How does a longer shank affect backing?

[Whangler]

I'm pulling a 2014 Arctic Fox 25r with a 2015 Silverado 2509 HD.
Sometimes I scrape the tailight of the truck on the fiberglass nose cap of the trailer when backing it in to my driveway. Its a narrow street and I'm not 100% consistent in nailing it in on the first try without jacknifing. Will going from a 12" long shank to an 18" long shank buy me a bit of extra clearance between rear corner of truck and nose cap and better backing control?

[Grit_dog]

JRscooby wrote:
The longer shank will give you more clearance, let you jack tighter. Will also pull more weight off front axle of TV. Lots of other issues, if going to tow that way.

Whangler wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
What do you think about putting a front hitch on?

Haven't even thought of it, but would certainly entertain that possibility. Tell me more?

Many think a idiot hitch is the way to go. And for many people and a boat trailer, I would agree. But while you are thinking about it, pull center of TV nose up to the tongue of the TT. What can you see? I would think it might be better to mount the hitch to the end of right frame rail, so could at least see 1 side of trailer.

That said, if one is truly at the physical limits of being able to back a trailer into a tight spot, a front hitch will get it into a tighter spot. Whether it’s based on room for the tow vehicle to pivot, or the angle of jack knife required to get it there.
No question, not debatable. Having the steer axle near the trailer tongue acts more like a dolly than having to pivot the whole tow vehicle to make the trailer go in the right spot.
Whether one has been a professional cab jockey their whole life or a weekend warrior with their first trailer.

Using a front hitch as a crutch for lack of backing skills is an option, but not one that I find to be less difficult conceptually. You still have to stick the trailer where it needs to go without hitting something!

[Blazing_Zippers]

I've towed two 30 foot trailers with two different Ram trucks--using extended shank hitches.
No problems at all. The trailer will track slightly closer to the truck track. When backing, the trailer can be turned sharper than when using a short shank.
As far as the hitch causing huge weight changes to the front axle, I haven't had any issues at all. I have an Equilizer brand hitch and towed about 25,000 miles with this type set up.
Your results may vary.

[mkirsch]

The longer shank will make the trailer slightly more responsive in backing, and the trailer will more closely follow in the wheel tracks of the truck on turns.

If you think your rear squats with the weight of the trailer, it's nothing compared to the front end. Think about it. The front end is sprung softer than the rear AND it already has a heavy engine on it. A large travel trailer will shove it right down to the ground.

[JRscooby]

The longer shank will give you more clearance, let you jack tighter. Will also pull more weight off front axle of TV. Lots of other issues, if going to tow that way.

Whangler wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
What do you think about putting a front hitch on?

Haven't even thought of it, but would certainly entertain that possibility. Tell me more?

Many think a idiot hitch is the way to go. And for many people and a boat trailer, I would agree. But while you are thinking about it, pull center of TV nose up to the tongue of the TT. What can you see? I would think it might be better to mount the hitch to the end of right frame rail, so could at least see 1 side of trailer.

[jdc1]

Whangler wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
What do you think about putting a front hitch on?

Haven't even thought of it, but would certainly entertain that possibility. Tell me more?

That's how they move them at the distribution yards....They move passenger jets that way too.

[Whangler]

Super_Dave wrote:
What do you think about putting a front hitch on?

Haven't even thought of it, but would certainly entertain that possibility. Tell me more?

[Grit_dog]

To your original question, of course it will move the trailer further from the truck and provide more room.
Unsure of the “more control” question, but you won’t notice the difference in length in “how” it backs up.

[Grit_dog]

^ Weight distribution and moment arm, transferred load, stress o the hitch receiver, etc will absolutely be affected by the distance from the receiver to the hitch ball and distance from hitch ball to truck axle.
How much is the question? 6” longer won’t have a “huge” effect. Although a 12” long stinger shank is already fairly long.
If you need it, you need it, but seems like an extreme jack knife or grade break is likely the cause of the issue. Presuming it doesn’t happen in any “normal” say close to 90 deg jack knife backing.

Whatever you choose to do, get a proper 2.5” shank if you don’t already understand the importance of that. Towing heavy and hitch reducer sleeves don’t mix well.

[Super_Dave]

What do you think about putting a front hitch on?

[Whangler]

MitchF150 wrote:
Won't that make for a longer "lever" as far as the hitch goes? Meaning, you will be putting more strain on the trucks hitch to get the same WD. But, if the hitch is up to the task, sounds like it'll help with your ability to turn tighter.

Do you remove the WD bars before doing the task?

I have to do that with my TT when I park it at home.. Just because of the angle of the driveway I have to go up, there is an extreme angle as the trailer goes up the driveway while the truck is still on the street.

Good luck! Mitch

Oh yeah, i remove the wd bars when I do tight backs. Questions answered on e-trailer.com seem to indicate that wd won't be affected as long as the tongue weight is within the limits of the shank's capacity. It's made by equal-izer which is the wd system on the truck.

[Whangler]

deltabravo wrote:
It will help. To hit the nose cap of the AF on the tailgate, you must be pretty much jackknifing the trailer, eh?

Doesn't seem so, but obviously I'm cranking it too far.

[MitchF150]

Won't that make for a longer "lever" as far as the hitch goes? Meaning, you will be putting more strain on the trucks hitch to get the same WD. But, if the hitch is up to the task, sounds like it'll help with your ability to turn tighter.

Do you remove the WD bars before doing the task?

I have to do that with my TT when I park it at home.. Just because of the angle of the driveway I have to go up, there is an extreme angle as the trailer goes up the driveway while the truck is still on the street.

Good luck! Mitch

[deltabravo]

It will help. To hit the nose cap of the AF on the tailgate, you must be pretty much jackknifing the trailer, eh?