New tow vehicle hitch set up questions

Hi installation
Are you a little nervous? The post is a little confusing but I think I get the drift. What I would do is take measurements before and after loading. Adjust the hitch from there. If you think there may be too much weight, go to a scale and get weights before and after loading. Also keep in mind the trailer doesn’t have to be perfectly level, in fact slightly nose down is usually better. Just look at it as a little project and have fun getting it all tuned in.
Happy travels!!!!

Basically thats what I had in mind thanks for the reply

I basically have the same truck, although a '17. Just curious on your trucks payload, mine is at 1780lbs. The 1200lbs in the bed, plus the weight of you and anyone else in the cab, plus the hitch weight may put you over payload. I use the sumosprings vs. airbags and a Equalizer WDH. Took me several tries to get everything set up correctly but it was worth the effort as my TT tows really well. Cheers.....

campigloo wrote:
Hi installation
Are you a little nervous? The post is a little confusing but I think I get the drift. What I would do is take measurements before and after loading. Adjust the hitch from there. If you think there may be too much weight, go to a scale and get weights before and after loading. Also keep in mind the trailer doesn’t have to be perfectly level, in fact slightly nose down is usually better. Just look at it as a little project and have fun getting it all tuned in.
Happy travels!!!!

x2
a dialed in hitch setup will make a world of towing difference. our first TT was a 33ft 7500lb loaded to camp, our current TT is 37ft and pushing 10k. cheaper eaz lift wdh with 1 sway bar on each TT and they towed great.

One of the advantages of the Andersen hitch is that the urethane springs are infinitely adjustable, as is the psi in the airbags. It took me a few trips to get my previous rig dialed in using the Andersen and bags on our F150. I found that trailer nose down 3/4" worked best towing-wise, especially with sway control. The Andersen excels at sway control once you get it dialed in.

Definitely will have to experiment once tow vehicle his loaded ,, my max gvw is 7050lbs ,truck with full fuel and me weights aprox 5400lbs ,leaving 1650lbs for cargo,and tounge wt

Honestly if you need airbags, then you are over weight. With a properly set up WDH, airbags, or helper springs are not needed. I do understand the use for them, and use 1500 pound Sumo Springs myself, but only to help stabilize the suspension on rough roads and cornering.

Deflate the bags when setting up the hitch so you don't chase it.

I also have a 2018 Platinum F150 with the 3.5 and Max tow. I use a Blue Ox with 1500 pound bars since the weight of the trailer and hitch are borderline 975 pounds, rather have more spring than not enough, been there, done that, and the new F150's do not like it. I had a 2014 and used a Husky hitch, no issues but the new gen, the hitch was worthless, could not get it dialed in at all, so went to Blue Ox.

One other thing to note, return the front fender to its unloaded height, not 1/4 not 1/2, but the full height. Makes a huge difference in handling, and feels rock solid.

Once setup correctly then add air to the bags, just enough to firm up the truck but DO NOT RAISE IT! If you do, your entire setup is thrown off and you have to start over or deal with poor handling. When airing up, place a tape measure on the rear fender well and stop filling when it moves, and stay within 1/8" of uninflated. You will get the benefits of the bags and let the hitch do the work it is designed to.

One other thought I have. Sumo/Timbrens vs airbags. The fixed rate springs will always be the same, unlike airbags that change every time you add/remove air, and in a 1/2 ton truck would be the preferred method instead of bags. This way when towing, your hitch setup is identical each and every time you hook up. Most guys put airbags on because they don't like the "sag" with a trailer hooked up, but the truck is designed to sag, so that when properly hooked up it is level along with the trailer to give the best in handling. Raising the rear with a tow load changes the geometry and can induce poor handling. If hauling a lot of weight in the bed however, and not towing, then airbags are handy to have.

They serve a good purpose, but towing is not one of them.

The Ford manual says to return the front ride height by 1/2 of what it changed. Air bags are simply an additional spring holding up the truck, inflate them to restore the rear ride height.

I have the same truck. I'm also using a ProPride hitch to pull my 29' trailer that's over 8,000 loaded up. It's a great setup and I also use 2,000 pound airbags. I like the airbags because I do a LOT of driving when I'm not towing. I can't even tell they're there. When I'm towing, I can get my truck and trailer level with my ProPride hitch. Then I put 35 to 40 psi in the airbags just to stiffen up the ride a bit. It all works great.