Hitch clearance from spare with 285/75/17

[JDC129]

Wanted to see if anyone can give some advice around receiver hitch clearance under the spare tire. I have a 2026 Bronco BB non SAS on order.I am planning to put 285/75/17s on as a day one upgrade from the Black Diamond 265/70/17s that are stock. I will also be towing a small boat and have a hitch mounted bike carrier. I would like to tow the boat without having to use a hitch extender but wondering if that’s even possible given the spare would now be 7% bigger. Could I get away with keeping the stock 265 as an emergency use only spare? I know I would have to make sure it’s in 2H. Any feedback from frequent towers would be appreciated.

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[RagnarKon]

Depends on the trailer.

With most boat trailers on the Bronco you have to use a drop hitch. The drop hitch combined with the slight extension it provides should clear the spare tire without too much difficulty. I suppose if the nose on the boat pokes really far forward you might have some issues, but otherwise should be fine.

I personally use a 4.5" drop hitch with most boat and utility trailers on my factory Badlands (285/70R17). You'll probably have to do roughly the same.

The hitch-mounted bike carrier is probably a different story. Again... depends on the specific bike carrier, but some bike carriers require an extension even with the factory spare tire. So I'm guessing it'll be a high probability you'll need one. I personally mount my bikes to a roof rack instead of a hitch carrier.

 

[Tonka Bronka]

I don't see any way around using an extender with the spare on. No big deal. I will say that you should remove the extender when not towing. I learned the hard way when I was rear ended by a texting driver. The extender took most of the force, bending the tow crossmember, and nearly causing a total loss.

 

[Fastmc25]

You should be fine. Mines a 285/70-17. While i have a extension you shouldn’t need it with a 2-4” drop hitch.

i need the extension for bike rack and cargo carrier

 

[Brian_B]

While i have a extension you shouldn’t need it with a 2-4” drop hitch

Drop hitch is the answer. I have a 2.5” drop that worked fine with stock carrier and 35x12.5 tires

(i have an adjustable carrier now but the 2.5” drop is still perfect for 38” tire where i have it set)

 

[JDinNC]

I used a 4" drop to tow a 21' SeaDoo Switch with my 24 WT. It towed low in the front. To move to a 2" drop, I had to get a Curt 12-5/8 ball mount. That's cleared the 25" spare and leveled the trailer.

 

[Ted Miller]

My spare is a 285/75/17 and I have the Blue Ox hitch receiver installed. I don't have any issues at all with my trailers, bike rack or cargo rack. No extension needed with any of them.

 

[JL8jeff]

I would plan on a 4-6" drop for the boat towing and you will probably need an extender for the bike rack. But that could depend on the bike rack. I have 37's and use a 4.5" drop I think. My wheels are 17x9 -6 offset which makes the spare stick out almost 1-3/4" more than the stock 35's so I needed the extender for the bike rack.

 

[Rydfree]

Wanted to see if anyone can give some advice around receiver hitch clearance under the spare tire. I have a 2026 Bronco BB non SAS on order.I am planning to put 285/75/17s on as a day one upgrade from the Black Diamond 265/70/17s that are stock. I will also be towing a small boat and have a hitch mounted bike carrier. I would like to tow the boat without having to use a hitch extender but wondering if that’s even possible given the spare would now be 7% bigger. Could I get away with keeping the stock 265 as an emergency use only spare? I know I would have to make sure it’s in 2H. Any feedback from frequent towers would be appreciated.

I have used this adjustable drop hitch that I picked up from Home Depot on my Badlands non-Sas for the past 2.5 years. It has been fine with my camper and a couple different utility trailers that I tow. There are also 2 separate holes for the pin that will give just a slight extension if you need it.

TowSmart Class V, 14,000 lbs. 5-1/2 in. Drop to 5-1/2 in. Rise, Adjustable X-Mount Trailer Hitch Dual Ball Mount 9455 - The Home Depot

 

[Joe M]

I have a Raptor with 37s and use a 4” drop hitch on almost everything without an extension. The only issue I have is the camera on the backup magnification mode does not show the hitch.

 

[Bill K]

Drop hitch is the answer. I have a 2.5” drop that worked fine with stock carrier and 35x12.5 tires

(i have an adjustable carrier now but the 2.5” drop is still perfect for 38” tire where i have it set)

I too found a 2" drop was all I needed to tow my little trailer and not have the spare interfere, and have my trailer be level. I tried an extender, and I got some instability on my light trailer wobbling around (450 lb aluminum with maybe 300 lb load). No ill effects observed using just the drop alone, although it was a little tight pushing the trailer ball lock down, but doable. All of the above with the stock tires.

 

[JungGravy]

My spare is a 285/75/17 and I have the Blue Ox hitch receiver installed. I don't have any issues at all with my trailers, bike rack or cargo rack. No extension needed with any of them.

How far does the blue ox extend beyond your bumper? The stock rcvr is flush with the bumper, so I have to use a 7" extender for both my bike rack and camper

 

[Ted Miller]

How far does the blue ox extend beyond your bumper? The stock rcvr is flush with the bumper, so I have to use a 7" extender for both my bike rack and camper

 

[Dirtrider]

Wanted to see if anyone can give some advice around receiver hitch clearance under the spare tire. I have a 2026 Bronco BB non SAS on order.I am planning to put 285/75/17s on as a day one upgrade from the Black Diamond 265/70/17s that are stock. I will also be towing a small boat and have a hitch mounted bike carrier. I would like to tow the boat without having to use a hitch extender but wondering if that’s even possible given the spare would now be 7% bigger. Could I get away with keeping the stock 265 as an emergency use only spare? I know I would have to make sure it’s in 2H. Any feedback from frequent towers would be appreciated.

On my '22 Black Diamond non-sas (265/70-17), I use a 4" drop receiver tube for my Thule Bicycle rack. The tailgate will open with the bicycle rack tilted down (no bicycles of course) and the rack folds up behind the tire. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/CURT/C59KR.html It extends the receiver pin/tube face 8" which works nicely with the rack folding. I plan on replacing the 265 tires with 285 tires when they wear out and I don't think there will be a problem with the bicycle rack since the 285 tires are only extend ~10mm farther back and ~12mm farther down.

 

[helifino16]

The first time I towed anything, I had to click the ball onto the trailer first, then slide the insert into the receiver and pin it in. Once that was set, I was good to go. Couldn't put the trailer on the Ball and lock it down because of interference with the tire.

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