Long Ball Mount and Hitch Extension for 2000 Ford Excursion with Dual Rear-Mount Spare Tires

Question

Question:

I am looking at using an extended ball mount with added sway control to clear a spare tire carrier bumper. I will be hauling a 22’ tandem axle RV with 455lbs of empty tongue weight 600+/- loaded and a dry weight of 4,300lbs GVWR 7,400. My tow vehicle is a V10 Ford Excursion with a rear GAWR of 7,000lbs. How will an extension affect my rear axle weight? Will it effectively double my tongue weight onto the rear axle? I have Firestone airbags back there as well, but don’t want to exceed capacities.

asked by: Richard

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Expert Reply:

The extra-long 2-inch ball mount we offer, part # EA40 from Brophy, is 15-3/4-inches long and may give you the clearance you need at your dual rear-mounted spare tires to let you use a friction sway control unit like # 83660 on a bracket # RP26003. If you measure from the center of your hitch pin hole rearward 15-3/4-inches that point will be where the center of the hitch ball hole will be.

Do note however that this ball mount is rated for 6000-lbs gross trailer weight and 600-lbs tongue weight, not the full GVWR of your trailer. Also please note it offers either 3/4-inches of rise or 2-inches of drop. Since the trailer's dry weight is 455-lbs it is pretty likely that you would end up exceeding the TW capacity of the ball mount by the time you load the trailer.

The extra-long ball mount will put some additional stress on the hitch receiver tube but since the ball mount is rated for less than your rear axle GAWR that will not really matter for the axle. Air springs do not affect any vehicle's weight carrying capacity anyway, which remains as determined by the auto maker.

The safest solution for your setup is a TorkLift Class V SuperHitch Original # TLF1006 which is strong enough to allow using their SuperTruss Hitch Extension # TLE1528. This extension is supported by chains and it mounts to the high-capacity Super Hitch for a very heavy-duty setup that can handle up to 750-lbs TW. You can even use a true weight distribution hitch system in this extension.

expert reply by: Adam R

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Answer 1

You will naturally be better off if your shop does NOT break off the factory weld nuts when removing the OEM hitch from the frame rails on your 2001 Excursion. Given the vehicle's age its quite likely that the bolts securing the OEM hitch will…

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Answer 2

To see installation details for both hitches, click the provided links. The Curt #C14011 installs using 18mm bolts that use existing nut plates in your Excursion's frame. No drilling is required to completed the installation. The hitch has a…

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Answer 3

Hey Steve, so between the hitches that fit your 2022 Jeep Wrangler Sahara the etrailer part #e98856 and the Curt #C13392 have the exact same dimensions, and the Draw Tite part #DT78MR is slightly different. The only real difference is the length of…

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Answer 4

The Draw-Tite 76104 is unfortunately no longer available so the alternative would be the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver #DT78MR. It's essentially the same exact hitch with the only difference being that they moved the chain loops down…

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Answer 5

The highest capacity hitch for a 2024 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is the Draw-Tite item #DT78MR. This hitch is custom fit and bolts to your Jeep with included hardware. The Draw-Tite item #DT78MR is a class III hitch with a 2" receiver. It has a…

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Answer 6

We do not have the distances from the center of the hitch pin hole to the edge of the spare tire for either the Draw-Tite #DT78MR or Curt #C13392 hitches on a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, unfortunately. That said, the accompanying photo does show the Curt…

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Answer 7

I was able to go out to our warehouse to measure the 3 trailer hitches available that are confirmed to fit your 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler Unlimited. On each of them, I measured from the front mounting plate where it will attach to the back of your…

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Answer 8

The best hitch for your 2023 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver item #DT78MR. This hitch is custom fit and bolts directly to your Jeep's bumper bar with included hardware. The reason I like this hitch is…

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Answer 9

The Curt hitch part #13432 that you referenced has a shorter hitch tube than the Draw Tite part #DT78MR. Basically that means that the Curt hitch would be more recessed under the vehicle. While this may be more aesthetically appealing it also makes…

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Answer 10

I pulled from the warehouse three hitches that will fit your 2010 Jeep Wrangler. The center of hitch pin hole to the highest mounting bolt hole for each is below. Of these three, the Draw-Tite Max-Frame Trailer Hitch Receiver #DT78MR measures 5"…

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Answer 11

Technically any additional length is going to increase leverage on the trailer hitch. But there isn't an exact standard length ball mount so going super technical on how much the force multiplied when the ball mount is beyond a certain length is…

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Answer 12

You are definitely correct that the Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch Receiver #DT78MR will give you the best clearance of any trailer hitch receiver for a bike rack on your 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. When we test fit this hitch on a '20 Wrangler…

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Long Ball Mount and Hitch Extension for 2000 Ford Excursion with Dual Rear-Mount Spare Tires

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