I am new to this whole camping thing, but our family(wife, lab and golden retriever) really enjoy it. I recently bought a used 2009 Layton 26' TT and tow it with my 2009 Dodge Ram 4X4 Laramie. I went to a longtime RV dealer to buy a hitch and was sold a BlueOx. With the truck loaded I can easily get the TT level but even with the springs of the hitch as tight as I can get them, my truck sags a little in the rear. Any input?

I'd consider airbags. They seem to do a good job at fixing sag.

Airbags. Just put a set on my Silverado and they made a world of difference.

NO. Do NOT use air bags to level the TV. While they will level the TV, They will NOT return the lost weight to the front axle.Now Define "Sags a little". Does the rear sag more than 2 inches, and the front rise more than an inch? If so. That is too much. Or is the front with in a 1/2 inch of the unhooked height, and the rear down less than 2 inches. If so. That is not too bad.As to As tight as you can get them. How are you going about pulling them up? If you are not using the tongue jack to raise the TT while pulling the bars. They are not tight at all. You can actually raise the rear of the TV higher than it is unhooked. You don't want that though. that IS too tight. IF you use the tongue jack to raise the TT, AND the TV. That will remove any pressure on the weight bars, and makes them super easy to hook in any link you chose. So. Add washers, and pull links, Until you get the front back down where it belongs Per your manual, and the rear up to where it belongs. In general. IF you get the front right. The rear will take care of it self. But you must use the jack to be able to easily hook the bars.Air bags don't help the handling of the TV, and TT in any way.

Thanks for the quick responses. I tighten the torsion springs of the hitch with a factory supplied wrench. After posting, I called the manufacturer tech support and they suggested raising the ball heighth. They felt that with my truck loaded the ball heighth was too low with the TT level. With the TT level, the ball heighth wants to be 1-2" higher than the socket. Of course my truck is not loaded now, but I will experiment tomorrow. Tim C

Terryallan wrote:As to As tight as you can get them. How are you going about pulling them up? If you are not using the tongue jack to raise the TT while pulling the bars. They are not tight at all. You can actually raise the rear of the TV higher than it is unhooked. You don't want that though. that IS too tight. IF you use the tongue jack to raise the TT, AND the TV. That will remove any pressure on the weight bars, and makes them super easy to hook in any link you chose.+1 on that... I do the same thing and it makes a big difference. I do notice my rear being a bit soft when going over dips.. I add a few pounds in my airbags to stiffen up the rear... It's level without the bags, though.

Truck Sagging When Towing | Good Sam Community

32 Replies

beermanjoe
Explorer
Aug 10, 2013
You`ll really like the built in brake controller. I have that in my 08 2500HD and love it. Really makes the tt brakes work well with the tv.
facory
Explorer
Aug 10, 2013
Had a set of Super Springs SSA05 installed on the f150 yesterday. Will support an added 2000lbs. and keep the truck from sagging. Hooked up the trailer and it now sits perfectly level. The Super Springs, mounting kit and labor and taxes cost $529. Will be worth the money with the extra control and support when traveling.
2112
Explorer II
Aug 10, 2013
It doesn't look like the make the SuperSpring for an Expy, only coil Sumo springs.
facory
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
Install a set of Super Springs to give added support to the rear suspension. Had them on my Durango and getting them installed on my F150 tomorrow morning.
2112
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2013
tjcin wrote:
I think I solved my problem. I just bought a 2013 Ford Expedition. Lots more room for the dogs, I took out the 2nd row of seats... Tim C
LOL
That's one way to do it :) Congratulations on the new TV!

I would suggest Timbens on any tow vehicle, even the new Expy. They are not expensive, easy to install, set it and forget it, and they only engage when needed. Unloaded you don't even know they are there. I have used them for years with no problems.
APT
Explorer
Aug 07, 2013
I highly recommend spending some time reading the WDH stickies and spending $15 at a CAT scale to find out where you stand with respect to all the TV's ratings.
tjcin
Explorer
Aug 06, 2013
I think I solved my problem. I just bought a 2013 Ford Expedition. Lots more room for the dogs, I took out the 2nd row of seats. The towing capacity is much higher than my Dodge and it has a built in brake controller. I'll let you know how I make out with the Expedition vs the Dodge Ram. Thanks for all your tech help everybody. Tim C
Ron_Gratz
Explorer
Jul 15, 2013
Terryallan wrote:
I just stated what mine said.---
And I just stated what the 2013 manuals from Ford and GM/Chevrolet say.

The instructions for your previous vehicle do not agree with current specifications.

If someone has a 10 year old Expedition, they should follow what their manual says.
It appears Ford has changed the procedure.

Ron
Terryallan
Explorer II
Jul 15, 2013
Ron Gratz wrote:
Terryallan wrote:
IF you use the bags to level the Truck, while hooked up. How will you know IF the WDH is doing any thing?????.---
When the front end is returned to the correct load or height, you know the WDH is properly adjusted.

If you want to adjust the WDH before adding air, you need to over-adjust" the WDH so both the front and rear ends are slightly below their unhitched heights. Then, adding air to the bags will cause both the front and rear to rise. The right combination of "over-loading" the WDH and added air can give a "level" TV.

If you want to adjust the WDH after adding air, you need to add air to the air bags so the rear end is slightly below its unhitched height. Then adjust the WDH to return the front to its unhitched height -- which will cause the rear to lift more. The right combination of air pressure and load transfer can give a "level" TV.

The instructions for adjusting the hitch on a vehicle with air ride, which is pretty much the same as bags, Goes like this. Go to a level spot. Unhook. Let the TV level itself. Turn the air ride / bags off. Adjust the hitch. Once it is done. Turn the air ride / bags back on.
I don't know what Ram specifies.

This is what Ford specifies for the 2013 Expedition:
Weight-distributing Hitch – Vehicles with Air Suspension

When hooking-up a trailer using a weight-distributing hitch, always use the following procedure:
1. If your vehicle is equipped with the Easy Entry/Kneel feature, turn it off using the information display.
2. Park your vehicle, without trailer and with the ignition on, on a level surface with all doors closed for a few minutes to make sure that the air suspension has settled.
3. Measure the height of the top of your vehicle’s front wheel opening on the fender. This is H1.
4. Attach the trailer to your vehicle. Do not install the weight-distributing bars at this time.
5. With the ignition on and all doors closed, let your vehicle (with trailer) sit for a few minutes to let the air suspension re-settle.
6. With the trailer connected, but without weight-distributing bars connected, measure the height of the top of your vehicle’s front wheel opening on the fender a second time. This is H2.
7. Install and adjust the tension in the weight distributing bars so that the height of the front fender is approximately halfway between H1 and H2.
8. With the ignition on and all doors closed, let your vehicle (now with trailer and weight distributing bars connected) sit for a few minutes to let the air suspension re-settle.
9. Re-measure the height of the top of the front wheel opening, repeating Steps 7-9 as necessary to obtain a fender height approximately halfway between H1 and H2 after the air suspension has settled.
10. Check that the trailer is level. If it is not level, remove the trailer, adjust the ball height accordingly, and repeat Steps 4–10.

The Expedition manual also says:
If the system is off, the rear air suspension will not operate and will not raise (pump) or lower (vent) while the vehicle is not moving. However, if the system determines that the vehicle is low or high and needs to make a height adjustment while driving at speeds above 15 mph (24 km/h), the system will pump or vent as required. Normal vehicle operation does not require any action by the driver.

I interpret that to mean it will do no good to "turn off" the Expedition's rear ride height control, as it will continue to operate (above 15 mph) even if turned off.

The instructions for the 2013 Suburban/Tahoe state:
If a weight?distributing hitch is being used, it is recommended to allow the shocks to inflate, thereby leveling the vehicle prior to adjusting the hitch.

As you can see -- neither Ford nor GM/Chevrolet specify that the ride height control should be turned off before adjusting and turned on after.
To do so would cause the rear of the TV to rise after the WDH is adjusted.
This would cause the amount of WDH load transfer to be decreased.

Ron

I just stated what mine said. You were to let it level itself. Turn it off BEFORE it settled. Drop the trailer on the ball, and adjust the hitch. You may not like those instructions. But they were the ones that came with my Air ride Expe. BTW. It worked well too.
Ron_Gratz
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
2012Oudoorsman wrote:
---Since I have the equalizer hitch I rely on friction of the bars to eliminate sway so using airbags would cause more sway as less weight is on the hitch. I drop about 1.5" when all hooked up which brings back 400 of the 460lbs lost from the front end when wdh is hooked up. I still have approx a 1" rake.
To restore XXX# of load to the TV's front axle requires YYY# of force to be applied to the WD bars -- regardless of whether you're using air bags.

If the front is returned to the proper height/load, you'll have the proper amount of load on the WD bars and your Equal-I-zer will generate the proper amount of yaw-resisting friction.

Using a WDH to achieve proper load transfer in conjunction with using air bags to achieve desired rear end height is not a problem if done correctly.