Trailer Extension

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Binding on Trailer hitch extension
It can also be a challenge to pull the tongue extension out. There is an upward pressure on the ball end of the bar forcing the other end of the bar down causing some binding. The lip welded on the cross piece at the aft end of the tongue helps distribute the weight from the forward to the back of the tongue. 

Early on,  I tried to extend the tongue by hand but it was too stiff. I greased the tongue but all that did was attract sand and dirt making it even harder to slide in and out and I ended up with black grease stains all over everything. What a mess! Hunter recommends using the vehicle to extend the tongue. Some people also advise slacking the winch cable before pulling the extension out. 

I have not found a gentle way to do this. I block the trailer wheels and use my car to extend and contract the tongue. This works OK for pulling the bar out, but by using the car to slide it back in place I have distorted the crossbar a couple of inches in the middle where the tongue slams into the crossbar. Most of the summer the boat is on a mooring, but when I dry slip the boat I leave the tongue extended in between sails and I now try to keep the tongue from slamming into the crossbar. 

Inserting the pin
Getting the extension pin in and out can also be a struggle. I use a large heavy duty screwdriver to align the top and bottom holes. One owner reports good results using a large marlin spike to align the hole. Another has ground the stock pin to a point. A hammer is sometimes needed to align the holes and drive the pin home.

This year, I'm going to take the whole thing out of the tube, clean it good, straighten the cross bar, and try to come up with a better technique for pulling the tongue in and out.