Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

[f_inscreenname]

The box that slides into the receiver has a lip where the ball mounts to it. Mine is on the bottom. When I tow my boat I have noticed that the bow is on a real down angle when on level land. I figured some angle would be O K but after looking at couple pictures just now it is way to much. If I could flip the box over and mount the ball higher it would fix this. Just wondering if it was safe. Had the hitch installed and never got any instructions.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Absolutely! You will get a 2" change by flipping the box. Those hitches are made to either raise, lower or level. Depends on the 2" box you have.<br /><br />Feel free to try it but make sure the ball is re-tightened.<br /><br />Bob

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

If it's way off, they have different hitch tounges that offer more/less drop/raise - I think I've seen 'em go up to 5 inches and every half inch inbetween.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Thanks guys

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Just a quick thought.... when you level the trailer pay attention to your lower unit... raising the front will lower the rear so be cautious on tight spots.<br /><br />Bob

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

One thing I wanted to do was stop the trailer jack from rubbing the ground at a big dip at the end of my alley, where it meets the main road. The way it looks the rear end could afford to go down some. My Chevy van has a low bumper and the hitch comes out under that so I figured it was low to begin with. My old van didn't have that problem. With the new hitch I wasn't sure if flipping it over was safe. I thought I had seen them flipped over but I was not sure if that was a jury rig or not. The last thing I want is my pride and joy inside my van because of my stupidity. <br /> Thanks again

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Hitch inserts are sold as Lower/Raise units. Meaning, my 5" lowering insert is like a 4" rise. One will always be greater than the other. I too have a van, and I need every inch of that 4" raise to level my trailer.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

My dad has a Chevy van with the same problem.<br />The ball was so low to the ground that he couldn't lower the jack down low enough to hook up the trailer.<br />I bought him a hitch insert with a 6" offset to raise it up.<br />Now he can actually use the tongue jack.<br />And yes, the two rear doors of the van will still open.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

The trailer should be level when connected to the tow vehicle and parked on level ground. Being off from level will have an adverse effect on brake operation and tire wear (on a tandem axle trailer). As posted above, they are available in a variety of offsets. Make sure you get the ball tight when you reattach it and check it from time to time.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Yesterday I saw trailer ball mounts at the tractor supply store that had a lower (6,000 lb) rating in the "up" position than the "down" (10,000 lb) position. That's a new one on me but it pays to check.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

I tried that, but it caused me to drag the boat upside down on the road. <br /><br /><br />I couldn't resist....

 

[Realgun]

Re: Can I flip my box hitch upside down.

Dang it Mark you took my quip.