Receiver Hitch Length : Short vs. Long?

[-pru-]

Tapping the ApexSpeed knowledge base; looking for a summary of the advantages / disadvantages of short vs. long hitch receivers. Searched the web, but did not come up with a satisfactory answer.

That is, short :



...versus long :



In general, I am seeking to confirm or refute the following :

~ Short : more tongue weight, less sway, less turning radius, harder to backup
~ Long : less tongue weight, more sway, more turning radius, easier to backup

Your thoughts?

[Earley Motorsports]

Short is definitely less sway. As for it being harder to back up, I am not sure. That could depend on a number of things, the length from the trailer axle to the hitch would be one. I use a short receiver with a single axle trailer. After lengthening my trailer forward of the axle I found it was easier to back up than before. 4 wheel trailers are easier to back up than 2 wheel also. Just my 2c.

[Pop Chevy]

FWIW , 35 yrs of towing race cars and stuff including an occasional backhoe, I have never used a long receiver. I feel that shorter is stronger. Pops

[Purple Frog]

Warning...The leverage created by the extra length of the long one increases the twisting effect on the receiver's attachment points on the chassis of the towing vehicle.

I always believed the long ones were sold to solve design problems, not to be optimal. For example a Class C motorhome with a spare tire mounted over the rear bumper might need a longer hitch. Or, a trailer with too short tongue that would cause the front corners of the trailer to hit the towing vehicle during turning would need a longer hitch as a band-Aid solution.

YMMV

[-pru-]

All,

Appreciate the feedback.

I actually have a receiver similar to the short one shown above. As it current sits, the single factory pin hole is such that the receiver is a bit longer than I believe is needed. I am thinking of drilling another pin hole to shorten up the receiver (~4") which had me thinking of about the advantages and disadvantages of such a modification. Granted, the above short vs. long is an overstatement of the modification I am considering, but I thought it was the best way to pose the question.

Safe Travels,

[Mark_Silverberg]

I am of the opinion that it is best to have the hitch ball as close as possible to the back of the tow vehicle. I have and will redrill the receiver to bring it closer to the vehicle. As long as the center distance between the holes is at least 2x the diameter plus 0.03" there will be minimal impact on strength. The influence on sway and dynamic loading of the rear suspension over bumps and other road changes can be considerable.

[DaveW]

All,

Appreciate the feedback.

I actually have a receiver similar to the short one shown above. As it current sits, the single factory pin hole is such that the receiver is a bit longer than I believe is needed. I am thinking of drilling another pin hole to shorten up the receiver (~4") which had me thinking of about the advantages and disadvantages of such a modification. Granted, the above short vs. long is an overstatement of the modification I am considering, but I thought it was the best way to pose the question.

Safe Travels,

Back when I installed this receiver and hitch ~30 years ago, I drilled a hole ~3" closer to the rear, and now use that one. My thinking was similar - less leverage, and less sway, plus the air gap between the van and the trailer is marginally smaller lowering the aero drag a tiny amount.

[PDM075]

Chris, lengthening the hitch receiver will definitely increase the sway tendency.

Use a broomstick analogy:. Grab a broom with one hand, and extend it all the way out and sway it back and forth. Hard to control the momentum and movement of the broom side. Grab it near the bristle end, and it's easier to control.

As for backing up, technically the trailer will pivot at a slower rate vs a shorter hitch, but as others have mentioned, it also depends on the trailer tongue length to axles. But essentially you are slowing down the radius arc by extending it, so input will respond "slower" on the trailer end.



As for another analogy FWIW..... I had purchased an 8.5 foot camper for my F350 dually a few years back, which would have made it impossible to hook up my tag trailer without either going to an extended hitch assembly (dual receivers that were not cheap and meant a much longer receiver length with upgraded trailer anti-sway bars. The Camper has a very nice aluminum deck on the back with fold up stairs - that extends that back end by almost 2 feet. (nice to stand on while multiple people are entering/exiting the camper door)

Upon thinking things over, I thought - why not cut off the front end of my trailer receiver, and extend it to fit underneath the camper steps. So I rewelded in heavy gauge square tubing and gussetted it up VERY well. (went through a 10 lb spool of .035 wire in the process) and voila....for under $50 in tubing, and wire was able to accomplish trailer hookup that would have cost over $2000 in new receiver assembly, receiver and equalizer bars.

The side benefit of doing so also reduced my already very heavy tongue weight (don't ask..... I carry more crap than almost any other solo racer in the country !! haha) which meant less strain on my already beefed up dually with airbags.

HOWEVER, just the extra 18 inches of length causes my trailer to now run a much shorter arc than my truck, which has cost me more right side trailer tires in the 3 years since I've done this vs the past 17 years since I've owned my triple axle'd TPD trailer

So be somewhat cautious as to what you change when you start to exit parking lots and driveways as it can mean the difference between clearance and bruising sidewalls, which will fail under high heat/long loads.


don

[stephen wilson]

long or short doesn't change the tongue weight, just the length of the lever that weight is applied to.