Question On set up

Hi Art,
If you have not done so already, I urge you to read and study this hitch setup thread which is stuck at the top of this forum. There is a great deal of information there on the Dual Cam hitch that will help you.

Probably no need for the air bags as the WD hitch will do that job for you. They will come in handy if you carry a heavy load in the bed without using the WD hitch. They will complicate the WD setup if you try using them with the WD hitch.

If you have the round bar hitch, you need to tilt the hitch head back towards the trailer some more in order to get the bars parallel with the frame. You may have to add another link or so under tension as this will make more weight transfer to the front axle of your truck, depending on how much more you tilt the head.
With a round bar hitch and a normal 6 inch A frame you should have a minimum of 5 links under tension and then adjust the amount of weight transfer by tilting the hitch head. You need a minimum of 5 links under t4nsion between the bars and the snap-up hook.

If you have a trunnion style hitch, then you still need a minimum of 5 links under tension but the bars should point downward slightly at the rear instead of being level. They should never point up at the rear with either style of hitch.
Barney

Thanks I am set on 5 links now with the basic set up with WDH. I will have to check angle of the hitch. I read all the articles and followed the instructions and still have the issue with the Spring bares not Parallel, but pointing up.

Thanks Art

You need to tilt the hitch head some more to correct that. As I mentioned before, that will require you to change the number of links under tension lest you transfer too much weight forward.

If you have the round bars, and have 5 links under tension, then you must have a larger A frame than normal if that is making the bars rise at the ends. The only other possibility is that your bars are not of the right weight class for your tongue weight. They may be too weak and are bending too much.
Barney

Thanks Barney
I have Square Spring Bars and the info plate states:
550 weight Dist
10,000 Max Gross Trailer weight
550 Max Hitch Weight

I am guessing that my StarCraft Aruba 28RLS is more than 550lbs.I dont have any other weight in the trailer than orginal configuration, I think my problem is the spring bars need to be upgraded to a larger size.

....also, your wd bars do not have to be "exactly" parallel to the trailer frame.

Ron3rd wrote:
....also, your wd bars do not have to be "exactly" parallel to the trailer frame.

That's correct. In fact, I looked at the online Reese installation instructions for both round bar WD and trunnion WD and found no statement requiring either type bar to be "parallel" to the A-frame.

It appears the only requirement is to have at least five chain links under tension.

Ron

Thanks. Ok so maybe all I have to do is tilt the head of the WDH. Would it need to be Tilted toward the TV or Trailer?

agillings wrote:
Thanks. Ok so maybe all I have to do is tilt the head of the WDH. Would it need to be Tilted toward the TV or Trailer?

Generally, you tilt the head away from the truck and towards the trailer. The idea is to tilt your WD bars down more to apply more tension on the bars thereby transferring more weight to the front axle.

agillings wrote:
Thanks. Ok so maybe all I have to do is tilt the head of the WDH. Would it need to be Tilted toward the TV or Trailer?

That depends on how much load transfer you're getting with the current setting.

I recommend you do the following:

1) Load the TT as it would be loaded for camping.

2) With the TT not attached, measure the vertical distance from the pavement to a point on the front fender directly above the center of the tire. Measuring to a mark on a piece of masking tape improves the accuracy. Bounce the front of the TV up and down a few times to get it to settle to an average height.

3) With the loaded TT attached and with the WDH not activated, repeat the fender height measuring process.

4) With the loaded TT attached and with the WDH activated, repeat the fender height measuring process.

The height from 4) should be close to, but not less than, the height from 2). For your model year, Ford specifies the hitched height with WD applied should be within 1/2" of the unhitched height.

If the hitched height is less than the unhitched, you need less load transfer. You should try increasing the numbers of links under tension by one. Then repeat the measurements.

If the hitched height is greater than the unhitched height, you need more load transfer. If you already are at five links under tension, you will need to adjust the hitch head for more rearward tilt.

If you want to more accurately know how well your WDH is adjusted, you will need to measure the TV and TT axle loads.

Ron

Thanks Ron
Before I do you reccomendations, do I have the right size spring bars?

The Tag on the bar reads:
550 weight Dist
10,000 Max Gross Trailer weight
550 Max Hitch Weight

Thanks
Art