Where to start with wdh adjustment for new truck?

You may not need a WDH with the new truck. Have you tried towing it without? Just 5-6 hundred lbs actual tongue weight will not remove much from front axle of a HD truck.

Jerry

MFL wrote:
You may not need a WDH with the new truck. Have you tried towing it without? Just 5-6 hundred lbs actual tongue weight will not remove much from front axle of a HD truck.

Jerry

Haven’t tried it yet. Just got the truck last weekend and the camper is still in storage. I figured that I wouldn’t need the weight distribution, but my hitch has sway control. Probably still want that.

Get the name of the hitch and google search or do a Youtube search.. A LOT of manufacturers have ho to videos on both google and YouTube.

My daughter just switched from a 2016 F150 to a 2022 F250 max payload package.. We sent online and followed their video...

She has the Fastway E2 Round bar

500-600lbs on the back of a 3/4 ton?
I'd start by gathering up all the equipment, take a couple nice photos of it and log into Craigslist and place a 4 sale add!

Unless you had inherent sway issues, in which case I'd first pile some more weight up front and see how it acts then. If it's good, I'd replace the ballast with something useful for camping like extra batteries and let 'er buck!

MFL wrote:
Just 5-6 hundred lbs actual tongue weight will not remove much from front axle of a HD truck.

Jerry

Neither will 1500-1600 lbs, especially if it's a diesel!

I agree that you may not need a WDH, in fact with 3300 of payload, I don’t the think so. My first response must have been lost on the web.

shades9323 wrote:

MFL wrote:
You may not need a WDH with the new truck. Have you tried towing it without? Just 5-6 hundred lbs actual tongue weight will not remove much from front axle of a HD truck.

Jerry

Haven’t tried it yet. Just got the truck last weekend and the camper is still in storage. I figured that I wouldn’t need the weight distribution, but my hitch has sway control. Probably still want that.

^^100%

I pulled my 7,000# TT with my 3500 and just dialled it in enough to give me some sway control. I didn't need the weight distribution, but the sway control was noticable. Figured if I had it, I may as well use it.

Measure the distance from the ground to the top of the front wheel well before putting the trailer on the ball. Write that number down. Memory is fickle. Put the trailer on the ball and retract the tongue jack so the entire weight is on the truck. If the wheel well rises less than about an inch, you are good to go. No WDH needed.

If the wheel well rises more than about an inch, slowly increase the amount of WD until the front wheel well comes back to about 1/2 inch above the level without the trailer attached.

Have you been to the CAT scales? GVWR is 5500lb, so I would be expecting around 700-800lb hitch weight (well within your trucks capability).

If the hitch weight is too light, it can cause sway issues and a WDH isn't a good solution to that issue. If you are just guessing at the hitch weight, swing by a CAT scale and get the weights with and without the trailer attached, so you know what you are dealing with.

First step to setting up the WDH would be to find the manufacturers directions for setting up the hitch. They usually have a process laid out.

I wouldn't want to second guess the manufacturer but in general terms, you want the front axle weight to be pretty close to the same as when the trailer is disconnected and you want both truck and trailer to sit level when hooked up. You have enough truck now that assuming you don't put 3000lb of gear in the truck bed, the WDH likely won't be as critical but it will improve the towing experience.

Bobbo wrote:
Measure the distance from the ground to the top of the front wheel well before putting the trailer on the ball. Write that number down. Memory is fickle. Put the trailer on the ball and retract the tongue jack so the entire weight is on the truck. If the wheel well rises less than about an inch, you are good to go. No WDH needed.

If the wheel well rises more than about an inch, slowly increase the amount of WD until the front wheel well comes back to about 1/2 inch above the level without the trailer attached.

Thanks for the write up. I get the gist of how it works. Was looking for to see any prior experiences here could guide me a little more than just incremental changes.