Headlights for towing

[TDaub]

Once a month I tow a trailer that makes my low beams high beams, and my high beams moon beams.

I know in some states there is a limit on how high your headlights can be from the ground. So trucks that have been jacked up have a separate set of headlights mounted under the bumper. I would like to mount another set of headlights (preferably sealed beam) that are set for towing with a separate switch.

Anybody know where I can get something like this?

 

[RustyJC]

Why not just add airbags so you can level up the truck when you're towing? That's what I did to handle the headlight aiming problem on our truck when we're towing our 19K GVWR 5th wheel.

Rusty

 

[seafish]

^^^^THIS!!!!

Airbags will do the trick and make your truck safer to drive by putting some weight back on to the front suspensionof your truck as well as the rear.

PacBrake make very good air bags.-

 

[AH64ID]

The airbags are the best way to go. They really won't transfer weight back to the front but they do improve headlight aim and rear suspension handling.

 

[seafish]

The airbags are the best way to go. They really won't transfer weight back to the front but they do improve headlight aim and rear suspension handling.

OK, maybe not a lot of weight to the front, but they do also restore the front suspensions handling ability since they are no longer fully extended with only minimal travel left.

 

[AH64ID]

OK, maybe not a lot of weight to the front, but they do also restore the front suspensions handling ability since they are no longer fully extended with only minimal travel left.

That shouldn't change with just airbags as no weight is transfered. I have never noticed a change in the front suspension ride height with airbag adjustments on RAW's of 3,500-8,000lbs. If you raise the rear of the truck to the maximum level the bags will allow you will get a little bit of weight back on the front but the rear would have very little movement and the results would be much worse than a level stance. 4" of ride height increase over the rear axle is less than 1.5° of change, which is fairly insignificant.

The only way to effectively transfer weight back to the front is a WDH which uses leverage to transfer weight.

 

[Banner_IV]

A good load equalizing hitch would do wonders and would transfer weight back to the front wheels

 

[TDaub]

I thought of that. Even looked into prices, but I finally got the right combination of tongue height ( I had the trailer lifted 4") / hitch height to be able to tow the trailer level. If I raise the rear end I would have to go with a drop hitch. I used a drop hitch for many years, never did like it they feel sloppy to me .

Thanks for your input.

 

[AH64ID]

Sounds like you don't really want to fix the issue then.

 

[RustyJC]

Sounds like you don't really want to fix the issue then.

+1 Throw a kluge on it rather than solve the problem.

Rusty

 

[TDaub]

I may have exaggerated about how far off the lights are, It's not like I'm on the stops or draggin' the axles. The truck drives fine. Since I leveled the trailer, I have never been flashed for my head lights looking like high-beams. I would just like to be able to see a little more of the road and shoulder. I drive 30 miles of 2 lane through the woods; deer, bear, coons, and dogs have a tenancy to appear out of no where, it's not like I will be able to stop, I would like to prepare for the hit and not be surprised.

Thanks for your help.

 

[RustyJC]

In that case, it sounds like you need a good set of Hella (or equal) driving lights, not another set of headlights.

Rusty

 

[Loren]

No one has suggested my trick that I have used for years. I just take out my tee-handle Torx wrench and adjust the lights.

Years ago I found which screw to turn to adjust the headlights up or down (rather than side-to-side) and what size wrench it took. It didn't take long to learn which way to turn the wrench to move them down. After a few trials and errors I learned how many turns it took for my trailer. I made a label and stuck it on the wrench's plastic handle. Now it's just part of the hitching up process.

It meets all three of an engineer's favorite requirements:
1. Works good.
2. Lasts a long time.
3. It's cheap.

I agree that a WDH (weight-distributing hitch) is a good idea, depending upon the capacity of the hitch and the trailer and/or hitch weight. My trailer was heavy enough that I still needed to tweak the lights a bit even with a WDH.

-- Loren

 

[photowrite]

I may have exaggerated about how far off the lights are, It's not like I'm on the stops or draggin' the axles. The truck drives fine. Since I leveled the trailer, I have never been flashed for my head lights looking like high-beams. I would just like to be able to see a little more of the road and shoulder. I drive 30 miles of 2 lane through the woods; deer, bear, coons, and dogs have a tenancy to appear out of no where, it's not like I will be able to stop, I would like to prepare for the hit and not be surprised.

Thanks for your help.

I get it, you just want your headlights where they should be, on the road ahead, not up in the air.

No one has suggested my trick that I have used for years. I just take out my tee-handle Torx wrench and adjust the lights.

Years ago I found which screw to turn to adjust the headlights up or down (rather than side-to-side) and what size wrench it took. It didn't take long to learn which way to turn the wrench to move them down. After a few trials and errors I learned how many turns it took for my trailer. I made a label and stuck it on the wrench's plastic handle. Now it's just part of the hitching up process.

It meets all three of an engineer's favorite requirements:
1. Works good.
2. Lasts a long time.
3. It's cheap.

I agree that a WDH (weight-distributing hitch) is a good idea, depending upon the capacity of the hitch and the trailer and/or hitch weight. My trailer was heavy enough that I still needed to tweak the lights a bit even with a WDH.

-- Loren

x2

Two decades ago I started doing this with my pickups, first it was to raise the headlights on my F-350 after a heavy front bumper lowered the aim a bit. When the nose was lifted slightly after adding a heavy trailer (with weight-distribution bars), I lowered the lights.

Marking the vertical adjuster in the OE position before any adjustment ( I use 12 o'clock) allows for precise, even adjustment of both, typically in 1/2 or full turn increments.

Agree with another post that you may also want to consider some off-road/driving lights, properly adjusted and with a beam pattern that suits your needs.