Is 3 ft. long enough for the tongue

[stjohn]

3 ft will let it almost jacknife behind my f150 ford or do I want it to be able to jacknife all the way.below is a pic of the boxed hitch I finshed this morning

Mike

[Nitetimes]

That's pretty much a decision you'll have to make for yourself. A lot of trailer tongues are only 3'. A couple of things to keep in mind tho, 1 You will have to remember that you can't jack knife all the way when you are backing up, of course you can get out and disconnect to put it where you want it. Otherwise it can very hard on truck and trailer. 2. The longer the tongue the easier it is to back up, remember, you already have a pretty short trailer, a shorter tongue usually results in your pull up and try again count being higher.






Rich

[cracker39]

You may already know the rule of thumb for minimum tongue length to avoid damage to the cabin on a jackknife. It should be at least as long as the distance from the ball to one side of your tow vehicle, plus a couple of inches (as MJ says, just because). Personally, I have to agree with Nitetimes about the shorter it is, the harder it is to back it up.

My 4'x8' NT utility trailer (same as the HF most use for TDs) has a length of 3' 6" from the front of the chassis to the center of the ball, and I can back it pretty easily. I had a 4' x 6' once that was a reall bear to back up...almost impossible without pulling up and starting over several times. I could be wrong, but I also think that the longer distance between the hitch and axle, the better they track. My TTT will be on a 5'x9' chassis, and the cabin will extend forward of the chassis by 18", so my hitch ball will be about 4' 8" from the chassis (3' from the front edge of the cabin).

[bg]

I try to run 39-42". Just enough to be able to clear the bumper of my old truck in a jackknife situation. I've only had trouble with that method once, But I was sleep deprived enough that day that I'm not going count that against the trailer.

Funny thing is, I can't even see the frame for the tear behind the van other than the tire sidewalls and I can back it perfectly.

[Arne]

I went with 48"... the longer the tongue, the less the trailer bouncing will affect your tow vehicle.... It also gives me more room to open the hatch on my van.

[madjack]

...I'll second all of the above and add that you shouldn't be jacknifing your trailer anyway...pull up and stab it again...
madjack

[48Rob]

Jack knifing a trailer while backing isn't a good thing to do...a lot of damage can occurr when you go just a little too far (crunch!)
Not to mention the LP tank, cooler, or whatever that gets installed after all the careful planning...

However, making the hitch long enough to jack knife, at least in my case was important for going forward.
When hooked to the old car, which turns a pretty tight radius, I can do a U turn on a two lane highway, without backing up, finding a driveway, etc.

Gotta be prepared for those garage sales, and old trailers in back yards!

[Chip]

No expert on the subject but the ease of backing is a function of the distance between the ball and the axle,,, the longer distance ya have here the easier it is to back,, the tongue length playes a part in making this distance longer,,, or shorter

If ya axle was right at the rear bumper of the trailer it would just about back itself into a spot,,,

chipper

[Erik-the-red]

Just kidding.

My teardrop has a very long tongue. Easy to tow, backup, etc. It's the way to go.

[WarPony]

I would think the wheelbase of the tow vehicle will have some effect on how easy it is to "jack knife". I have the "Gene Simmons" trailer tongue on mine at 46" from front of trailer to the center of the ball. I like it because it is easier to back up........... chicks did it, too !!

[stjohn]

I'd better say thanks before tjhis threat gets way out of hand I dicided to go w/ the Paul stanley tongue because of storage reason, 36"to the center of the ball I can get a nother 6" from my reciever hitch



not as fance as deans but I think it will work

Mike

[stjohn]

I'd better say thanks before tjhis threat gets way out of hand I dicided to go w/ the Paul stanley tongue because of storage reason, 36"to the center of the ball I can get a nother 6" from my reciever hitch



not as fance as deans but I think it will work

Mike

[Gaston]

I like 36" I tried 48" from the front of the body but found if was a little more "moment" leverage than I wanted on the crossmember its attached to. Kinda springy, and I didn't want the added weight of heavier material.

Just my opinion and its worth what you paid for it

[WarPony]

Mike, that is why I made mine as long as it is. I wasn't sure about a tongue box/battery box/spare tire so I just made it that length and will decide later on what will go there. I guess I never thought about the hitch as additional length . Add about 4"-5" to my original length.

[Erik-the-red]

When you have a long tongue, you can store a box and spare tire on the front. I can jack-knife the trailer without it hitting the tailgate of my pickup.