Longer hitch shank

[towpro]

I need to replace the shank for my weight distribution hitch as I need a 26" ball height and my current hitch, with shank down my max is 23", with shank up my min is 28"
anyway I see the shank I need, but I need to pick my measurement from my Pin to center of shank measurement (how far it sticks out of hitch).

My current Pin center to shank center measurement is 10"
the one I am looking at comes with either 12" or 14".

I backed up to my trailer to measure what this difference will make and the 14 would be perfect as it will also let me raise and lower my tailgate since currently my tailgate hits my power jack. Plus this will move the ball back just enough that when my tailgate is down it will not hit on the hitch lock .

Will this extra 4" be a problem? tung weight is around 600lbs, RV is under 7K and 26' long.

on my Jeep I used to tow small trailers with extended hitches because of rear mounted spare tire and don't remember any problems.
I need to be able to open my tailgate while hooked up.

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[dafish]

600 is "probably" OK, but of course leverage is leverage. The total down remains the same, but the twisting force on the mounting is substantially increased (side to side and up and down) by the increased lever. Is that a problem? Dunno.

A story: I just removed a ball hitch from a mount I'd made for my Deere 757 zero turn. I then welded on a receiver. This so I could mounts a fertilizer spreader. And why not, now I could use an adjustable hitch in the receiver when I wanted to move my trailer around.

Nope. I went from a 4" length to the ball center to more like 12". 200lbs of tongue bent the ball mounting bracket. I've since welded up some triangulation and problem solved, but DO NOT overlook the implication of leverage!

 

[Buyer2021]

Should not be a "problem" per-se, you may find your WDH tension needs tweaking due to the leverage difference, and you may feel more 'feedback' over bumps and in certain wind conditions for the same reason.

Personally, when I was towing bumper-pulls with WDH, I preferred the shortest stinger possible and dealt with the tailgate clearance compromises that entails in other ways (e.g. rotate or relocate the tongue jack).

 

[towpro]

The bars are 750 lbs, I think I have 1000 lbs bars laying around also. IMHO (been towing stuff for 40 years) moving hitch back 4" will be OK.
Hell I used to flat tow a Jeep liberty with a 4' (yes Foot) extension behind my 2018 Ram dually with a +5000lb Arctic Fox 990 truck camper on it. and if it was not the jeep behind me it was a 7'x14' Box trailer with a BMW R1200 Water Cooled boxer in it as well as a bunch of other stuff in it). .
I think I will be OK moving from 10" center of pin to center of holes on shank to a 14" C to C.


Edit. I currently have 10, the 14 will take a month to get, so I went with the 12 and I will turn the jack lift motor. Case closed.

 

[towpro]

got the new 2" hitch (12" from center of receiver hold to center of holes for head). I sill had to turn my power jack so I could open tailgate. but a new problem came up, when using pro trailer to hook up to ball I go through the steps, get close, press button, tell it no trailer is hooked up and it ask me to find hitch and stop. put in N and it starts to backup and stops saying "something is in the way". I had taught the truck about the trailer when I brought it home so now that the trailer hitch is 2" further back I may have to erase the trailer and re add it?

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