I’m wondering how to beef up my trailer hitch

[JIM513]

I want to be able to pull a small trailer with my golf cart on the back of it. I have a 2018 Montana high country with your 300 pound trailer hitch on the back. Any suggestions?

 

[Theunz]

Take it to a trailer hitch shop that sells and builds custom hitch’s. That way you can have peace of mind that it’s done right and won’t break loose and cause damage to your or others property.

 

[DutchmenSport]

You will not be able to use that factory installed hitch. I have a similar vintage High Country and I don't put "anything" on that hitch. I have a hitch and ball on it, mostly so it can drag the ground if I go over low spots or dips, so the hitch will drag and not the bottom of the camper on the tail end.

If you want a suitable hitch, then as Theunz stated above, go to a welding shop, or a company that sells utility trailer and have a proper hitch installed.

Note also, you will need to have proper turn signal and brake lights working on the trailer, AND your state will probably require title, registration, and tags for the trailer too.

And one more thing, you need to make sure that "double tow" is legal in your state before committing to the install and purchasing the trailer AND if your state requires brakes on the trailer. Some states require brakes if the total weight of everything combined on the trailer is 3000 pounds or more. Some states may require brakes on anything, regardless of weight.

 

[mlh]

All of the above and find out how much weight the manufacturer says you can safely tow on the trailer frame.
Lynwood

 

[Mikendebbie]

Lynnwood said…All of the above and find out how much weight the manufacturer says you can safely tow on the trailer frame.

That is a good point Lynnwood.
I’ve been reading this forum since 2018 and I can recall threads on better trailer hitches (a search would bring them up) - but I don’t recall ever seeing the maximum weight of a vehicle towed behind the fifth wheel from Keystone. I suppose this would be a situation where the rig owner assumes all risks associated with towing something behind the rig and what it may do to the frame.

 

[Mark77]

I towed about 3500# for 5000+ miles last winter without any incident regarding my hitch (except the drawbar... that story elsewhere on these pages) but I made my own hitch that is a combination of welded and bolted to the 5er's frame.

I have no idea how much weight one can safely add to the frame, but I built the trailer I pull behind the camper to put about 300# tongue weight on the drawbar and it worked out fine. My hitch is built so that the twisting force of the rather long receiver tube is transferred about 3' further ahead of the attachment point of the rear cross member. That was a big concern for me as the rear cap of my rig sticks out about 10" from the end point of the frame.

I attached some pictures of the hitch build so you can see what I was thinking. 2 - 1/2" and 1 - 5/8"
bolts and it is off of the rig and out of the way in case I ever need to get into the belly back there.

In the last pic you can see how far the receiver tube has to extend to clear the back of the rear cap.

Hope this helps...