John Welte Posted Wednesday at 02:59 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 02:59 PM Hi all, I have a tight parking spot next to the garage and thought a front mounted hitch would make it easier to maneuver the trailer into the spot. E-trailer has one that would fit my 2017 Ford Expedition EL, but the specs say it's only good for 500 pounds of vertical force. If anyone uses a front hitch, what did you do to make it work? Thanks 3 John and Debbie, Beaverton, Oregon, 2017 Ford Expedition EL 4x4 3.5 liter Ecoboost, with heavy duty tow package. Hull #1290, twin bed with Truma package (a/c, furnace, hot water heater with electric antifreeze option), lithium pro package, picked up November 7, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd1923 Posted Thursday at 12:27 AM Share Posted Thursday at 12:27 AM 9 hours ago, John Welte said: specs say it's only good for 500 pounds of vertical force. Not a big concern at driveway speeds. Check with a local trailer shop. They would have a variety of choices and could weld the mount. 1 1 Chris & John in Prescott, AZ | 2016 EII #113 | '01 Ram 2500 Cummins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Welte Posted Thursday at 01:41 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 01:41 AM 1 hour ago, jd1923 said: Not a big concern at driveway speeds. Check with a local trailer shop. They would have a variety of choices and could weld the mount. That was my thought too. I would think that their 500 pound limit takes into account the forces on the hitch of a static weight of 500 pounds hitting some movement. With highway movement that weight would be higher on the hitch. From physics the formula F=ma would explain it I would think. F is force, m=mass, a=acceleration. I would think that at driveway speeds it would be ok too. Thanks for your comment. John 2 John and Debbie, Beaverton, Oregon, 2017 Ford Expedition EL 4x4 3.5 liter Ecoboost, with heavy duty tow package. Hull #1290, twin bed with Truma package (a/c, furnace, hot water heater with electric antifreeze option), lithium pro package, picked up November 7, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator+ ScubaRx Posted Thursday at 03:20 AM Moderator+ Share Posted Thursday at 03:20 AM I've had front 12 hours ago, John Welte said: Hi all, I have a tight parking spot next to the garage and thought a front mounted hitch would make it easier to maneuver the trailer into the spot. E-trailer has one that would fit my 2017 Ford Expedition EL, but the specs say it's only good for 500 pounds of vertical force. If anyone uses a front hitch, what did you do to make it work? Thanks I have had a front hitch on every vehicle I've owned since 1992. Some I made myself, but I've bought the last three. None I've bought are rated greater than 500 pounds of hitch weight. I just don't worry about it. My tongue weight on The Outlaw Oliver is probably in the 650 pound range, I've not measured it lately. But I am only moving the trailer about 100 feet to get it into its garage and, as everybody always says when describing their tow vehicle, it does just fine. 1 1 Steve, Tali and our dog Rocky plus our beloved Storm, Lucy, Maggie and Reacher (all waiting at the Rainbow Bridge) 2008 Legacy Elite I - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #026 | 2014 Legacy Elite II - Outlaw Oliver, Hull #050 | 2022 Silverado High Country 3500HD SRW Diesel 4x4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAX Burner Posted Thursday at 11:56 AM Share Posted Thursday at 11:56 AM FWIW: We bought our front hitch from eTrailer about 6 years ago - used it on the RAM 3500 to get the AS into the cave. For us, it was an absolute game changer. Whereas backing the TT into the somewhat "narrow" 10-ft wide door it may have taken a few tries to get the perfect line-up. With the the front hitch it was "1 and done" - piece of cake. The 500# vertical weight limitation wasn't an issues for the 30-foot travel distance. We highly recommend the front hitch option for tight quarters. 1 3 Art, Diane, Magnus & Oscar (double-Aaarrf!) 2022 TUNDRA 2017 LE II; Hull #226 "Casablanca" HAM call-sign: W0ABX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2008RN Posted Friday at 01:36 AM Share Posted Friday at 01:36 AM I have a narrow 90 degree turn getting into my driveway, then I have to make a 60 degree turn to the opposite direction right away. The RV port is only 25 ft from the road. I practiced probably 20-30 times backing up normally into the spot had chosen before we built Hummi's home. I had the location marked out with cones and paint. I got it into the area twice without going out of bounds. I decided that putting the trailer through a wall greater than 90% was not going to cut it. I was wanting a heavy duty bumper to stop deer ruining the front front end. That settled it, and I purchased a BuckStop front bumper with the hitch built in. It is the slickest way to park the trailer. I can park the trailer within a couple of inch of where I want it every time. The only thing I wish was the hitch was off set to the passengers side by about a foot. This would make it easier to look around the trailer from the drivers seat. I also use the hitch to carry bicycles on the front. 1 3 Early 1999 Ford F250 SD 7.3L Diesel 2020 Elite II Twin - Hull # 648 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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