Quote:
Originally Posted by WysteriaMistShelties
We have always used ... ball extenders so we can open up the tail gate.
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These things make me nervous. There is a great deal of expert-sounding but non-specific discussion about hitch extenders and ballmount extenders. Most of it seems to say that hitch extenders reduce the capacity of your hitch by 50% while ball mount extenders do not. See the discussion here.
https://www.etrailer.com/question-93372.html
I wanted the same thing you did - the ability to open the tailgate of the truck while hitched up. So I bought one, widely available as part number 80232 under several manufacturer's names. It moves the hitch ball back 16 inches, which was enough. But I quickly found that the safety chains/cables would no longer reach the tow vehicle, and the Bargman power cable was so short that I couldn't make a tight turn without pulling it out. Those things, plus my mental picture of the hitch disintegrating as I drove, led me to discard the thing. I'll give it away at one of the rallies.
Bill