DON'T LOWER THE @#$##@%*$## TAILGATE

Switching from a Sequoia to a Tundra isn't that big of deal when it comes to driving, but towing is a whole different story. Ok wait what?... The issue is with the way the tailgate drops down on the 3rd leg of the trailer!
The easy way out of the woods is to buy a class 3 Hidden Hitch. The hitch is long enough to custom tailor the length to your tailgate clearance needs.

 

Did you find out the hard way?

 

Put it on the list. That there is another extension I need.

 

Almost

 

Same here

 

Buddy of mine found out the hard way on his truck. Thanks for posting.

 

You wondered right. Your defiantly dealing with a Fat guy on a Teeter-Totter when it comes to leverage. 8" is all I needed to clear my tailgate.

 

IMO the extended receiver hitch is a bandaid solution.
The real solution is lock your tailgate or move your jack.
Don't get me wrong, electric lift is a nice feature, nice like you never want to crank another manual jack in your life again nice.
Increasing receiver length increases of leverage on your hitch. This directly affects front / rear weight distribution which will impact truck & trailer handling characteristics
Max tongue weight is 980lbs @9-10in from pin (standard length receivers)=816ft-lbs of torque on hitch
Max tongue weight @14in = 1143ft*lbs(+327ft*lbs or 40% increase) or the equivalent torque @ 14in would reduce tongue weight to 588lbs.
I picked 14in length but my best guess in photo the ball park of 15-18in. I didn't break out the mitutoyos to scale it.
class III hitch receivers are suppose to only be rated for 600lb tongue.
It is easier to balance loads on a larger tandem axle but this solution is not for everyone's setup

 

My WDH has a proprietary hitch, no extensions. If I open my tailgate, it'll break the jack light so I don't open it unless I'm unhooked.

That's a good solution though for your scenario!

 

One of my trailers I bought extended tongue to avoid this, for the others when I went to the Gen y hitch it set me back just enough that I am able to open the gate of I'm straight. If the truck is turned with the trailer hooked its still a no go.

https://genyhitch.com/

 

I was bummed when I first connected my trailer and learned that I could not drop the tail gate. When I purchased my Blue Ox WDH, I was happily surprised that the shank was long enough to allow me to open the gate! The Atwood jack also added clearance compared to my old unit since it didn't have the large forward facing motor.

 

WELCOME

 

OK I may be a bit naive but I've never pulled a large travel trailer before so forgive me for this question: What is this Blue Ox thing and how does it work? I have driven 18 wheelers and pulled goosenecks but never a travel trailer.

 

The 2" ball is 9" out of the receiver instead of 4" so adding 5" isn't going to damage a class 4 hitch or create a hazard towing a single axel trailer. There are forged hitch extensions that are rated at 14,000 pounds for $90

 

I am not trying to bash your solution.
This thread reminds people to check before you drop the tailgate to prevent damage.
Tailgate clearance is not the 1st thing I would check when being hooked up to a trailer. I appreciate the heads-up
An enclosed single axle trailer (6x12) already has around 180lbs tongue weight
The extended ball mount will drop your safe max tongue weight to 600lbs
600-180= 420lb Then add electric jack + (battery to power jack?) etc.
My point is mathematically, anything over 600lbs in the nose of your trailer without a counterbalance is likely to create an overloaded condition when using the extension. Maybe it's less, I don't your truck or trailer set-up.
If you are aware and confident that your setup is OK great
My intention is to educate someone new to the community that may not be familiar or even aware that this solution reduces towing/ payload / limits.

 

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

You would get the WDH rated for your GTW and TW. I believe the difference in TW rating for the Blue Ox is in the bars and visually the number of dots.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-49962.html

The main competing WDH brand is Equalizer, there may be others.

 

Totally agree! Handling/safety will suffer if weights are high, this solution requires math and is for lighter setups.

 

Thanks, that was very informative. Now I have a new wrinkle in my brain. lol

 

An unsaid solution at this point, remove the tailgate when towing! I would not, but you could.
Also, I do not know if you know, but I feel you should know, LineX can color match that lovely blue paint when you get a bed liner installed....

 

First thing I did when I bought my 4 wheeler trailer was to move the jack.

 

I have not tried it with this truck and bumper, but my last truck you couldn't put a beer bottle on the bumper and open the tailgate.

 

My dad did the same time first week I bought it. Only ding on the whole truck.

 

I've done the same thing lol.
I use a geny hitch which extends trailers with a jack on the tounge far enough. I had a cheap 90 dollar drop hitch the holes where the pins go turned into ovals after 1 year of use. You get what you pay for.

Geny hitchCheap rated for "12k" hitch.

 

Get the heavy duty leaf spring from General spring on it, if you ever replace yours. You’ll see big different of not worried about that issue. I like mines though.

 

Too late for me. Just add it to the other bunch of scratches i already have on an 8 month old truck.
Seems like these new trucks scratch way to easy.

 

I feel Toyota paint is thin compared to the GMs and Fords I have experience with. One of the few downsides of the Toyotas vs The big 2.