Got the rack into a local welding & spring shop who had done some work on my old motorhome. Welded on an extension, that adds about 3/4” of height to the original bracket. It will be a little more awkward to get the clevis pins secured with their lock pins, but that will hopefully be a once yearly job, when I check the brakes and rotate the tires.
Done in one day. Cost $80 CAD - 1/2 hr of labour and a piece of 1/4” iron. Probably a section of leaf spring
. They have lots of that around!
Pleased with the result. I’m going to clean the surface on the whole thing and give it a new coat of black, especially around the original weld points that are showing a touch of surface rust.