tow angle suggestions please

[tipaulfla]

I have a 6-6 1/2 inch diff between my toad baseplate and my receiver hitch on my mh. Should I get a 4 or a 6 inch drop receiver to make for safe towing,

I have an alpha blue ox towbar attached to my 08 jeep liberty.

Does any drop receiver work or should I stay with blue ox products.

Also my alpha tow bar is rated at 6500lbs. Is a 5000lb. receiver OK?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

tipaulfla
08 Itasca Sunova
08Jeep Liberty

[GaryKD]

Hi tipaulfla,
The tow bar should be level with the ground. If the 6" drop gets you the closest, go for it.

Purchase any brand name drop with the correct weight rating.

It all depends on the weight of the Liberty. Each component of the towing solution must be able to handle the weight you are towing. This includes the coach itself. Please make sure the weight of the coach and installed hitch will handle the towed vehicle.

[njs42]

I'm not familiar with Blue Ox Alpha tow bar--I use Blue Ox which stays on my coach and it specifies no more than a four inch drop from receiver to baseplate. MY CR-V is even across so no drop is needed. In the case of my truck which I tow occassi0onally I need a whopping six inch drop and it still takes about three on the tow bar to reach the baseplate. YOu should be able to find the specs on your Alpha by calling or on the Blue Ox website.

I have been happy with my Blue Ox set up---I have no reason to change. Had it nine years and about 45,000 miles of towing trouble free---maintenance is easy.

As to your receiver it depends on how much weight you are towing, up to 5000 pounds in your case---the set up is only as good as the weakest point----it cannot hurt to have a heavier capacity receiver----but it can hurt to tow over any of the limits of your equipment.

If I had a wish I think I wish I had ordered the 10,000 pound Blue Ox hitch---it was cheaper----but mine was lighter-----I leave it on the motor home anyway so it turns out how light it was was not a big factor. Even so I tow at about 3,500 pounds for my CR-V well within the range.

[paz]

I agree with Gary, the 6" drop receiver would be better because the tow bar should be as level as possible.

That being said, if your coach has a long rear overhang, the longer drop receiver may drag. If you think that is going to be a problem, you may want to hedge your bet and go with the 4" drop. The 6" would be better, but 4" will get you into the acceptable range (less than 4" height difference) with less likelihood of dragging.

[wa8yxm]

Two items: FIrst: The six is the best,, HOWEVER before you go drop receiver shopping, LOAD THE MOTOR HOME.. Mine dropped a few inches when loaded and the result was the drop the dealer sold me had to be replaced with a shorter one.

(I got the shorter one from a small outfit in Pender, NE.... Yup, Blue Ox, Factory Direct)

The second item:

What is the rating on your hitch assembly,, Not just the receiver but more importantly the brackets that connect the cross bar the receiver is welded to to the frame rails.. Turns out mine were only rated for 5,000 pounds.. Now I was towing way less than that so I should be OK, right?

NOT with the drop receiver,,, IT torqued those brackets into obliviion and dropped my towed.

Thankfully I had the US gear brake system installed, and properly adjusted so the secondary damage was around 50 cents. (my drop adapter is customized with a "Tong" for a ball type hitch, my bicycle rack mounts on that.. The tong bent, that was the only secondary damage.. We got to our campground, I parked the motor home, "Dropped' the towed, backed it up, got out the tow strap, hooked one end to the towed's receiver (Safety chain hole) and the other to the bike rack, had my wife drive straight ahead (I had positioned the car) a bit, And when she backed up the verticle post on the bike rack was once again verticle.. Got it right in one try)

[alvinc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz That being said, if your coach has a long rear overhang, the longer drop receiver may drag. If you think that is going to be a problem, you may want to hedge your bet and go with the 4" drop. The 6" would be better, but 4" will get you into the acceptable range (less than 4" height difference) with less likelihood of dragging.

Another alternative to using a large drop receiver: Lift the Jeep Liberty.

A lift would be more expensive than a drop receiver, but would look cool and allows larger tires. Depends on what you want to do with the Liberty.

A couple of pointers to Liberty Lifts:
The BEST KJ Jeep Liberty lift on the market
Liberty Lift Kits at Morris 4x4 Center

NOTE: I'm not totally serious about this, but it is an alternative.

My Jeep is lifted and my RV has a long overhang with a high hitch receiver. I run a 2" rise on my tow bar. I should get a picture of this.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Any drop receiver will significantly reduce the towing capacity, so make sure the drop receiver you chose is still within the Liberty's weight range. The bigger thew drop, the more weight reduction, so that might force you to 4' vs 6".

[DriVer]

If I were going to be obliged to use a drop receiver, I would definitely use a dual U bolt immobilizer. Blue Ox makes this gizmo. It will hold the drop steady and help reduce the movement of all the tow bar gear.

BX88225

Immobilizer II, 2 1/2" Receiver Hitch Immobilizer
Prevents looseness and sway. Keeps towbars, drop receivers, bike racks, and more from rattling in your receiver hitch.

I'm using the immobilizer device right on my Aladdin at the moment w/o a drop bar because the attachment point on my 2008 Vue is almost a straight line from the car to the motorhome. I do have a 4" BO drop bar at the moment which is out of service not required. The connection between the receiver and the tow bar is practically rigid and that's a good thing.

Cardinal rule; Less tow gear between the car and motorhome is More.