by eamarquardt » Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:42 am
Everything in life is a compromise.
With the dual hitch your ball is gonna be extended 8" out from its current location and doing so will increase the "tongue weight" your vehicle "sees". If the bikes weigh 125# yer also adding that weight directly to the tongue weight your vehicles sees/experiences. This additional tongue weight may have an adverse effect on your vehicle's handling. There is no good way to reduce the tongue weight your vehicle experiences except by loading your trailer so that the amount that the trailer contributes to your tongue weight is lessened. That might make the tongue of your trailer too light and introduce problems of it's own.
I gotta think that if your frame makers are qualified to build you a frame, that they ought to be qualified to add a receiver to the rear of the frame sufficiently strong to carry 125# of bicycles. It would be a simple matter to add a bit of extra material to ensure it is robust enough to carry the load.
If, after you hang your bikes on the rear of the trailer you find you have too little tongue weight it would be relatively easy to redistribute the weight in the trailer to achieve an acceptable balance and tongue weight.
To me the best approach is to add the receiver to the rear of the trailer, carry the bikes there, and adjust the load/balance of the trailer as required to get an acceptable tongue wight/balance. With the dual hitch you have few options if your tongue weight is too high.
Just my two scents (as Slow would say).
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Gus
The opinions in this post are my own. My comments are directed to those that might like an alternative approach to those already espoused.There is the right way,the wrong way,the USMC way, your way, my way, and the highway.
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