hitch height - 10" lower on new vehicle

[aharper00]

I had an Avalanche and have a Jeep that have hitches at about the same height... 24" to the top of the 2" opening. I got rid of the Avalanche and now have a Ford Flex that has an aftermarket hitch... the height of the hitch opening is at 14"!! When hooked up to the Jeep the trailer is pretty level. The hitch I have today is adjustable but the highest setting brings me to 20", 4" shorter than what is level with the Jeep.

My boat is 18'... well under the weight requirements for the Flex. My concern is the hitch height. Can I simply rise the ball with a riser to adjust the height and be done with it with something like this...

CURT Manufacturing 45070 Class III 2" Ball Mount : Amazon.com : Automotive

Thoughts?

 

[batman99]

Re: hitch height - 10" lower on new vehicle

YES. I've used draw bar that looks like in above URL. For high ground clearance Tow Vehicles, simply slide in (as show in above picture). For low hitch Tow Vehicles, simply turn upside down, then slide into Tow Vehicle's hitch. Works great for my different level Tow Vehicles as well...

Also.... For attached trailers, the trailer doesn't need to be exactly 100% level. I've towed many trailers with 2" lower on the front (front of trailer) and it pulls great. If wondering, I actually like having trailer 2" lower on the front - compared to exactly level...

Hope this helps...

 

[aharper00]

Re: hitch height - 10" lower on new vehicle

Thanks... and correction (I just went and measured)... the Jeep hitch opening height is 20" off the ground, the Flex height is 14" so it's only 6" off, not 10". However, the top of the ball on the Jeep is 4" higher than the opening of the hitch (so the ball is sitting at 24").

 

[Lurch77]

Re: hitch height - 10" lower on new vehicle

That will work fine for you. My Chevy work van sits pretty low in the rear, and I need to use a 6" riser to keep the work trailer level. I pull a lot of weight and never had issues.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: hitch height - 10" lower on new vehicle

For a single axle trailer, a little nose down is far better than nose up. For tandems, you want level or even just slightly nose up, at least in my experience.