Size of Hitch Extenders Available for a 2 Inch Hitch

Question:

Why are hitch extenders limited in length shortest possible to 7 inches for a 2 inch receiver? It seems that a shorter extension and therefore a shorter lever arm would be more stable...I have a 2008 Rav 4 with a nice hitch, but it is buried so far forward from the bumper I absolutely need an extender to adapt a bike rack. The class of my hitch is sufficient that I have enough remaining tongue weight to safely do this, but I really only need about 4 inches or less to allow for clearance of the rack and dont like the idea of a much longer extender. Also, would it be possible to have this fabricated if its not available?

asked by: Aaron

Expert Reply:

The reason that the manufacturers do not make a shorter hitch extender is mainly because the market for a extender of a very short length is very limited. After researching the market for hitch extenders they have decided that the short (7 or 8 inches) and long (14 or 18 inches) sizes will hopefully cover most of the market.

The hitch extenders are a limited market because when using an extender you do reduce the tongue weight on your hitch by 50 percent. For example, if the hitch capacity on your 2008 Toyota RAV4 is 3500 lbs, you are starting with 350 lbs of tongue weight. A hitch extender will then reduce it to 175 lbs. The weight of your bike rack, plus bikes, must be less than this reduced weight.

The shortest hitch extenders I have for a 2 inch hitch is the Brophy Hitch Extender, part # HE06 which is 7 inches, and the Trailer Hitch Extender for 2" Hitch Receivers # e88YR which is 8 inches.

We do not fabricate any hitch extenders. I am including a link to a FAQ page on hitch extenders.

expert reply by: Jeff D