Weight distribution chains stretched too tight?

The coupler is the round socket thing that the ball on hitch fits into. Your A-frame will be about 6" tall. Your coupler is mounted on the lower elevation of the A-frame. Most trailers these days have the coupler mounted on the upper elevation of the A-frame (6" higher than yours).

Setting up a WDH is different with a bottom mounted coupler. You should read through the instructions for the brand of WDH hitch you have and it should tell you how to do the setup for your type of coupler. If you don't have it, you may be able to find it online.

Have you measured the before and after heights of your front fenders? This will give you a pretty good idea if you have the WDH set up right. Typically you have 3-4 links left over on a top mounted coupler, but have no idea what it should be for a bottom mount one. Normally you want the round type spring bars approx. parallel to the ground and this it what you should aim for with the front fender height where it should be. The best thing you can do eventually is take your TV and trailer to a scale to confirm setup and to get some other info.

It does looks to me though like your bar angle is not set right.

With our last TT we also had a bottom mount coupler. In order for the bars to be parallel with the frame you can only use the last link. We ran the 2nd link down 90% of the time. Never made any difference. You just don't want the bar ends up so high near the frame that they could get in a bind on sharp turns.

I ran the 2nd link down because in order to get the right amount of transfer I had to have 6 washers in the EAZ-lift we were using. If I went with 7 washers and used the last link I had a devil of a time unhooking the coupler because it would bind up.

When I look at the picture it seems the bars are pointed up in the back which would mean you need to change the hitch angle down more. Mine has washers that go in to change the angle and I was very surprised when I got the new truck how much I had to change the angle to get the bars close to level. As others have pointed to the sticky on the WD setup is very helpful.

Huntindog wrote:
Proper setup is a lot more involved than just what link the chain is on.
You really need to read the sticky on this.WD setuo

X2

This is the most comprehensive guide I've found. The WDH has a single purpose- to distribute the weight of the trailer/tongue to the TOW VEHICLE.

Here is the PDF:
http://www.diskdoctor.us/camper/uploaded/How%20to%20Adjust%20the%20Weight%20Distributing%20Hitch.pdf

Apologies to the original author, I didn't keep the original link, this is from my archives.

With all the help here, I was able to adjust my hitch... Much nicer now. When at the proper tension, the bars were actually a bit higher than the frame. Now the bars are level. Heading off to camp for 4 nights.. We'll see how it handles.

GateMaster97 wrote:

93Cobra2771 wrote:
I wouldn't be concerned with age. Also, in case you didn't see my post above, your bottom mount coupler complicates things...

Sorry I'm not familar with the term bottom mount coupler... what part of this setup is considered "bottom mount" and what type of hitch can I buy that might make it simpler? Thanks!

Well explained what te bottoming coupler is a post or two down from your question.

Regarding the type hitch, a Trunion type will be easier to set up.

You will not be able to get the spring bars parallel to the frame. Most important part is you still have clearance so they won't hit in the corners.