Hitch receiver too low

[a&e]

Hi All, this may be a dumb question but we've never towed anything before so this is all quite new.

We just signed the build sheet for a new 19, to be delivered at the end of April. During the process, Escape let us know that our current hitch receiver (which we'd only ever used for a bike rack) is too low - the bottom of the receiver opening is at 10" above the ground and they said it needs to be around 18".

Is this resolved simply by getting a hitch high/low adapter? FWIW we are planning on towing with a Kia Sorento EX...of course we could always get a new tow vehicle but I feel compelled to take a more economical route.

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...UaAje2EALw_wcB

[Eggscape]

If the EX has the no longer available 6 cylinder engine, then you could squeak by with just getting a raised receiver. That is as long as you live and camp in the flat lands and don’t load up the trailer with options and stuff like bikes and bbqs.

We now have a new Sorento as our second vehicle with the 4 cylinder engine and I would never consider towing our 19.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

10" seems very low. with 2" of sag you olny be 8" what is the tow capacity of the KIA? The empty trailer weight should be on the build sheet. Of course you have to add weight to that.

[EdColorado]

Used this adjustable hitch. Worked very well.


https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...w/MT70380.html

Ed

[Eggscape]

With my F150 I tow with just a ball but for a much smaller vehicle I would use something like this.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by a&e

During the process, Escape let us know that our current hitch receiver (which we'd only ever used for a bike rack) is too low - the bottom of the receiver opening is at 10" above the ground and they said it needs to be around 18".

Is this resolved simply by getting a hitch high/low adapter?

The part which slides into the receiver and holds the ball is the ball mount. The ball mount makes up the height difference required; you don't need one of those adapters, which exist to fix height mismatches with flat-towing systems (to tow a car behind a motorhome, not to tow a trailer.
Examples of Ball mounts: https://www.etrailer.com/Ball-Mount

The receiver height is normally measured to the top of the opening; if you have a 2" receiver the top of it is at 12".
The trailer height should be to the top of the ball; that is probably what the Escape people were referring to with the 18" dimension.
If the ball is 3" tall, then the rise (from top of receiver to base of ball) needed to make this work is only 3". The tow vehicle will drop a bit under the hitch weight, so you would likely need at least 4" of rise...

examples of balls mounts with 4" rise for 2" receiver

There are adjustable-height mounts, but once you work out the height you never need to change it, and a fixed mount is lighter, less expensive, and simpler. If you use a weight-distributing hitch system (as Eggscape showed), it will include an adjustable-height mounts as part of the system.

[John in Santa Cruz]

8 inches of rise is a lot! That ball mount will likely block your tailgate.

[buellfire]

I tow our 21 with a Toyota Tundra and use an e2 sway and weight distributing hitch, tows like its not there. If I was going to tow with a smaller suv (my wife has a Lexus Rx350) I wouldn't consider towing without a brake controller to activate the trailers brakes, and a quality weight distributing hitch with sway control or an extra mounted sway bar. The nice part of a quality hitch is that you can buy piece that are adjustable to gain that additional height that you need. I would not use an extension with a rise as the further that you get from the square hitch opening, up and away from the bumper, the more leverage that is placed on the tow vehicle. This leverage applies additional weight to the rear axle and removes weight from the front axle. All of this reduces your vehicles ability to handle the trailers tongue weight.
This video shows setting up a hitch on an RV that is low.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...x/BLU66FR.html

[EdColorado]

Originally Posted by EdColorado

Used this adjustable hitch. Worked very well.


https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hit...w/MT70380.html

Ed

Advantages:
Once you get the trailer loaded trip ready for the first time, you simply adjust the hitch so the trailer is being towed level.
If you change tow vehicles, the hitch is simply moved and readjusted for the new vehicle.

Of course, if you will be using a WDH, the part you’re talking about is included as part of the WDH package.

[a&e]

Thanks for all for the replies! If I understand correctly, it sounds like I just need to get the ball mount to 18" above the ground and I should be fine. I likely misunderstood Escape and thought they wanted the receiver at 18". I hadn't even considered the ball mount.

The Kia is a V6 AWD, and can tow 5,000#. We'll see how it goes - as an inexperienced tower, being slow is probably not a bad thing. I'll be the guy that everyone is shaking their fist at as they zoom by but that's ok, I've been the fist shaker in my younger days, when I wondered why in the world anyone would want a RV or trailer.

As for the hitch, we opted for the E2 Fastway sway control/WDH that Escape offers but are certainly open to other recommendations

[Centex]

Originally Posted by a&e

.... As for the hitch, we opted for the E2 Fastway sway control/WDH that Escape offers but are certainly open to other recommendations

As mentioned, with a WDH the 'ball mount' as pictured in post #6 above is moot - you won't use one of those.

The height adjustment you require should be accommodated by the orientation and adjustment of the WDH components (the shank that plugs into your low receiver and the vertically-adjustable location of the WDH 'ball and bar casting' on that shank).

[a&e]

In case it helps the discussion, below is a snip of the original email from Escape, which sparked my panic...

Our parts and service department are concerned with your tow vehicle. Although it does meet the minimum tow capacity we recommend your receiver is very low. It doesn’t sound like turning the shank we have up, is a solution. Typically we like to see the receiver height at about 19” for the tow vehicle and trailer to ride level. The shank (drop bar) we sell assists in getting the receiver into this range if heights come in greater than 18”. Because your receiver is so low, the shanks we have won’t do the job.

So does this mean my options are:

a) bring the height up with a ball mount as shown in post #6 with a non-WDH hitch
b) find a different WDH hitch that can accommodate the low receiver (since the E2 shanks can't do the job per Escape's email
c) find a different hitch receiver? FWIW the one we have is from Uhaul; it's a 2" that we had used for a bike rack, before the notion of a trailer ever crossed our minds.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by a&e

.....The shank (drop bar) we sell assists in getting the receiver into this range if heights come in greater than 18”. Because your receiver is so low, the shanks we have won’t do the job.

Ah, so in your case the range of shanks ETI has is the problem ... rendering my previous comment "should be accommodated" incorrect

There may be sources for shanks with greater vertical range which are compatible with the Fastway E2, that'd require more investigation, e-trailer might be a resource to contact.

Personally I would not use a high-low adaptor like the Blue Ox along with a WDH, I would much prefer a single shank with the required vertical range between the receiver and the WDH ball/bar mount component.

[Eggscape]

They are saying the shank that comes with their hitch is not...high enough...in this case. However very high shanks are available. I have to run now but will post examples later.

[LRCURTIS]

Here is a link to eTrailer (fantastic resource for towing parts) for a Fastway E2 shank with a 9.5" rise/drop (they also have other sizes as well). This would bring the WDH head up to the height necessary for Escape to fit the WDH for proper performance. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...2-02-4214.html

[Eggscape]

So here is an example of an extra long shank.
Long shanks can also be found used on such place as “Market Place’ on Facebook.

If I lived in the US and possibly was picking up my trailer in the US, I would buy the correct hitch locally as mentioned above and get it all set up to the correct height. This way all the bolts are tight and ready to go on arrival.

[sherminator]

I purchased the Pro Series WDH from Escape, and in my case, I needed to purchase an extended rise/drop bar. I am using mine in a drop configuration, but you can see that by using it in a rise position, you should be able to achieve a 19" ball height. (Escape also provided the extension, for a few more $$)

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

8 inches of rise is a lot! That ball mount will likely block your tailgate.

Even if the target ball height were 18" and the receiver height were 10" (it's not) then the rise of 8 inches would be including the ball, not 8 inches of ball mount (or head/shank) rise. This isn't an exceptional situation. Whether any rise blocks the tailgate depends on the tailgate; this is an issue with a typical minivan because the floor (and thus the bottom edge of the tailgate) is low, but not with a typical SUV.

[Glenn54]

Congrats on your new Escape, well soon anyway. I can't say I'm an expert at towing but I have towed several boats and utility trailers. I had a Toyota Tacoma with a V6 that did not tow an 18' fiberglass boat very well, especially in hilly areas. I didn't have to worry about hitch height but the truck struggled to tow the boat. In my opinion your vehicle will not tow the 19' Escape very well. I would consider upgrading tow vehicles pretty soon.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Glenn54

Congrats on your new Escape, well soon anyway. I can't say I'm an expert at towing but I have towed several boats and utility trailers. I had a Toyota Tacoma with a V6 that did not tow an 18' fiberglass boat very well, especially in hilly areas. ,,,,

we towed our ~ 3000 lb Casita 16 Spirit Deluxe all over the place with our Tacoma 4x4 V6 and it did GREAT. gas tank wasn't big enough.

we bought a Escape 21 thats 3800 lbs empty and 4500 lbs gwr, and dragged it back from Dallas TX to Santa Cruz CA via Reno with that Tacoma, and it did just fine towing, very good control, no drama.

there wasn't much payload left over. and the gas mileage was requiring looking for gas stops every 250 miles since hte tank wasn't that big.