Drop Down Hitch Question

[fjlarosa59]

Hello, I wrote on this forum awhile back asking if anybody had any ideas why my 2009 Yukon Denali slides when I launch my boat. Many of you were very helpful and at this point, I'm simply putting the car in neutral when I launch, but I have not launched on a steep ramp yet. Anyhow, I just realized the other day how high the Yukon hitch is and realized I was not as aparallel to the ground as I thought I was. I am thinking about changing my hitch to a 4" drop down to lower the trailer, which will change the COG and possibly help my sliding issue. So, the purpose of my post is ask those Yukon/Tahoe boat towers what hitch they typically use. I do realize it's somewhat dependent on the boat, but this is a general question.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

drop

on my '95 tahoe it was mostly 'strait' out (normal hitch).

on my '09 tahoe i had to get a drop hitch, it was making the front of the boat trailer WAY to high. the auto leveling tries to raise it every time at the launch, the drop hitch fixed it.

 

[Nickleahy23]

i wouldnt think that it would really change that much..no matter what, you are going to have roughly the same amount of tongue weight (weight on the hitch) no matter if its stock or lower...dont the denalis come with AWD? ive launched plenty of boats with my truck and never had to use 4x4..just back it in, throw it in park, and back the boat off...do the same when loading...why do you use neutral?

 

[fjlarosa59]

Drop Down Hitch

Thanks. I understand about the tongue weight, but the center of gravity will shift once the hitch is lower. I have to put it in neutral because my boat (2008 247 Baja Islander) pulls my vehicle down the ramp when in reverse. The front wheels slide and the back wheels roll a little. I'm going to get a 4" drop down hitch and see if that helps.

 

[SmallXL]

get an adjustable hitch. Mine is a 2 1/2 drop, and could be lower.

 

[jcrack_corn]

are you letting the tranny do all the hard work or are you using both feet?

You should have your left foot on the brake, and your right foot on the gas.

Obv gas is not needed if you are launching in neutral (which is fine, doesnt matter)...but when comming out of the water, you should have the brakes locked and, push the gas, then let off of the brake slowly and see what happens.....if you roll back, then more brake and more gas, if you stay still, then just more gas, and if you go forward then woo hooo.

If you are simply SLIDING (wheels locked) because of small gravel/wet/steep launch area, then there is NOTHING you can really do about that except get a winch and tie off to another vehicle.

Some launches just really suck and are too steep and if you have too much weight/hard tires you will slide.

You will not change the CG of ANYTHING by having more or less drop. In fact , you will only be pivoting AROUND the CG of the trailer by raising/lowering the tongue. Tongue weight will remain the same also.

a lower tongue may help with angle of attack if the lanch is steep, is the boat heavy enough to lift the back of the truck when you are halfway on and halfway off the launch?

How wide is the launch, can you launch at a 45 degree angle (if it is steep then you should have plenty of water depth on the shallow side)...ie your truck and boat at a 45 degree angle to the ramp/water, which woudl effectly cut the "steepness" of the launch in half.

 

[fjlarosa59]

All good points. No, the boat does not lift the front of the vehicle. I appreciate everybody's feedback.

 

[Conor]

On an NNBS truck that is not lowered you need at least a 6"drop because of how hight the hitch is on the bumper. That would not affect your truck sliding though? Also, why are you putting the truck in neutral? And is it just your tires slipping?

 

[Nickleahy23]

Thanks. I understand about the tongue weight, but the center of gravity will shift once the hitch is lower. I have to put it in neutral because my boat (2008 247 Baja Islander) pulls my vehicle down the ramp when in reverse. The front wheels slide and the back wheels roll a little. I'm going to get a 4" drop down hitch and see if that helps.

i think you are putting too much throught and effort into it...we used to launch out 27 ft fountain with a 2wd ext cab chevy..just put it in reverse, back down the ramp, and put it in park when you get to where you need to be..back the boat off...loading do the same..back it down the ramp, load the boat on the trailer, and put it in first and pull up the ramp..

 

[InTruckDesign]

You need to find a 4.5-5 inch drop hitch, I run a 5.5 inch drop hitch, but I also have a 1 inch coil spacer in the back.