Questioning hitch setup, help

[PHS79]

We just bought a "new" TT, a 2013 Passport 3220BH it came with a Reese Straight Line WD hitch with sway control, the bars are 1200 lb round bar. My TV is a 2004 F150 FX4 SC 6.5' box, 5.4L with 3.73 gears.

We picked the Passport up from the dealer on Wednesday night and left for camping mid day Thursday. On our 140 mile around trip the camper seemed to tow very well, I never felt any sway and it felt totally stable. The truck handled the camper great and I didn't notice and difference from our Grey Wolf 26BH with Andersen WD that we traded in, even though there the Passport is 2000 lbs heavier.

This is our first traditional WD hitch. The dealer did the hitch setup, but I am questioning it a bit based off a couple of measurements and what I have read about setting them up. Here are the measurements at the center of the wheel wells:

unhooked: front-40 1/8 rear-40 1/2
hooked up with WD bars on: front 40 5/8 rear 39 1/2
TT frame to ground with WD bars on: front 21 1/8 rear 20 3/8

The top of the ball is at 21" when the truck is unloaded, the hitch itself the numbered "cam" for angling the head is on 2, and the bars are on link 5.

As of right now I am thinking about dropping the head of the hitch down to the next set of holes to level the camper out or possible drop the nose a hair below level. I was also thinking about turning the "cam" on the head to 3, to transfer a bit more weight to the front.

What do you guys think??

[atwowheelguy]

Your owner's manual says the front bumper should be within 1/2" of the unloaded height. For current models they say to reduce the front rise by half.

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/04f12og1e.pdf

[BarneyS]

PHS79 wrote:
Snip...
Shouldn't the TT be either level or slightly nose down to help with handling? Thats what I thought I had read on most of these forums, but I defiantly could be wrong.

Also is the front of the truck lifting up 1/2" to much or within tolerance?

Yes, level or slightly nose down is preferred. I prefer the trailer to be level. As I mentioned earlier, I think I would try the adjustments you mentioned and see how it goes.

As far as the truck is concerned, I don't know what the Ford recommendation is for your year truck. I prefer level but would recommend you stick with what your truck manufacturer says. According to many of the latest recommendations your 1/2 inch rise would be perfectly acceptable. Again, need to see what the manufacturer recommends.
Barney

[PHS79]

Bedlam wrote:
Fill the trailer with water and your supplies and see if it sits level or slightly tongue down. If it is still tongue high, drop the hitch head one hole on the stinger.

Those measurements were with the water tank filled and everything packed for camping.

BarneyS wrote:
Looks like your dealer did a pretty good job. If you want to tweak it some more, take a look at this thread for some advice. It goes into great detail on the "Straight Line" or Dual Cam system. It won't hurt to try the changes you mentioned and see what happens.
Barney

Shouldn't the TT be either level or slightly nose down to help with handling? Thats what I thought I had read on most of these forums, but I defiantly could be wrong.

Also is the front of the truck lifting up 1/2" to much or within tolerance?

[BarneyS]

Looks like your dealer did a pretty good job. If you want to tweak it some more, take a look at this thread for some advice. It goes into great detail on the "Straight Line" or Dual Cam system. It won't hurt to try the changes you mentioned and see what happens.
Barney

[Bedlam]

Fill the trailer with water and your supplies and see if it sits level or slightly tongue down. If it is still tongue high, drop the hitch head one hole on the stinger.

[downtheroad]

Here is the short list:

Level the TOW vehicle with w/d bar adjustment...

Level the TT with the hitch height adjustment...

Level the w/d bars with the angle adjustment on the hitch head...this also transfers more or less weight to the front of the tow vehicle.

Reece customer support
1-888-521-0510

Good luck with it. It takes some "tinkering" to get them dialed in, but once they are properly set up they are an excellent system.