height is right this should properly load your trailer wheels as well and the trailer should measure level at the front and rear belt line. If it does not and the TV has even squat on it, then the ball was not at the proper height when you started.

[azflycaster]

Here is a good document from Reese on how to set up your bars correctly. I do think that 1000 pounders for a 71 Safari could be too stiff. Your trailer is listed as 440 lbs of Hitch wt. My TW is listed at 640 and I use 750 lbs bars and they work fine. The final adjustment in the document is to level the TV with the number of links of chain.

[bertro]

You people are great,
From other post I've read mabey 1000# bars are to stiff for what I have.I'll look for some 750's.I geuss I can damage the A frame w/what I have.I'll keep my current ones as I'm due for another dailey driver and will most likely be another full size wagon to turn into a 2nd TV.Airstream taste with an old Nomad pocket book.