On_the_Lam
May 20, 2013Explorer
Hitching Up WD Hitch on Uneven Ground
We moved into our new house a year or so ago. Where our trailer sits, it's level front to back, or can easily be made so with the electric tongue jack. However, the trailer is not level side to side, it's about a 4-5 inch drop from one side to the other. When hitching up, I used to pull the trailer out into the street, then complete my hitching on level ground (Equalizer WDH). Maybe I'm being lazy, but this year, I've simply hitched up in place. When I do this, I need to use the cheater bar on the low side L-bracket. The high side simply slides into the bracket when the tongue is lifted far enough. If I block the tongue, I can get the low side to slide in just fine, although I have to lift the trailer (and tow vehicle) a little higher. Trying to level the low side wheels doesn't seem to dramatically alter the hitch height. Once hitched, the tow vehicle wheel well height measurements are off on the low side (front and rear) by about an inch (compared to high side). Level hitching reduces the difference, but only by about a half-inch.
The end result is that my tow vehicle seems to have the weight distributed correctly (per wheel well height measurements), but one side (driver's) is a tad lower than the other. Doesn't seem to affect towing/stability. Further complicating the issue is the tow vehicle is pretty substantial, so I was thinking the stiff springs may be making up for the "low side" and not truly representing a potential issue. If that makes sense.
My wife says I'm crazy for obsessing about a half-inch, and my neighbors think I'm crazy because of the constant barrage of hitching, unhitching, measuring and muttering they've been subjected to over the last couple of weeks. Any thoughts, or ideas on changing something up, or leaving it alone? Sorry for the long post.
The end result is that my tow vehicle seems to have the weight distributed correctly (per wheel well height measurements), but one side (driver's) is a tad lower than the other. Doesn't seem to affect towing/stability. Further complicating the issue is the tow vehicle is pretty substantial, so I was thinking the stiff springs may be making up for the "low side" and not truly representing a potential issue. If that makes sense.
My wife says I'm crazy for obsessing about a half-inch, and my neighbors think I'm crazy because of the constant barrage of hitching, unhitching, measuring and muttering they've been subjected to over the last couple of weeks. Any thoughts, or ideas on changing something up, or leaving it alone? Sorry for the long post.