Temporary Hitch?

Rob Culver · 12-03-2023, 08:52 AM

Hello all,
I just purchased a new 2720 Trailmanor from out of state and need to get it back. I have a 2022 Nissan Frontier I'll use as the tow vehicle. Rated for 6,500 pounds. I don't have a trailer hitch yet although the Nissan has the tow package so has the rectangular receiver and 7 pin connector in place.

Reading the forum I see that the Andersen Hitch is a good way to go. A bit pricey at over $650 but I presume worth it. Problem is that that hitch takes some skill and tools to install for the first time. And I'm not sure I'll have that in my out of state location at the dealer. So my question is. If I don't use a good weight distribution hitch, then what would be a good inexpensive temporary one that gets the job done for a one time 1500 mile trip? Will pretty much any old hitch with a ball work as long as it's Class III and the right size? Does anyone have an exact recommendation for what I should purchase?

Thanks much in advance for anyone who can weigh in with an opinion!

**Bill** · 12-03-2023, 09:11 AM

With a tow rating well over 6000 pounds, and a length of over 210 inches, your truck probably doesn't need a weight-distributing hitch. I would feel comfortable buying a good weight-bearing hitch. Make sure the hitch and the ball are rated for at least 5000 pounds - more is better - and go with it.

You will want to know how much drop the hitch should have. The goal, of course, is to use a hitch that makes the TM level when you hitch it up. A useful rule of thumb is that when you slide the hitch shank into the receiver, the top of the ball should be 19 inches above the ground. The final value could be an inch or two up or down from that, but it will be close enough to make your trip.

I suggest that you go through the Trail Manor Technical Library on this Forum, and find and read the articles/tutorials on towing and hitches, including weight-distributing hitches. The Library is located at
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/for...splay.php?f=42

If your Frontier has any kind of booster shocks or auto-leveling system, the first step should be to disable it. One of the articles in the Forum's Technical Library will go through the reasons why.

If you decide to get a WDH, there are articles on how to adjust it.

Finally, when you get home and get the job done, your last step should be to load up your camper into ready-to-camp configuration, then find a CAT scale in your neighborhood and pay $10-12 to get a 3-axle weight measurement. Check the weight on the truck's rear axle against the Gross Axle Weight Rating - Rear for your specific truck, and ensure that the actual weight it is within the rating. (The rating can be found on a label in the driver's door or door frame. Don't confuse the GAWR-R with the GVWR.) Don't forget to leave an allowance for whatever additional weight you plan to add to the bed of the truck. You can expect the actual weight to be surprisingly close to the rating. If it exceeds it by any significant amount, this indicates that you do, in fact, need a WDH.

Congratulations on your new camper.

Bill

Rob Culver · 12-03-2023, 09:44 AM

Thanks very much Bill for that quick and excellent reply!
I did read alot of the forum already and I'm continuing to read more. I'm fairly certain that my Frontier SV does not have any booster shocks or auto leveling system. There's a PRO-4x version that has beefed up suspension etc. but mine is a 2 wheel rear wheel drive and I don't plan to be on rough roads.

How much should I be looking to pay for a good weight bearing hitch? Do you have a specific brand name model number recommendation or two that I could look in to and is this something fairly straight forward that I could install myself at a dealer? I've got basic tools like wrenches etc. but not tools which allow me to torque down bolts etc. to specific pound levels etc.

Your 19 inch rule is very helpful and makes sense. It strikes me that how level the TM will be after attaching to the hitch will depend on how heavily it's loaded up. On this first trip it will be empty. So should I get a hitch that can be adjusted up and down vertically depending on how heavy the TM load is or the load in the bed of the Frontier?

I'm continuing to read the forum of course but that's such a large amount of reading material that one ends up reading alot of info that does not really apply to their specific situation. Your one excellent response has already saved me several hours of reading! lol
Thanks again..

Rob Culver · 12-03-2023, 11:04 AM

FYI. I measured the height of the 2 inch receiver on the Frontier. I measured from the ground to the top of the inside on the receiver. It was 16.5 inches. So I believe this means that the hitch I plug in might actually need to raise up a little for the top of the ball to be at 19 inches. By the way, what size should that ball be to fit the trailmanor?

What do you think of this adjustable hitch I found at Walmart? Would that work? https://www.walmart.com/ip/BENTISM-A...tch/1180131529

**Bill** · 12-03-2023, 12:48 PM

That is a real nice hitch, and I would have no worries about buying it. It would handle the case where you need some rise (which I don't expect) to the case where you need some drop (which I do).

You have another option. Walmart generally has a display of simple fixed hitches in the Camping/RV section. You can get one for $25-35 including a 2" ball. You could buy one, and try it out at your current location and trailer load. If you buy one with a small rise/drop, and it is right, you are done. If it is the wrong hitch, you can either exchange it, or simply buy the right one. Either one saves you a few bucks. This may or may not be worth it to you, depending on how much time you have and how far away the store is located. But since you are far from home, and won't be able to load up the TM to full camping weight, this would give you some flexibility.

These simple hitches can generally be turned over, so you can use them in a rise or drop configuration. Be aware that on any given hitch, the rise and drop numbers are not the same. In other words, a hitch with 2" rise, turned over, does not have 2" drop.

There is one other thing that might make a cheap (disposable?) initial choice better. These Walmart hitches have a short shank (the part that slides into the receiver on the truck). This means that when you hitch up the TM, the tongue jack is close enough to the truck that you can't open the tailgate all the way. This may or may not matter to you, but if you find you can't live with it, you haven't invested a lot of money. Incidentally, a WDH may have a longer shank. Years ago, I used a Reese trunnion WDH on my first TM, and I don't recall having this problem.

Lots to think about.

Bill

Rob Culver · 12-03-2023, 03:20 PM

Hi again Bill,
I think you responded to my message in which I referenced a Walmart hitch even though I'm not able to see that message myself yet because the moderator needs to approve it. Excellent tip on going to the Walmart Camping section!

Just as you described Walmart had many non adjustable hitches of various drops in the $30-40 dollar range. I bought a Steel Tow5 from Uriah products there for $78. I haven't started to play with it yet but it has a 2 inch and 2 5/16th inch balls and it's adjustable 5 inches up or down. The 2 inch has 7500 pounds of towing capacity. I haven't started to try and install it on the frontier yet but it certainly seems like it should work.

I think that I built this entire hitch project in to a bigger deal than it deserved but you don't know what you don't know and this is my first trailer. $78 isn't a big deal and so if it turns out I could benefit by a weight distribution hitch later then I haven't lost much. But this Tow5 should be good enough to get my trailer home at least I would think.

Thank you so much for your gracious responses to my dumb questions! But I'll get there lol. By the way, I just noticed that you had a 2020 2720QS and I'll be picking up a 2023 2720QS. So now you've set yourself up for even further questions! lol. Thanks again!

Larryjb · 12-04-2023, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

With a tow rating well over 6000 pounds, and a length of over 210 inches, your truck probably doesn't need a weight-distributing hitch. I would feel comfortable buying a good weight-bearing hitch. Make sure the hitch and the ball are rated for at least 5000 pounds - more is better - and go with it.
....
Bill

Bill, another reason to have a WDH is due to rear axle ratings. Although my Tahoe doesn't technically need a WDH with a tow rating even higher than Rob's, depending on how much gear he stows in his Nissan, and how he packs his TM, he could go over his rear axle limit. I think it is not so much for safety, but wear and tear on wheel bearings.

**Bill** · 12-04-2023, 12:25 PM

Larry, I certainly agree. That's why I told him in #2 above to load it up, weigh it, and check the rear-axle weight against the GAWR-R. As many of us have discovered, it is easy to exceed the spec, and when that happens, a WDH can help.

Bill

Larryjb · 12-05-2023, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

Larry, I certainly agree. That's why I told him in #2 above to load it up, weigh it, and check the rear-axle weight against the GAWR-R. As many of us have discovered, it is easy to exceed the spec, and when that happens, a WDH can help.

Bill

That'll learn me for not reading other's replies thoroughly! How many times do I need to write your response on my white board for my detention??

Larry

abcdgil · 12-13-2023, 06:28 AM

We have a 2015 Frontier 4X we pull our 2008 2720 with. We you just a hitch. When we pack our camper we make sure to load most of the weight to the front. We where super impressed the day we had a deer jump in front of us and we locked up the brakes. The truck and camper stayed straight as an arrow. I know the RM brake system had to make a differce as well but it was very inpressive to us. We did put on rear spring helpers for our truck. due to the weight we haul there some days not just for camper use.