# Hitch is too low and jack foot is sitting too close to the ground -- can I drive like that?



## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I don't think I'd chance it.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Bah! I'll have to take the truck back to the hitch place and have them switch out the drop then, and THEN go back to get the trailer and bring it to them. The trailer is then going to be leaning back rather than tilting forward like it is now, but for a short trip at low speeds with my overpowered truck, that shouldn't be too bad, right?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

You obviously don't need a drop hitch. Raise it up or get a straight hitch.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

waresbear said:


> You obviously don't need a drop hitch. Raise it up or get a straight hitch.


Yes, definitely. The hitch place actually basically lent me this drop because they thought the one that came with the weight distribution hitch wouldn't be low enough, at least not without the trailer coupler adjusted. It's good to know that I can use the drop that came with the WD hitch; I'll just bring this one back to them. I just wish I wouldn't have to make two trips.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Also, the foot can be disconnected from the tube or whatever you call that part. If I did that, would it be drivable?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

_Its drive-able, its when you go *clunk* the problems begin... _ 😢

Remove the foot piece and see, but to my eye you are so close frame to the ground those "bumps" you know about you can prepare for and compensate approach and going over...
To me, the danger is far more that you think all the road between you and the dealership is level and not have "bumps" that on a nose-down trailer is going to endanger your hitch to go clunk...
*Forget that, on second careful look..... That is to close to chance!!*

Make the extra trip or you will kick yourself the 5 mile and few extra minutes of time it will take to be safer heading for the alignment, the marrying of truck and trailer to each other.
And now you understand why I said a few inches high when empty...for you that is a HUGE amount of space needed for clearance.
I would not take the chance of hitting...nope, no how, no way........nose low and the hand slid under is about 4 - 5" wide across at most..
*That is to close to chance!! *
🐴....


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

Don't know if your hubby is mechanical, but looks as if there are only two bolts to be removed that will allow the hitch to be dropped either one or two holes which will raise the front of the trailer one or two holes.

If it needs two holes, that could be enough to solve the low jack concerns.

Can't tell for certain from the pictures, but when that is done, the hitch on the truck may be as low as the jack. Well unless the choice is to raise the truck hitch rather than lower the trailer hitch.

Whatever the difference is between the front and rear height of the trailer, the front will be raised half that much if the trailer is level.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@trailscout I had the same thought. My husband is mechanical, but (1) he tries to not be involved in the horse stuff, (2) he'd have to drive all the way out to the barn and back, and (3) I don't trust anyone but a professional with this right now. I mean, I know it's just taking off and moving bolts, but what if he did something wrong and the whole thing came off?


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

Who was the professional that left you with a trailer that was adjusted too low for your truck hitch?

So the trailer's at the barn? If your husband has a torque wrench, you could do it yourself or get someone to help. To ease your worry, you could call the trailer place to ask what torque they'd recommend on the bolts. Then it's just take bolts out and put them back in to the proper torque reading. Waalaa! Now YOU are mechanical.

Your hubby may also have what is called a 'cheater' which is a piece of pipe that will slip over the torque wrench handle to provide more leverage if needed.

Your trailer was not connected to your pickup by a professional. It was done by you. This is no harder. You even inserted the safety pin in the hitch latch. What a pro!


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

Light bulb! Should have thought of this first.

Unhook your trailer, drive to the dealer, have them raise the ball by two holes, return and hook up the trailer again, if there's anything you don't think is right you can now take the trailer to the dealer without worry of the hitch being too low.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

trailscout said:


> Light bulb! Should have thought of this first.
> 
> Unhook your trailer, drive to the dealer, have them raise the ball by two holes, return and hook up the trailer again, if there's anything you don't think is right you can now take the trailer to the dealer without worry of the hitch being too low.


That's what I will have to do, I think. I just wish they were open today, because I wanted to drive out to the barn tomorrow morning and then bring the whole thing back to them.

I'm now thinking about maybe trying to raise the ball myself. It has two bolts, so even if I screw up one of them, the other will still hold, right? Plus it can't be that hard, again, right? Maybe? If I take it off and can't get it back on to my satisfaction, then I'll just take it to them on Monday and have them do it.

I went out and measured, and it would be three inches higher, which should be enough, especially if I take off the jack foot, which I think I will.

When my husband comes back, I'll find out where he keeps his wrenches and see what I can do.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Those bolts if not put on by a impact gun are torqued to a specific poundage so the bolts stay put.

I am not putting you down but if a impact gun was used the force of the tightening can be far more than most can release by hand...
My husbands impact gun is set a 300PSI....the trailer calls for 135 - 145 torqued foot pounds.
I have jumped up and down on my horse trailer tire lug nuts with a "T" tire removal tool and not budged them...they were torqued.
Mine looks similar to this...








Had to call hubby when my trailer got a flat to come and help me...
I'm not sure how those bolts are secured nor the poundage used on gun or torque wrench...please do not get hurt in your attempt to change...
I would just take the truck and get it done...takes 5 minutes by the mechanic and is then done properly not just loosened but adjusted and tightened so you have ground clearance and better peace of mind driving the trailer for "marrying" proper to take place.
If your hubby has some of those kind of tools, then the job is simple to do, accomplish and be on your way. 
🐴...


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Poo, alright. I guess I'll take it to them to change out on Monday, and then bring the whole thing back on Friday.

I'm glad I'm not in a hurry; seems like it's just been one delay after another getting this set up.


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

If you can't get them loos, get a longer piece of pipe to go over the wrench handle. If no torque wrench is available, guesstimate the difficulty getting them off and use the same difficulty putting them back. 

If the bolts were installed by a "professional" they should not be over torqued.

And I suppose you know that at some point when turning the nut, the head of the bolt will need a wrench on it to keep it from turning. If there's nothing for that wrench to wedge against if you need both hands on the nut wrench, ye ole piece of pipe that reaches to the ground will work.

You can do this! IF, big if, you have the tools to do it. Tools are just so wonderful. Harbor Freight is my very favorite store even if some of their tools are questionable. If you have one nearby, it would not be a bad idea to buy some tools just for the adjustment and keep them in the trailer just in case due to some mishap somebody else needed to tow your trailer such as a breakdown of your truck. Both the tools and knowledge would be readily available to get the truck matched up to your trailer.

I would, however, want to be confident that both bolts would stay. If one were to come out there would be forces on the remaining bolt that it was not designed to withstand. The hitch part would be in a prying leverage situation. At one time I could have calculated exactly where and at what angle and how much the additional forces would have been. Probably still could but it might take a month of review to get back up to speed and my equines would suffer in the meantime.

By the way, over torqued bolts are unsafe.

I had a bulldozer in the long ago past that had four bolts that had a 450 ft/lb torque spec. I used a 6 foot pipe. Easy. They were the cap bolts that held the dozer blade arms to the undercarriage.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Hmm, alternately I could go to the auto parts store and get a simple drop hitch. I could take the entire assembly that's on there now, off, and put the other hitch on. The hitch would probably have a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and as a reminder the trailer empty is a little less than 4k pounds. The drop would probably not quite be enough, meaning I would be towing it with the trailer tipped back, but at least the jack foot wouldn't be so low.


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

ACinATX said:


> would probably have a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds,


Probably is operative here. If you can do all that you can remove and replace two bolts.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@horselovinguy you will be happy to know that I took the truck to them and had them raise the ball height. I am hoping to bring the whole thing to them on Friday now, as I have the day off. We'll see, perhaps yet another problem will manifest itself by then. Ugh.

OTOH, I feel like I am really doing this in the safest and most correct way possible, and since this is my beloved horses we're talking about, well, better safe than sorry.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

....

Way to go ma'am!!! 

Be safe, _not_ sorry!! 
*🐴...*


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

In effort to prevent too too much relaxation, here's another thought. If you still think the front and jack look a little low after everything is adjusted, it "may" be possible to raise the entire trailer some.

Most newer trailers now have torsion suspension and many are constructed in such a way the travel height can be easily adjusted (by a professional) within a certain range.

So there's something else to think about and possibly inquire about on Friday.

I haven't read all of your trailer threads. Do you have closed circuit TV to keep a watchful eye on your horses while traveling?


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

trailscout said:


> So there's something else to think about and possibly inquire about on Friday.
> 
> I haven't read all of your trailer threads. Do you have closed circuit TV to keep a watchful eye on your horses while traveling?


It does have torsion suspension, but the coupler on the trailer is itself adjustable, so I think that's where we'll start if we need to raise it up a little.

No, I don't have a camera yet. I actually started another thread about that, but it doesn't seem like anyone has experience with them, and I'm not ready to buy something that expensive with no reviews (I was looking at a dual backup camera system and I was going to use one as intended on the back of the trailer and the other inside the trailer). The trailer does have windows in the front so in theory I might be able to look back there and see them, especially if I have the inside lights on.


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## trailscout (Nov 23, 2020)

The possibility of adjusting the ride height of the suspension was intended to be considered only if you thought it still too low AFTER it was leveled with the hitch adjustments.

Surveillance cameras are getting pretty cheap and high quality too. I have six at only about $30 each. The recorder and display screen is the most expensive part. Mine is low end.

Being a certified minimalist, I would (and may) start with something like this.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wireless...650401dcd68c1ccfd7e1611726fab7a9&gclsrc=3p.ds


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