R-POD 172 spare tire

Doug,

Your comments are correct in principle, but the effects depend on how and how much the extension is applied. I am talking about a 16 inch shank instead of the normal 12 inch shank; an extension of 4 inches using a shank specifically designed by the hitch manufacturer. The Swagman carrier needs 3 inches clear on the shank and I have 1.5 with the 12 inch shank. If I could have found a 14 inch shank I would have gone with it.

The shanks are rated at 1400# tongue weight and the lever arm extension from the rear axle of the TV is insignificant, so the real consideration becomes the receiver itself. A class III hitch is rated at 600# tow weight and the normal shank puts the ball 11” from the face of the receiver on my Honda. Adding 4” to this yields a degradation of 1.36 (14/11) or 79% of the original #600 rating. The resulting 474# is still within the tongue weight rating of the Honda and less than the measured TW of the Pod. And it still leaves room for the weight of the bikes. BTW, I’m considering an upgraded TV which will have a class IV receiver.

I agree that trouble can be had with some methods of hitch extension, if taken to extremes, but I question the blanket statement that any extension automatically cuts the capacity in half. If that were so Progress Mfg. (E2), Curt, etc. would never sell longer shanks.

I’d appreciate your thoughts and any holes you may find in my analysis,

Charlie