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Old 08-03-2016, 12:40 AM   #1
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Question Bay Star- how much is your hitch drop?

Getting ready to set up my Pontiac Vibe GT to flat tow. Damn! Seems like I'm going to have like a 10 or 12 inch hitch drop! Since then have never done this...is that too much? I worry about dragging on every driveway. Any pics of the drop you have towing a low small car??
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Old 08-03-2016, 05:08 AM   #2
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What is the height of the hitch on the rear of your Bay Star? I generally measure from the center of the hitch opening. On ours, loaded for a trip, she sits at 18". Per Blue Ox's site the tab height for a 2009 Pontiac Vibe (guess) was 14". If those were your numbers, you could do a 2 - 4" drop with no problem. I have seen up to 8" of drop before. I don't know if you can go over that amount without affecting the hitch rating in some way.
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Old 08-03-2016, 07:28 AM   #3
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"Maddawg46".....Here is what I've done on my two DP's and my brother-in-law did on his last DP and his new Fleetwood Southwind with the F53 chassis. Add a second hitch under the original hitch. Harbor Freight sells just the receiver in a couple of lengths. I bought he longer version so the hitch shop could cut it down to the correct length. The hitch shop then welded the second receiver under the first. It doesn't solve your issue, but drops your hitch height 3.5". This way you can get way with a shorter hitch drop.

It also keeps the hitch tucked further under the coach and the new receiver stays above the drag bars.

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Old 08-03-2016, 07:33 AM   #4
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I have a 2016 BSS 2903 and flat tow a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLI. The difference in the height of the two is significant. I use a Roadmaster High-Low Adapter($108.00 Etrailer). It is rated at 10K GVW and 400 lb TW. My tow bar is a Blue Ox Alpha. By using the adapter the tow bar is parallel to the ground. On both ends of the adapter along with the hitch pins, I use Stow Away Hitch Tighteners ( $17.59 on Amazon). This makes the hitch/ adapter/tow bar tight as a single unit. It eliminates side to side and up and down play. Yes you do have to watch the entire unit dragging on the ground. I have only had that happen a few times. We have used this set for a little over 4000 miles and have had no problems with it. Just check the nuts on the hitch tighteners every morning before taking off.
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Old 08-03-2016, 07:36 AM   #5
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Sorry, guys the adapter height is 8 inches
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Old 08-03-2016, 07:36 AM   #6
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My BSS 2705 required a 4" drop to get to my Equinox properly.

As for the added length, I drilled a second hole in the 2" (male) square for another pin. I pushed the drop into the coach receiver as far as it would go, pulled it back out 1/4", marked for the hole location and drilled. This reduced the extension out the back by about 2". Thus far, I have not dragged. To get into my parking pad at home, I must handle a hill far steeper than what I would want to encounter elsewhere and it has not dragged. Caveat: only a 28' coach.

The following picture is of an immobilizer I made, but it is for the hitch and the drop hitch
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/chan...ml#post3013246
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Old 08-03-2016, 09:02 AM   #7
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The requirement depends on the manufacturer of your tow setup. If you use a Roadmaster tow brackets and tow bars, you will need very little or no drop at all.


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Old 08-03-2016, 09:10 AM   #8
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Bay Star- how much is your hitch drop?

I tow an 04 Element with my 02 DS. The Hidden Hitch on the coach (original owner) is mounted at the bottom of the fiberglas. It is at such a height that I need an 8 in riser from the coach to the tow bar to make the Roadmaster Sterling sit level. The hitch has only bottomed once that I know of.


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Old 08-03-2016, 11:19 AM   #9
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FWIW - I have Roadmaster products and based on their guide need a 6 inch drop hitch also from Roadmaster. Car is a sonic.

Quote:
Originally Posted by andyh View Post
The requirement depends on the manufacturer of your tow setup. If you use a Roadmaster tow brackets and tow bars, you will need very little or no drop at all.


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Old 08-03-2016, 11:31 AM   #10
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Even our present DP needs a 6" drop to get to within the specs for our RoadMaster setup. Even then it's higher than just level. I'd try Don's solution but our hitch is rated for 15,000#'s and I'm not sure that mod would keep that rating. But the 6" RoadMaster drop hitch is only rated for 10,000#'s anyway.
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Old 08-04-2016, 08:03 PM   #11
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I have a Blue Ox tow bar attached to a Chevy Equinox. I don't believe you will need a hitch drop as the height difference is not that significant.
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Old 08-04-2016, 08:20 PM   #12
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I am fortunate, I only needed a 4" drop to get my Blue Ox tow bar nearly level.
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Old 08-05-2016, 07:33 AM   #13
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I needed 6" raised as the connect points of the Ford Edge is around 24" high.
I had everything figured out and ready to tow home from dealer (three hours away) when I picked up the new DS. Only thing I missed was standard rise/drop didn't extend deep enough so I got the Blue Ox drop extended version from dealer. You will likely find 0"- 10" Drop Class III Trailer Hitch Receivers has the best pricing even with shipping.
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