Need Guidance: Dealer Installed Extended Tow Hitch

[Coastalcop]

If the dealer won’t budge, Buy and aftermarket hitch on Amazon for about 75 bucks and an extender for when you’re actually towing. At least the dealer did the toughish part with the wiring. Swapping out the hitch will be a 30 minute job….. with beer break.

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[HeHateMe]

If the dealer won’t budge, Buy and aftermarket hitch on Amazon for about 75 bucks and an extender for when you’re actually towing. At least the dealer did the toughish part with the wiring. Swapping out the hitch will be a 30 minute job….. with beer break.

Agreed...

I went with Mabett.

 

[BigFootie]

I read somewhere that the factory hitch is rated to 3500 lbs but an aftermarket would only be rated to 1000 lbs due to some other structural change that do at the facts.

any truth to this? I can’t find where I saw that.

Absolutely no truth to this.

 

[Montana Bronco]

OP: I tow daily (I’m a fly fishing guide) and I definitely want that extended hitch you have. If you get rid if it I will gladly take it off your hands.

 

[yabsquatch]

I would’ve refused that hitch. I don’t know if they’ll help you out by installing a real hitch, now that you got blood and half a kneecap on it. Words like “that’s nothing like the OEM hitch. I thought I was buying an oem hitch” might get you somewhere. When the service manager try’s to tell you how it’s better than an oem hitch, “cool, straight across trade for the OEM hitch that’s on the dealership owner’s Bronco should make me happy.” Deliver it with a smile, you might still have to spend another $80 of your own money, but you can have fun frustrating the crap outa them in the process. The hitch is literally a 30 minute job to do it yourself.

Yeah when I first saw it I said to the accessories manager "wth is this? why isn't it flush?" and he went on to say both "I've never seen this part before" and "this is what everyone is asking for! We are going to install these by default moving forward!" The duplicity of his remarks made it clear that he was covering the service department's ass.

Luckily they are going to swap it free of charge. Unfortunately for me they have to order the correct part which will take some time, and also it means another trek out to the dealership and killing half a day.

 

[yabsquatch]

OP: I tow daily (I’m a fly fishing guide) and I definitely want that extended hitch you have. If you get rid if it I will gladly take it off your hands.

Much appreciated offer. My dealer is making the swap for me free of charge, otherwise I might take you up on that.

 

[yabsquatch]

Absolutely no truth to this.

This is my question, too. But I think my solution will be to do a ball mount hitch if/when I need a trailer, and an extension for other uses like bike or cargo rack.... which wouldn't even come close to half of the rated weights. So I should be OK.

But still curious about this piece of info - I've seen it in a few places. I guess it's because the size of the tube is reduced and as a result that part becomes the weakest point? I dunno.

 

[dgorsett]

This is my question, too. But I think my solution will be to do a ball mount hitch if/when I need a trailer, and an extension for other uses like bike or cargo rack.... which wouldn't even come close to half of the rated weights. So I should be OK.

But still curious about this piece of info - I've seen it in a few places. I guess it's because the size of the tube is reduced and as a result that part becomes the weakest point? I dunno.

Most extenders are hell for stout and it's not the extender itself (at least in the Bronco's case with a rated 350 lb tongue weight limit) but the leverage caused by the hitch point being moved rearward. Moving the hitch point rearward lowers the tongue weight rating on any hitch. These extended hitches are nice for those who frequently carry hitch racks or bike carriers with a low weight, they eliminate a joint caused by an add on extender and reduce rattle. For towing I would use a standard hitch with a drop (which you will need anyway) built into the hitch, no longer or lower than needed.

 

[LI2S2DBC]

On my 2021 Black Diamond I had an aftermarket hitch installed. They never mentioned it was going to be the extended version similar to this. I was only going to use it for bike and cargo racks so stuck with it and got used to banging my shins. When I replaced the 2021 with a 2023 Badlands I went to the same installer expecting the same hitch and they installed the flush mount style. Now that I have had both, I am torn as to which is the better option. I drove out to Colorado this summer with the bike rack installed with the extender. Downside was that the bike rack locks to the receiver, only with the extension on there, the lock is worthless. Need to get a lock for the extender to the receiver. Once there, I removed the rack and the extender for off road which was nice. However, I would have been fine with the extender installed as I didn’t need the full departure angle on any of the trails I drove.

 

[BigFootie]

This is my question, too. But I think my solution will be to do a ball mount hitch if/when I need a trailer, and an extension for other uses like bike or cargo rack.... which wouldn't even come close to half of the rated weights. So I should be OK.

But still curious about this piece of info - I've seen it in a few places. I guess it's because the size of the tube is reduced and as a result that part becomes the weakest point? I dunno.

Putting an extender on the factory set up would yield the same issues. As @dgorsett says, it’s the extension that causes the reduction, not the hitch or mounting.

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