WD Hitch adjustment?

[HookMeUp]

We just got a TT over the weekend and I spent last night trying to get the hitch setup and I'm wondering if it is setup correctly. I set the ball coupler approx. 1. 25" higher that the ball socket on the trailer when it is setting level. The instruction stated it should be 1/2" higher, but the next lower set of holes would have put the ball coupler too low. So hitched up the trailer and the truck rearend squatted about 2" and the frontend rose about 1". I snapped up the spring bars and the truck rearend came up 1" and the frontend came down about 1/2". With this configuration the trailer sets level. I haven't towed with it in this configuration, but will this weekend. Does this setup seem right?



thanks.

 

[EricBu12]

Seems good to me. . to be sure, run over a scale and make sure the rear axle is equal to or heavier than the front. If the front is a lot heavier, loosen up the bars a notch... how long and heavy is the trailer? what's the advertized tongue weight? As long as it didn't seem to easy or hard to lift the bars when it leveled, it should b fine.

 

[JNailor]

The W/D hitch divides the tongue weight between the front and rear truck axles and the trailer axles. For example, if tongue is 600 lb. the added weight on the rear of the truck will be only 200 lb. (Plus 200 on front and 200 on trailer. ) That is the reason for the ball height of + . 5". The trailer should really be level when towing. To fine tune the ball height, get a ball with a longer or shorter shank. When the setup is good, both the front and rear of the tow vehicle should lower slightly. It's well worth the effort to get it right, you'll be rewarded with a much more relaxing tow.



Dana

 

[HookMeUp]

Seems good to me. . to be sure, run over a scale and make sure the rear axle is equal to or heavier than the front. If the front is a lot heavier, loosen up the bars a notch... how long and heavy is the trailer? what's the advertized tongue weight? As long as it didn't seem to easy or hard to lift the bars when it leveled, it should b fine.

Trailer has a total length of 33' and a GVWR of 10,900lbs. Empty weight is 6900lbs with a tonque weight of 740lbs. The bars snapped up fairly easily, I didn't have to raise the backend of the truck to get them in place.

 

[HookMeUp]

Took the TT out this weekend, towed horrible, I thought we were going to get sea sick. Looks like I've got some more adjusting to do. I think I'll drop the hitch ball height to the next set of holes and tilt the hitch head back more.

 

[Hoefler]

If the height is correct, just tilt the head a little more. If you can chain the bars with out raising the rear of the truck, the tilt is off. When chained up properly, the bars should be level and only have one or two links dropped when tight. Too short of chains ( bars up too close to the brackets ) will cause the hitch to bind and you can break the brackets off the frame or cause them to slide on the tongue.



Another thing to consider; what weight of bars do you have?? Your bars could be to heavy or to light for the load.



You may not need them at all, 750 lbs is pretty light tongue weight for your truck. Personally, I like a little more tongue weight when I use an equalizing hitch. If you have a jerking or pounding motion as you go down the road, your bars are not drawn up enough. I would try it with out them and see how it does, most likely you won't need them unless you increase your tongue weight dramatically.