How Long of a Hitch Extension Should I Use ?

[DC]

My TJ is close to being set up for flat towing behind my Dodge Ram 3500 and an important item remains ... getting a hitch extension bar to accommodate towing when our Outfitter Apex 8 slide-in truck camper is on board.

Since I am essentially a towing novice, is there any rule of thumb as to how long a hitch extension should be to adequately deal with the rear overhang of a camper, but without it being longer than it needs to be? Without some words of wisdom in this regard, it seems like I should be in the ballpark if I dropped a plumb bob down from the center of the rear wall of the camper and then laterally measured straight back from the opening of the factory receiver back to the plumb bob line. Does that seem like a reasonable approach to take?

[DC]

By the way, here are a couple of shots of my rear overhang:

[Macgyver]

Originally Posted by DC

My TJ is close to being set up for flat towing behind my Dodge Ram 3500 and an important item remains ... getting a hitch extension bar to accommodate towing when our Outfitter Apex 8 slide-in truck camper is on board.

Since I am essentially a towing novice, is there any rule of thumb as to how long a hitch extension should be to adequately deal with the rear overhang of a camper, but without it being longer than it needs to be? Without some words of wisdom in this regard, it seems like I should be in the ballpark if I dropped a plumb bob down from the center of the rear wall of the camper and then laterally measured straight back from the opening of the factory receiver back to the plumb bob line. Does that seem like a reasonable approach to take?

On my extension, I just measured to the back wall of the camper. Are you just having a 2" solid extension built, or are you using a newer hitch with the 2.5" reciever? I used a Reese Titan 5 and extension, it uses a 2.5" extension so you could use standard hitch shanks in it. I would set it up for heavy duty use in case you do a lot of dirt roads. Some of the factory hitches aren't rated for the side loads that flat towing puts on the hitch, IMHO!

[ABQ TJ]

I've got nothing to add, except I like the look of that camper! How do you like the pop-up style?

[Allen]

More info on the truck itself and pictures of the font bumper.....please.

[DC]

Originally Posted by Macgyver

On my extension, I just measured to the back wall of the camper. Are you just having a 2" solid extension built, or are you using a newer hitch with the 2.5" reciever? I used a Reese Titan 5 and extension, it uses a 2.5" extension so you could use standard hitch shanks in it. I would set it up for heavy duty use in case you do a lot of dirt roads. Some of the factory hitches aren't rated for the side loads that flat towing puts on the hitch, IMHO!

I mocked up a hitch extension using 2x2 lumber in my truck receiver and the way it has worked out, the ball center will be 5" rearward of the back wall of my camper. This is going to require a 24" hitch extension and Blaine is going to fab that up using 2x2 square steel stock inserted into a hitch receiver tube and welding that together. So no, I am going to stay with the standard 2x2 size and not move up to 2.5x2.5. Blaine is also going to add side chains with turnbuckles to handle the side loads.

[DC]

Originally Posted by ABQ TJ

I've got nothing to add, except I like the look of that camper! How do you like the pop-up style?

My wife and I really love our pop-up camper. We take our rig into some pretty rugged off-road territory and there is no way we could do that with a heavy hard-sided camper with a higher COG.

[DC]

Originally Posted by Allen

More info on the truck itself and pictures of the font bumper.....please.

Allen,

I wasn't quite sure whether you were interested in more information about my Dodge for what I was asking about (including the front bumper of my TJ), or whether you just wanted more info on the Dodge and its front bumper. I'll assume the latter. Here you go:

2007 Dodge Ram 3500, Heavy Duty Big Horn, Quad Cab, short bed, SRW, 4x4 with 6.7L Cummins turbo diesel, 68RFE 6-speed automatic transmission, 9.25 front axle/11.50 rear axle with AAM TracRite-GT limited slip differential, exhaust brake, 35x12.50 Toyo Open Country M/T tires mounted on Power Wagon 17x8 forged aluminum wheels, Tuff Country 2.5" front leveling kit, Defiant/Radflo steering stabilizer, Defiant steering box/sector shaft support, Firestone Ride-Rite air bags (with in-cab controls, compressor & tank), Rancho RS9000XL shocks, full array of Power Wagon skid plates including a Defiant front rock shield, Amp Research power retractable running boards, Buckstop Baja front bumper with Warn 16.5ti 16,500 winch, 6" PIAA 580 driving lights, and 4" PIAA 510 fog lights, Innova Brite Box lighting system control, Road Armor rear bumper with PIAA back-up lights, Line-X bedliner with Line-X Xtra Kevlar overcoat, and Undercover tonneau cover.

And here are some additional shots of the Dodge and the Buckstop Baja front bumper:















Don

[ABQ TJ]

Originally Posted by DC

My wife and I really love our pop-up camper. We take our rig into some pretty rugged off-road territory and there is no way we could do that with a heavy hard-sided camper with a higher COG.

Nice! Thanks for the info...something to consider for the future

[Art]

DC:

How did the custom hitch extension work out? I would like to do the exact same thing. Pictures would be great if you have them.

Art

[DC]

Art,

Blaine fabricated a great custom hitch extension for me, however, I didn't have my camera with me when the work was being done and it got mounted up. It's basically in pieces now (and I still need to paint it), but I'll try to post up some pics sometime this week.

Don

[DC]

Art,

Here are 3 pics for you. I'll post up some others when I get back home. As you'll see, I haven't painted the hitch yet, which I will be doing shortly.

By the way, the ball center on the riser ball mount is approximately 11-1/2" to 12" rearward of the rear wall of my camper.

Don

[Art]

DC:

This looks great. I noticed another section of steel welded to the bottom of the extension. Is this attached in any way to the bumper?

Have you had a chance to try towing yet?

Thanks,

Art

[mrblaine]

Originally Posted by Art

DC:

This looks great. I noticed another section of steel welded to the bottom of the extension. Is this attached in any way to the bumper?

Have you had a chance to try towing yet?

Thanks,

Art

The lower section goes into the factory receiver hitch. It has a piece of solid 2x2 welded inside it that I radiused the corners on to get it to slip inside and then drilled for the hitch pin.

The longer piece was welded on top to get some more lift to make a readily available draw bar come out to the correct height. Had we not done it that way, the draw bar would have had to be another 2.5" taller.

No it doesn't attach other than the welds to the other tube.