How critical is it to have a perfectly level trailer?

Ok there are a few reasons to want it more or less Level.. Perfect.. Well read on.

An RV Absorption Cooling Unit (Fridge) likes to be within 3 Degrees of level
What is 3 Degrees Well about 5" side to side. (that's a lot of slope)

Or 1 foot end to end for a 20' Trailer

Air conditioners condense moisture out of the air. if the Rig is "nose down" that condensate (As it is Tecnically called) may Drip down into the Living space instead of out on the roof to the ground.

And you won't be comfortable sleeping

Also if it's not "Square" the door may not open/close properly.

You better get an equalizing hitch! I'll bet you are over the towing capacity of you vehicle.

If I understand your post you are wondering about how level it is when towing instead of parked. Parked, you want it level. Roads aren't level, at least not for very long. That said, it may affect your tow vehicle and it's capacity and how it handles.

LEVEL, or straight alignment between the vehicle and trailer gives you the strongest connection. Besides being level. You can "bend" a V. Harder to bend a -------- straight line connection. If you have to have a panic stop, you want the strongest connection. YES, you need a equalizer hitch connection. More expensive, but the SAFEST way to tow a trailer regardless of length or weight. Doug

You don't say what you are towing with, or what you are towing. My question: is the trailer tongue weight too much for your tow vehicle making the tow vehicle rear sag too much. You pictures don't show enough to tell.

BB_TX wrote:
You don't say what you are towing with, or what you are towing. My question: is the trailer tongue weight too much for your tow vehicle making the tow vehicle rear sag too much. You pictures don't show enough to tell.

^~this

While level is a general goal, it may be a symptom rather than a core issue.

Several things.. I think you are talking about it's towing level not parked once you get to your site.

Looks like you don't even have your propane cylinders installed yet. Those are going to add tongue weight.

You probably don't have the vehicle loaded for a weekend camping trip. People, stuff in the back, etc. Is the trailer loaded ready to camp too?

The receiver on the vehicle is probably not rated for a weight distributing hitch setup, neither is the vehicle, as it's just a uni-body SUV by the looks of it.

Your chains are still dragging, so you can 'twist' the links up to take up some of the length off, or have them cut to length and put on new hooks.

Might still be chewing off more than the vehicle can handle, but at least you are doing your homework first!

Good luck! Mitch

MitchF150 wrote:
Several things.. I think you are talking about it's towing level not parked once you get to your site.

Looks like you don't even have your propane cylinders installed yet. Those are going to add tongue weight.

You probably don't have the vehicle loaded for a weekend camping trip. People, stuff in the back, etc. Is the trailer loaded ready to camp too?

The receiver on the vehicle is probably not rated for a weight distributing hitch setup, neither is the vehicle, as it's just a uni-body SUV by the looks of it.

Your chains are still dragging, so you can 'twist' the links up to take up some of the length off, or have them cut to length and put on new hooks.

Might still be chewing off more than the vehicle can handle, but at least you are doing your homework first!

Good luck! Mitch

Yes, the question is about towing level, not parking on the spot.

Yes, indeed, my car was not loaded with items at the time of measurement. I measured the tongue weight, and it was 405 pounds without the propane tank. This weight falls within the limits of my car, which is a maximum of 440 pounds.

I will organize the items inside the trailer, and if the tongue weight exceeds the maximum limit for my car, then I will carry the propane tank in the car's trunk. I also still need to weigh the entire trailer to determine the percentage of tongue weight to the weight of the car. I will do this as soon as the hitch of greater height arrives.

I didn't take any photos, but the car didn't appear significantly sagged. I just have a very low trailer hitch attachment point.

The chains are not touching the ground, and there is a small distance between them. How much should I shorten the chains? In another forum thread, someone told me that the chains should hang but not touch the ground. What should be the distance between the ground and the chains?

Thanks!

BB_TX wrote:
You don't say what you are towing with, or what you are towing. My question: is the trailer tongue weight too much for your tow vehicle making the tow vehicle rear sag too much. You pictures don't show enough to tell.

The car is sagging, but not too much.

I have an Audi Q5, and I understand that it is not the ideal car for towing a trailer, but the tongue weight at the time of the question was within the acceptable limits: 405 pounds out of a maximum of 440 pounds.

I do not plan to exceed the upper limit. In the worst case, I plan to carry the propane tank in the car's trunk or put something heavy behind the rear axle. I have not yet weighed the entire trailer to accurately answer this question.

Putting the propane tank in the truck will reduce the tongue weight, but not the payload weight.
To reduce the tongue weight a bit remove the battery/s and place them inside the trailer.
If the chains are a couple inches off the ground they are OK.