Can a 48 Inch Long Combo Bar be Used to Make a Hitch Extender

Question:

I have a boat and trailer that weighs about 1300 lbs loaded with gear. It has a tongue weight of about 155 lbs. I have a car that is rated to tow 4500 lbs. and the hitch is rated for a tongue weight of 400 lbs. The hitch inside opening is 2inch X 2. I want to use this product to extend the length of my hitch so I can launch my boat in shallow ramps. I do not want to tow with it. Will this product work for me. Thank you.

asked by: Ron B

Expert Reply:

Combo bar # 80948 is used in hitch fabrication and is not technically an extender. It has no hitch pin hole to secure to the receiver on the trailer hitch. The longest regular extender that we have for a 2 inch trailer hitch is # ST18 at 18 inches long. If you used it with a long ball mount, # EA40, then you would have a total of 32-5/8 inches of extension.

Please note this will severely reduce the tongue weight capacity of the trailer hitch. The use of the extension alone reduces the capacity by a third, down to 266 pounds. The addition of the ball mount would reduce it further by a small unknown amount. Provided you only used this set up to launch/retrieve the boat and not tow then you would likely be fine, but you have to be extremely careful! That much extension will put a lot of stress on the hitch and where it attaches to the vehicle.

expert reply by: Michael H