2002 Windstar Hitch hitting ground

[ddwjr]

I have had a 2" Uhaul hitch installed by Uhaul on my '02 Windstar 'Sport'. My intention was to use it to support a cargo carrier (metal rack 20"x60") to hold extra stuff for a family vacation. After loading the van, the cargo carrier was 2" off the ground, with only about 200 lbs. of stuff (cargo carrier rated to 500 lbs.) and we couldn't leave the driveway without gouging a trail in the concrete. So, I unhitched the cargo carrier and with the kids and remaining stuff still in the back of the van, the hitch hit the ground when leaving the driveway and fueling up. Needless to say, we switched to our other vehicle for the trip so we didn't carve a hole in all the inclines on our trip. More background info includes: two months ago we got new rear shocks on this van, which has about 85k miles. Upon inspection I noticed the tail pipe is cut at an angle, seemingly for ground clearance and our new hitch rides well below this (~ 2 inches). So, after this long winded description (sorry) the question is if others have this problem? And what do I do? Uhaul is going to check out the installation, but will not take the hitch back. With any gear in the back of the van the hitch will hit the ground on driveways and gas stations. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[12Ounce]

U-Haul should have selected a hitch that would not be such a problem for you ... you expect to lose a little ground clearance, but not much. They made the bad choice, they should correct.

[tripletdaddy]

I have a 95 with a Uhaul hitch, but it is not near the ground like yours. I'd guess it is about 10 inches from the bottom of the receiver tube to the ground, however, it is the smaller receiver size, around 1.5". The hitch couldn't be any closer to the underside of the plastic bumper cover. It's so close, it is hard to get the safety chains hooked. I installed on my 95 Taurus, which has a very similar bumper and bady/frame setup, an inexpensive universal hitch that came in pieces rather a single welded piece, and it too installed quite close to the underside of the bumper cover. So, that is what I would and you should expect Uhaul to install on your vehicle. What kind of clearance do you have from the bottom of the bumper to the ground empty and with a lot of weight in it?

[ddwjr]

Thanks for both of your comments. I go to Uhaul this afternoon. The bottom of the receiver measures 9.5" from the ground unloaded. I didn't measure it loaded.

[tripletdaddy]

I forgot to mention that when I put my camper on it, I had to use a straight hitch bar rather than a drop hitch because the drop hitch was too low for the camper and too low overall. Even with the straight hitch, there are times it scrapes, though I do have a tendency to go to places that that would occur easily, to my wife's frustration.

[LeSabre97mint]

I wonder if heavier springs are in order in the rear?

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by LeSabre97mint

I wonder if heavier springs are in order in the rear?

I think so, if the van is loaded most of the time. If the heavy loads are pretty rare then some air shocks or inflatable air assist springs (airbags).