My desire is to move the jack back 2” so my tailgate clears while towing.

The teardrop has a fixed jack, and it’s kind of integral to the tongue, so replacing would require welding probably.

Is it or would it be unsafe to add a 2” longer ball hitch to the receiver? I’m inclined to believe the answer is no. I don’t need to extend it 12” or anything.

The camper weighs <2000# loaded. It’s not anywhere near unmanageable in its current state.

Anyone have experience with this type of issue?

So your tongue weight should be around 200#. I can’t see any issues moving that amount back a few inches. I’m not an engineer but I certainly wouldn’t be afraid to try it.

Shouldn't be an issue. They make extended ball mounts, and they are derated taking the extra length into account. So long as you are within those numbers you should be fine.

If your tow vehicle has Class 2 hitch or higher and is rated to tow 3,500lbs or more, then no problem. Watch the length of your safety chains.

You can either get a longer shank for your ball or you can replace the jack with a shorter one. A longer shank will be cheaper.

That’s a light trailer. Why not a folding/swing away Jack? My jet ski setup is around 1500lbs and I roll it all around with a folding Jack.

I don't think a 2" longer ball mount will hurt you at all.

For what it's worth, and due to the hitch arrangement on my truck, the ball is almost 11" from the rear bumper cover. It's great for shin-bonking, but doesn't do anything negative to my towing needs.

As having towed a lot, many times, two inches should not matter ... but can if talking about your johnson or a fish.

I’ve included a photo so y’all can see what I mean about the folding jacks not being a simple solution.

Not a good section of the tongue to mount one to.

The current jack is straight threaded bolts, gonna see if they are aligned so I can turn the handle to the side and give me a couple inches first.

This may help. What I used to solve similar problem

https://jack-e-up.com/

^That’s kinda cool.

I'd get a 2" extended drawbar and go on with it.

A straight jack saved my bacon while towing a bassboat down I-75 in central Fl about 3am approx 30 years ago. I was using a nut & bolt to secure my trailer ball release lever and the nut vibrated off leaving the safety chains to pull the trailer. That 6" plastic jack wheel rolled along at highway speed while the trailer fishtailed until I could pull to the shoulder.

No damage but had I had a folding jack I expect the boat would have flipped and who knows how bad it may have been?

That's the most common A frame jack style and all of them should allow you to unbolt it, and then rotate it so that the handle is moved to the side. If for some reason (and I never say anthing with certainty about trailer parts I can't see because of learnings) you can easily and cheaply buy one that has a different style handle and location. And the extension would absolutely work as well.

Using a 2 inch longer drawbar won't be an issue if you aren't using a weight transfer hitch. Most travel dealers will stock a selection of drawbar lengths so it should be a matter of walking in and purchasing a longer one. Note, take your present drawbar with you to insure you get it right.

If you have a weight transfer hitch than can get a bit complicated because you may need a custom fabricated drawbar and re-position the spring bar chain mounts. It's a case where you really want to have a professional shop do the initial setup of the weight transfer hitch. Note, for a sub 2000 lbs. trailer a weight transfer hitch is not needed but those with travel trailers tend to move up pretty quickly. Down the road if you get a trailer over 3500 lbs you will find that a weight transfer hitch makes the tow much more stable. BTW, the increase in the stability is immediately noticeable to someone with experience using a weight transfer hitch and where you feel it is at the steering wheel. When you have too much weight on the hitch the steering will start to feel "twitchy" and will seem to over-respond to steering input. This twitchyness will also tell those using a weight transfer system that a bit more tension on the spring bars is a good thing.

BTW, below is my towing rig, the boat and trailer combined weighed in at 5240 lbs. If you look closely you'll see the front wheels are sitting "light" and the rear is squatted down. The reason is simple, I was loading to head home and hadn't put the spring bars in place so they weren't in the way. Once set that car sat perfectly level and was very stable if the combined wind speed was 85 mph or less. Over 85 and the sway would get bad enough I would have to slow down, so driving into a 30 mph headwind meant slowing down to 55 mph.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trail...QLLp0-BoCInEQAvD_BwE

Maybe that?