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Yep. I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will need to either get a lighter, smaller trailer or put on a "real" hitch which may mean that I need to replace or move the full size spare which means ...
Anyone know a good hitch that doesn't force me to go to the donut spare?
And one more thing. There is evidently a woman in the area who pulls 4 Clydesdales in a trailer using the OEM hitch. (I wasn't impressed until I looked up the average weight of a Clydesdale.) So this is all about tolerances and probabilities and CYA. That's OK, though. With the stronger, permanent hitch and equalizer hitch system I won't need to worry as much about how I pack the trailer.
That "funky" set up is fine for what the vehicle is rated to tow though. There are various reasons why people opt for a different structure that have nothing to do with concerns over trusting the oem.
For many people it is the clearance while towing as the oem hangs down a lot lower than a bar type tucked up to the bumper.
However, it's a trade-off because then the aftermarket version is always there while the oem can be removed for optimal clearance off road without trailer.