Well, the tongue extension is finished! Took a heck of a lot longer than I had thought it would, but it turned out great!
The steel I used was 2"x2"x 3/16" x 7' long ($32.99).
Came home right after work, gave it a light sanding, and wiped it down with mineral spirits to remove the dirt and grime. Once it was clean, I sprayed it with Rust-oleum Professional Grade Primer.
After a few quick light coats of that, I immediately sprayed it with a few coats of the "hammered" Rust-oleum spray paint, and let it dry overnight.
I got up this morning expecting to drill a few holes, attach the extension, and be done in time for lunch. HAHAHAAHA wow thats a good joke. Just got everything cleaned up around 5pm.
Original plate position:
Flipped into its new position. The new tongue extension will go through the bracket between the frame rails.
Here was the first hole drilled. 1/4" hole through 3/16" steel, using a carbide drill bit, and cutting oil. After the 1/4" pilot holes were drilled, we came back and used a 1/2" carbide bit. All of the drilling definitely took the longest.
Its bolted to the front and second frame cross members, and also the original coupler mounting bracket, with Grade 5 nuts and bolts.
I replaced the HF coupler with one designed for a 2" tongue ($19.99). Overall extension moved the coupler location forward about 23", which ended up being PERFECT length to allow for the relocation of the tongue jack. If it were much shorter, the jack would not be able to fold up and lock into position.
The red piece will get painted this week sometime, once the weather is a little nicer. We got POURED on, but I had my 10x10 canopy up so we could keep working.
Hitched up and ready to go!
Definitely A LOT of work! But I'm happy with it. Taking it out for a spin in a few minutes to see how differently it handles.
Also... when you move the coupler from its original position to the end of the steel tube extension, it raises your tongue height by 2". My teardrop now sits much more level than before. I know this can be achieved by a hitch draw-bar, but I don't think anyone mentioned this change in height before. I guess maybe it was obvious to most people, but I hadn't even thought about it.