Weight Distribution Hitch Set Up

peterbrodeur wrote:
I just purchased a used travel trailer that came with a weight distributing hitch and sway bar. When attaching the chains for the wd bars to get similar tension on each bar, the number of links is different for the left and right by two chain links. This has never happened to me before with previous trailers and I am wondering why.

I checked all the components...receiver, hitch head, wd bars, and placement of the chain anchors and nothing is bent or installed incorrectly. Anyone have an idea why the chain length to get similar pressure is different from side to side?

The truck and trailer are not in a straight line. Even if not straight by a few degrees, it will make the tension different on the left and right bars.

Worn out or broken bushing in the hitch head? Is there a lot of slack in the bars when they are hanging loose and you lift up on them?

If you are using the cheater bar to lift the weight distribution bars themselves where the chains attach to the trailer frame, then you are not raising the truck-trailer high enough.

When hitched, you need to crank up the trailer hitch, lifting both truck and trailer. The higher it goes, the easier it is to get the bars and chain on.

What's happening, you are not cranking up high enough, so the first bar goes on pretty easy. The hitch head will actually tip a little. There is some slack in the hitch itself, there is some slack in the receiver itself in the truck where the hitch shaft inserts.

Now, you are forcing with the cheater bar the first chain on. Pretty easy. But now, you've applied the tension to the one side. The other side will APPEAR to require more effort to attach, but it really is not. The weight is distributed to both bars equally once they are in place.

If you are using different lengths of chains on both sides, then only one bar is truly carrying the weight. The other is not. It's not good to do this.

Jack the truck-trailer up high (hitched and together.) There again, the higher the tongue is raised, the easier it is to get the bars on. You should be able to simply use your finger to lift the catch where the chains hook on the A-Frame of the trailer. If it takes more effort than that, you are not raising it high enough.

When you get both bars on and then lower the tongue jack, there will be equal tension, provided you've used the same number of links on both sides.

Always use the same number of links on both sides. There again, raise the tongue attached to the trailer. The higher you raise it, the easier it is to snap the chains in place.

There could be another reason. Are you putting them on while on the street and if so is there a crown to the road? Two links could mean your road isn't even.

Thank you everyone for your diagnosis and possible solutions to my problem.

Because I have successfully hooked up my two previous trailers at the same exact location that I'm hooking up this one, I don't think it has to do with the angle of the truck - trailer, pitch of the street, etc. which is causing me to hook up the bars on different links to achieve the same amount of pressure on the weight distributing bars.

Someone suggested that the bushings where the bars fit into the hitch head may be worn. I will check that next time I have access to my hitch and trailer (next weekend) and report back if I'm able to find a solution.

Thanks again everyone.

Just a thought but tensioning the first bar will always be harder than the 2nd. If that is what you are experiencing it is normal. Tensioning the first bar is picking up some of the weight and raising the tt and tv which would make tensioning the 2nd bar with the same number of links easier and feeling like it is under less tension. Once they are both tensioned to the same number of links and the tongue jack is raised, the weight will be distributed evenly between them.

My hitch is like that. The right side always feels like it has a little more tension than the left side. I use the last link anyhow and it tows like a champ so I don't worry about it.

By any chance are the chains of different sizes? Or the attachment part on the tongue different left and right.?

Maybe one bar has a different weight rating than the other? Have you tried hooking up the right side first and then the left side first, does that make any difference?