towing requirements, more description on hitch haul and hitches

Thos. Westerman (thomasw@vanion.com)
Thu, 16 Sep 1999 12:48:25 -0600

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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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At 02:06 PM 9/16/99 -0400, Patterson wrote:
>thanks for the advice. When you say "2" receive hitch, is that different
>from 2" ball? I ask because the current owner has a 1 7/8" ball and a 2000
>lb hitch. I'm a little confused.
>
>Wally
Absolutely. The ball size is just that--the size of the ball. 1 7/8 is
the size of my ball too. The receiver is the "square hole" set in the
hitch that a "ball mount" would fit into. The ball mount is the steel
shaft (square shank) that has a flat part with the hole that the shank of
the ball slips into (then you nut the shank tight to secure the ball to the
ball mount--the ball mount slides into the square receiver hole of the
hitch and then a big pin goes through the side to keep the mount from
coming out of the hitch).
There are two sizes of reciver hitch, 2" (recommended) and something
smaller like 1 1/4" or something. Do the 2". Look at hitches at the
parking lot and see the 2" on beefy trucks. It is more versatile.

The hitch haul can be purchased at walmart or through camping world for
about $80--totally worth it. It is a long steel 2" square shaft about 3
feet long that slides into the recever part of the hitch so it sticks out
about 2 feet longer than your vehicle. On this two feet is a metal grate
platform about 4.5 feet wide and 2 feet long. It will support the weight
that your beefy hitch will hold (usually rated about about 500lbs). Pure
utility. I put a second hitch this time on the front of my truck and use
the hitch haul to carry my motor when I am towing the boat with the camper
on the truck bed (best place to put my outboard is on this Huge front
bumper platform that it creates--minus any smashed bugs) keeping it out of
the camper 's hallway where we would trip over it.
The better model hitch haul has a ball mount at the back of the hitch haul
so it just extends your hitch's ballmount out 2 feet behind the bumper,
with the platform for storage and then the trailer tongue hooks to the
ball. If your hitch is beefy, and if your trailer is under 500lbs tongue
weight, go for it and reap the benefit of a place to put your gas can,
motor, or one of those plastic action packer type lockers...

This wont work with a bumper mounted hitch or bumper mounted ball (like a
truck step bumper) (the non receiver type--no square hole to slide the
mount into) or with the 1 1/4 receiver type--so I recommend the 2" receiver
type--its stronger too.

Incidentally I have had my hitch haul "hit" 3 times in accidents where my
bumper would have been twisted pot metal (you know those 5 mph crash
ripoffs--one was even me backing into a concrete pilar in a parking
garage). Very very very MINIMAL damage *if any* to the hitch haul--Its
made of beefy steel and is like having one of those old 1962 truck
bumpers--the kind that were made out of TOUGH STEEL, and made to DO the
damage, not *BE* damaged in a minor "bumping". Also its a lot cheaper to
replace an $80 hitch haul than to try to replace a $600 plastic
bumper--priced bumper body work lately? Cant say enough good about this
product.