The steps mentioned below are what I took to extend the tongue length of my 40×48″ trailer kit. Please note that this is for educational purposes only. In the state I reside, we are required to have any kit, modifications or scratch-built trailers go through a state safety inspection. I highly recommend that you go through this step to ensure your trailer is safe.
1) Place kayaks on trailer.
2) Painted raw 2.5 x 2.5″x96″ steel tube with black paint
3) While the paint was drying, I measured how much longer the kayaks are then the existing tongue and then added the length of the existing tongue plus an additional 30 inches. This gave me an overall length that was close to the 96″ steel tube that was purchased. So rather than cutting a few inches off, I used the stock length. This gave me roughly 32 inches between the ball receiver and the end of the kayak. After installing the kayaks on the camper and connecting it to my mini van, I could have gone 12″ shorter and still had clearance for going around turns.
4) Remove existing tongue.
5) Align the new tongue and use a large square to ensure that the tongue is perpendicular to the trailer body.
6) Drill and tap the four holes and then fasten the tongue to the frame. I used 5/16-18 tap and hex head fastener with lock washers.
7) I then drilled four more holes to utilize two u-bolts for additional support. I then installed the u-bolts.
8) Drill the holes for the ball receiver using a step bit.
9) Drill holes for the chain using a step bit.
10) Mount the receiver and chain.
11) Drill a hole for the wiring harness.
12) Wrap the harness provided with the trailer in black electrical tape and then slide into the frame. For the portion that resides outside of the frame, I used heat shrink tubing to provide additional protection.
Go back to step 1 or go to step 3 of the DIY camper plan instructions.
Tools required:
Clamps, Drill, Step bit, Square, Center punch or nail, drill bit set, tap set
