trailer hitch

[csmatherly]

I have a 2012 f 550 dump truck. the problem is when in sharp turns the truck hits the front of trailer. I can extend the trailer tongues but that is my last resort if I can find a way to put a longer hitch on the truck without the dump hitting the hitch when raised. Has any body ran into and fixed this problem? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[The Learner]

pictures are worth a thousand words my friend
is the truck body hitting the trailer or the truck body fouls on the hitch or both?
what type of hitch
what type of trailer is it
or is it multiple?

welcome to the forum btw

 

[csmatherly]

Learner,
Thanks for answering. I think that I have up loaded a picture of the hitch that is on the truck now. My problem is that the tongues of my trailers are too short and my turning radius is very limited. We have damaged the front of an enclosed trailer and a smaller trailer.
I've had a trailer place tell me that I can't extend the hitch because the bed will hit the hitch when in the dumping position. The hitch can be lowered one more hole on the truck but not sure if they make a hitch long and strong enough to handle heavy loads.
My other option is the lengthen the trailer tongues but rebuilding four trailer tongues isn't really what I want to do. I'm hoping some one else has ran into the problem and has a better solution than I do.

Thanks for your help

 

[monster76]

this is what i would do to add a little length is to use a universal receiver mount like this, weld it on as long as you safely can


then use a hitch a like this


just a note this wont be as strong as what you have now but it will definitely be longer

 

[Labparamour]

Gauging by mudflaps, it looks like the pintle hitch sits rearward of the tires
So I'm imagining the trailers hit the dump box. Dump box doesn't look to have too much overhang so can't picture it hitting the hitch if hitch moved back. Dumped loads might hit the hitch- that's a problem I have and the fines bind the hitch lock.
You might take some 6"x steel square or rectangular tubing (or 6" channel if you only need 2") and weld vertical to rear of truck then drill and remount hitch....
Fixing the truck side of the equation best since it sounds like you have a couple trailers.

 

[The Learner]

moving the hitch back seems the most efficient answer to the fault
if u are worried about hitch not working because of dirt jamming it
when u build the extension, what ever it may be
make the extension carry a 8" tall 12" wide mudflap above the hitch to deflect the dirt away from it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ED-ZA7bwY
like the one in this video

 

[csmatherly]

Thanks for the ideas. Yes the dump box is what hits the trailers. We are not worried about dirt getting on the hitch or anything like that. I'm worried about when I do dump the back of the dump bed will hit the trailer hitch. Where the hitch sits now if it were longer the bed will hit the hitch. There's one more lower set of holes to mount a hitch but if the hitch is straight it may hit that but not sure yet. I would be afraid of the longer receiver mounts that monster showed as one of the loaded trailers would top out at about 28,000 lbs. Thanks for all the ideas, much appreciated.

 

[Dozerboy]

I'm sure you could build a receiver heavy enough. I have seen "extensions" that where 2"-3" long for guys that haul trailers and have a camper on there trucks. They didn't pull but 10,000lbs though at best. How many different trailers do you pull?

 

[clintm]

it will not help to extend hitch on truck unless it is a couple feet because its not hitting when truck and trailer is straight only when its turned close to 90*'s and it's hitting corners of truck bed correct ??? can you maybe trim corners of truck bed maybe @ a 45* angle I have a enclosed trailer that was pulled by a flatbed truck that was doing same thing

 

[csmatherly]

I pull up to four trailers with this truck, only one of which the tongue is long enough. Oddly enough that is the one with the heavies loads. I can't shave the corners of the bed because it's the hinges of the doors that are hitting the enclosed trailer. A receiver may be the best way to go.

 

[mitch504]

I have that same hitch mounted on the back of my service truck for heavy trailers, and then a receiver hitch under it for lighter ones. When I'm pulling a heavy trailer the lower hitch doesn't have a ball mount in it, and the upper hitch doesn't interfere with the lower one because once I put a ball mount in, it is 6-8" behind the heavy one.

 

[Tinkerer]

Why not do away with the bolted on hitch altogether ? Fabricate and weld a receiver tube into the rear of the truck. Then you can just pull a pin and remove the ball hitch. Illinois now has a law that prohibits trailer hitches on vehicles unless they are pulling a trailer. It is a good law. If you ever walked into a knee high trailer hitch I think you would agree. I limped for two days after i did it.

 

[csmatherly]

Mitch,
Any way you can send a picture of how yours is set up? The heaviest trailer I pull could be used in the hitch already there and the lighter ones could be used in a receiver type hitch.
Tinker,
I've been thinking of that as well but I've been a bit worried of the strength. I do like the idea of the two hitch system though.
And it only takes one good run in with a extended hitch to make you think twice about walking so close to the back of a truck, been there done that

 

[monster76]

still haven't walked into one but i love watching people walk into them it is pretty funny

 

[Steve Frazier]

I've been thinking about this question and I don't think extending the hitch is going to eliminate trailer interference, it's a matter of geometry. You will shorten your turning radius some but you'll still have to watch for the trailers hitting. My dealer asked me what I'd be towing with when I specced my trailers and when I said the dump, he ordered them with extended tongues. When the trailer is at 90° to the trailer, the trailer will still only be the distance of the tongue away from the truck in spite of the extension to the hitch.

 

[Catback]

Extended tongue is absolutely the best way to go. But he will absolutely get more turning radius (read as greater clearance between dump bed and trailer walls) with an extended hitch, or tongue. A few inches won't be much, he may need a foot, or two.

 

[clintm]

Dido

 

[Steve Frazier]

I agree the situation will be improved, but at extreme angle to the truck the trailer will still be as close as it was. If I was any good at graphics on the computer I could draw up a diagram to show what I'm talking about. If the trailer tongue length is not in excess of half the width of the trucks body they will still hit.

 

[mitch504]

The extended hitch helps with most angles but if you go all the way to 90 or so it will still hit. The extended hitch will let you turn a lot tighter, though.

 

[MuscleBob26]

This helped me find what hitch I needed.
http://www.hitchanything.com/towing-safety-guides.html