Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph
Those of you who remember your high school and college physics, may remember the principal of the lever effect. 150 lbs hanging several feet behind the hitch may exert more force than a 300 lb force directly on the receiver.
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I don't...but you make an excellent point. the (trailer) force on the ball is simply a downward weight (mostly).
Conversely, a bike rack attached to the receiver has weight several feet behind where the ball would be located and is fixed, so it is a longer lever and has torsional rigidity.
Thanks for clarifying this Ralph...I didn't see the difference until you described it above.
(In my case, neither of my VAG SUVs gives a crap what's connected behind...they're built for 7-8K trailers and have tongue capacity of 600-700 lbs...and of course bikes belong *inside* whenever possible)