Look at my hitch set up please....

I hate those underslung couplers!!! Such a PITA.

DodgeGuy is right though...a trunnion hitch would be a better fit....but I love how my round bar Pro Series hitch rides!

You could always have a trailer shop remove that underslung coupler and put a top mount on for ya! That's what I would do...that would fix your ground clearance issue with the current set up.

Thanks and good luck!

Jeremiah

Is that why when a tractor trailer passes me on the highway it sucks me right in?

Even with the top mount coupler, round bar hitches require a lot of ground clearance. I would ditch the round bar and get a trunnion hitch. This way is much less intrusive and doesn`t require any modification to the trailer. even my trailer with a top mount coupler and a Reese Dual Cam trunnion hitch still has minimal ground clearance. I could not run round bars even if I wanted too!

The Pro Series w/fraction sway. Its not an underslung, but it might offer a bit of info.

this is an etrailer vid , maybe it will help .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVYJ8D3ijwg

lukenick wrote:
Thanks....I guess the pic posted. None of you see a problem with the spring bars being so low to the ground? I scrape so much with them like that. I lift the truck so high as it is just to get the second link hooked up there is no way I would be able to get any more chain links connected. I am 110 lb female hitching up, and the tension is just too much for me.

IF you get the chains in the correct link. your bars will not be so close to the ground. You will have pulled them up. They should be "level" / parallel with the tongue. They should NOT dip down at the chain.

Easiest way to get it right is to unhook on a level parking lot. Measure the front bumper to the ground. Hook back up. Measure the front bumper to the ground again. Now when you pull your snap brackets. You want to return the front bumper to at least half the distance it raised with out any chains hooked. So IF the first measurement was 20 inches, and the second measurement was 23 inches. You want the measurement with the chains pulled to be 21 1/2" or less. Less is better.

As mentioned. IF you use the trailer jack to raise the truck, and trailer. You can raise it high enough to snap the brackets with no effort. .
As your hitch looks now. It is doing nothing, or in other words. It is NOT distributing any weight off the rear axle, and you front axle is unloaded, and will in all likely hood, Cause sway.

Thanks.....I have already done lots of talking with my friends over at the Jayco forum too. They all agree its the underslung coupler that is the problem From what I have learned is that it was manufactured this way as to be suitable for SUV's to tow this type of camper. Coming in with a Tundra they should have known better instead of hitching me up with whatever they had in stock and sending my on my merry way. Wish I had done more research before purchasing the trailer. I was excited to be coming from a pop up and knew my truck was big enough to pull such a camper but didn't know anything about hitch systems. I pulled my pop up with a minivan and it was attach to the ball and go. Easy peasy! This is so much more involved and complicated unless it is set up properly. Really holding out hope the dealer will make it right, but the pessimist in me is worried I will be "hosed" again. I want to show up there with lots of education about this and I DO NOT want to dish out any more $$.

The OP has a better handle on the problem than all the so called "experts". Don't raise the bridge, lower the river. The underslung coupler is causing the clearance problems.

lukenick wrote:
I just want to be able to hitch up without having to jack my truck so high up (almost off the ground) just to take enough tension off the chains to attach and detach them. I also don't want to scrape and gouge things on the ground from the spring bars hitting because they sit so low. So I think either of these things need to happen at this point. A. the coupler has to be ground off and re welded on top of the frame or B. they give me a new hitch system with trunnion bars.

If it really is an option and they can find the proper personnel with the skills and certifications needed, I'd go with the grind off and install a new coupler on top of the frame.

I don't think trunnion bars will do much to address the drop on your draw bar. They may help some but I have my doubts they will fully resolve your problem. Of course it would be fairly easy to try the trunnion bars first and see what happens.

You know, you can't be the first person to run into this. You might want to post on www.jaycoowners.com/forums/ and see if anyone has any previous experience with this particular trailer and hitch.

I just want to be able to hitch up without having to jack my truck so high up (almost off the ground) just to take enough tension off the chains to attach and detach them. I also don't want to scrape and gouge things on the ground from the spring bars hitting because they sit so low. So I think either of these things need to happen at this point. A. the coupler has to be ground off and re welded on top of the frame or B. they give me a new hitch system with trunnion bars.

TomG2 wrote:
Empirical: based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.

I can dig out some old scale tickets, if that is what you need to see. Take a trip to the scales and acquire your own "Empirical" data. What is it that you want? That every chain link will change the front axle weight by "X" number of pounds? Give me all the variables involved and I will do the math.

I think "what the OP wants" is to have their trailer sit level and their spring bars sit parallel to the trailer frame when connected on a level surface. That can be accomplished without any knowledge of GVWR, tongue weight, front axle weight or anything else revealed by going to a scale.

I think some people on here would insist you need to make a trip to the scales before you can determine what replacement bulb to use for the oven light. :h