Improve
the Handling of Your Trailer by Minimizing Rear Overhang.
One of the
simplest ways to improve the handling of a trailer
is to minimize the rear overhang of the tow vehicle.
Of course, you cannot make your tow vehicle shorter,
but you can usually move the ball closer to the back
of the tow vehicle. Moving the ball in even a couple
of inches can make a significant difference on many
combinations.
Other benefits of moving the ball in closer are reduced
pressure on the torsion bars (to obtain the same weight
transfer), a smoother ride, and less flexing of the
hitch receiver. The only downsides are you give up
a tiny bit of turning radius, and on some combinations
the tailgate may not open.
Welded Ball Mount
For the first 25 years all equalizing hitches had
ball mounts that were welded together like this one.
They allowed a very close coupling and infinite adjustment.
The two-inch solid-square section, which is called
the shank, was welded into the ball mount assembly
in the correct position. As you can see in the picture,
the ball is four-inches behind the bumper of the car,
and it would be hard to get any closer. Unfortunately,
welded ball mounts are no longer manufactured, so
if you have one, hang on to it! There was a common
misconception that once a ball mount was welded there
was no way to change it again. However, they can be
cut apart and re-welded a few times.
Bolt-Together Ball Mount
 After
the bolt-on hitch receiver became popular, many hitch
installers decided that it would be great if they
could get rid of all welding equipment. This led to
the creation of the bolt-together ball mount. Its
advantage is that you can change it when you change
tow vehicles, and you don’t need welding capability
to assemble one. Unfortunately, the rear overhang
was considerably greater, in this case 8 1/4 inches.
Re-drilled Ball Mount
...
(Read the full article in the magazine) |
