WDH question ???

taycotrains wrote:
WHEW !!!

OK I think I got it...


First thing I did was level out the trailer...That meant of course breaking down the whole hitch assembly to invert the ball hitch so it could go lower and of course that meant flipping over the mud flap bracket too...

its still pitched up a little but not as extreme as it was before.
I also went from 5 washer/shims to 6...7 just seemed like to much ball tilt.

I then cranked up the trailer with the the jack and got 5 full links not counting the half link in the bar and flopped that over with the bar on the drivers side...the passenger side was a PITA for some reason I could not get five links and six was to loose...I was getting pretty mad by this time when a friend stop by and suggested maybe the trailer was slightly twisted because of the crown in the road...I dont think that was the case myself...I took a bottle jack off the 56 Ford and shoved the spring bar up just enough to flop it over so there was 5 links on both sides.

A little late to this party, but you finally figured out the secret; pre-load by using the jack. When we load up our Airtsream I use the jack to lift the rear of the truck right off the ground, put the bars in place, and then lower and secure the whole setup.

You may find the handling improved with the WDH and trailer as you can now dial in your axle loads. Don't be afraid to play with the chain heights going forward. You can measure the drop of front and rear bumper/wheel well to determine how much pre-load you need to get level. In your case you should measure truck with no load/truck with TC/truck with TC and trailer to get some idea of how the chain tension is affecting the axle loads.
It all sound worse than it is...shouldn't take but an hour or so. Be sure you are on a level surface...as you found out this WILL affect the load on the bars. Once you get it set, you shouldn't have to mess with it again...unless your load changes significantly.

One other comment; I never did like the WDH's that use chains either. We use an Equalizer brand...it is VERY easy to setup, and eliminates sway potential.

Safe travels, Bill