NT 5x8 bolt-on tongue extension?

[Stegosaurus]

I am just in the very early stages of design and due to my lack of welding experience, I would prefer to use a Northern Tool 5x8 trailer. I am, however, thinking about extending the tongue so as to improve the handling as well as giving me some more room up front to do a 5x9 or 5x10 floor on the 5x8 frame. So my question is, would I be able to use the tongue extender sold by Red Trailer (http://www.redtrailers.com/ShowItem.asp?id=SJ85EB)? Mechanically it seems like it would bolt right on just fine, but I am not sure if the lack of a center support tube in the NT trailer would render this unsafe.

Thanks.

[angib]

This Northern Tool trailer?



It doesn't appear to have a central tongue to extend and the Red Trailers extender says it

Fits 2.5" wide x 2" high tongue.

[Stegosaurus]

Yes that's the one. It has a short piece of channel iron (2.5" wide on the outside, by 2" high) welded to the top triangular plate that binds the two beams that sweep back to the trailer. This piece of channel is what you then bolt the coupler to. Mechanically I think it would work, although I am not sure if the tongue extender that red trailer sells has an opening on the bottom of where it bolts onto the existing tongue (essentially a C channel with the opening pointing down). If not, this wouldn't work. I was kind of hoping someone would have tried something like this already...

[MtnDon]

The plate that the coupler mounts to can be mounted in the inverted "upside down" position. Then a 2" x 2" square steel tube can be inserted inside the sleeve that is welded to the flat plate. That becomes the tongue and it can be inserted far enough back that it passes under the front and the second crossmember. It could all be bolted in place. Buy a new coupler to fit the 2x2 tube. Use 3/16 wall tube or 1/8, depending on expected load and the amount of extension. If some of that is not clear then go to the NT web site and download the assembly manual (PDF). There are drawings in there that should help figure it out. Extending the extension under the crossmembers will make for a sturdy installation. It does lower the coupler/ball connection a couple of inches but there is still good clearance and the height difference should be no big deal; it may need an adjustable height ball mount.

[LarryJ]

Click out this link for a pic that shows what MtnDon is describing:

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?p=854558#p854558

[Stegosaurus]

Thanks guys, that looks exactly like what I wanted to accomplish.

[bobhenry]

Adding 18 to 24 inches to the overall length of the tongue offers a great change in the handling and backing manners of the trailer.

Zack's 2x2 x 3/16 square tube is exactly what I did to both of my harbor freight trailers and also to my namco trailer (that the barn is built on). I let the tube run full length under the trailer and with a short piece of 1/8 flat stock added to shim the end of the tube you can insert a class 2 ball mount or bike carrier or whatever ??

I had seen too many of these trailers overloaded and the second crossmember was failing (bending downward)