Weight Distributing Hitch Question

[stevetraceyshel]

I have a 2011 F-150 and Jayco Travel Trailer. My problem is that once I hook the trialer up the truck hitch, I have to use the tongue lift to actually extend all the way out and actually lift the back end of the truck up approx 3" higher than it sits without a trailer. At this point, after cranking the camper up for all I am worth, I can still barely get the last link of the chain hooked onto the cam hook. My dealer installed this WD hitch and says it is normal, but it doesn't seem so normal to me and the few RV'er's I have asked tell me it is not.

[Ron3rd]

Just my opinion but if you got a bottom mount coupler, the dealer probably set the hitch head height too high. You should be able to lower the trailer so the coupler just touches the ball (no weight on the truck yet) and then pull up your weight dist bars with ease. That's how my old EZ Lift hitch worked.

[93Cobra2771]

As far as setup goes, you still go through pretty much the same process. Difference is you will be able to grab 5 links or so. And you may well have to tilt your head toward the TV more.

The important part is that the amount of weight being transferred is correct.

The guys at the shop should have thought to themselves "hmm, this is unusual, why can I only get one link, and why do I have to jack the truck up to the moon to get it?"

Unfortunately, most shops will send people out the door with the wrong setup and not tune it like it should be.

And my other thought - why in the world do they put a bottom mount coupler on in the first place? The type of coupler that is least flexible for most hitch setups...

[stevetraceyshel]

You are exactly correct - my trailer has a bottom mount coupler. The dealer self identified this exact issue when I had them review the set up. Hopefully the trunion bar will make the job much easier......plus I am investing in an electric tongue jack so I can save my excercise for repeatedly lifting 12oz cans of adult beverages:)

[93Cobra2771]

I'm betting your Jayco has a bottom mount coupler, correct? (friend of mine has a Jayco with bottom mount coupler too)

A round bar setup plus the bottom mount coupler, plus too much head tilt = the scenario you just described. When set correctly, the round bar setup can only grab a couple of links with a bottom mount. And that's with minimal head tilt. Add too much head tilt and it's exactly as you say.

A trunion bar setup is the better setup.

[tinner12002]

Not sure if its the right way to do it but a buddy of mine stops his trailer tongue about an inch or so above the ball then he hooks up his weight bars and then he lowers trailer onto ball...looked pretty easy and simple to me, truck only squatted about an inch.

[stevetraceyshel]

Thanks for all the input. I took it up the the dealer last night, unhooked it and asked them to hook it up. After the guy busted his hump and struggled to get the WD hitch hocked up, he agreed the hitch was not the best type for the application. To the dealer's credit, since they installed it, they are going to work me a deal to replace it with a different (trunion?) type of hitch. Appreciate all the replies, this info will help me verify if the new hitch gets installed correctly.

[JJensen79]

mkirsch wrote:
If the hitch was installed by the dealer, and you did not readjust it yourself, it is likely installed very very WRONG. For dealers time is money and they want to spend as little time as possible in order to make the most money. Dealers tend to slap the hitch on with little regard to it being set up properly.

Start out by reading the sticky at the top of the towing forum for adjusting weight distributing hitches. Next, get some fender-well-height measurements, empty truck, truck with trailer setting on ball, and truck with hitch engaged. Front and rear fenders, parked on a level surface.

The key is that the ride height at the front fenders should be no lower with the trailer hitched and the weight distributing hitch engaged, than it did when it was sitting empty.

From the way it sounds, the hitch head is tilted back WAY too far. The front end of the truck is probably being squashed down well below normal empty ride height.

I second this.

[goducks10]

That's how I've had to hook up my last TT. I used an EAZ-Lift and an EQ. If your TW is fairly heavy then in order to get proper weight transfer you need to put a lot of tension on the bars. That can only be done by grabbing extra links or adding washers to the WD head.

If your coupler is on the bottom of the tongue then you will not have 5 links hanging while the bars are close to parallel. You will have none or one. If the coupler is on the top of the tongue then it's normal and 5 links hanging is right. Don't worry about how high you have to lift the truck, I had to lift my 10 F150 at least 3" to get my EQ with 6 washers and TW of 900lbs hooked up.



A power tongue jack is probably the best and 1st addition to your TT that you should get. It's literally a life saver. I don't care how good of shape a guy's in, cranking up and down when it's 85-95 deg out ain't right.

[TomG2]

Electric tongue jack will make the whole process a lot more enjoyable. It is not unusual to lift the rear bumper up three inches from its loaded position to ease the attachment of the chains. It is unusual to be using the last link of the chain. Not necessarily wrong, just unusual.

[mkirsch]

If the hitch was installed by the dealer, and you did not readjust it yourself, it is likely installed very very WRONG. For dealers time is money and they want to spend as little time as possible in order to make the most money. Dealers tend to slap the hitch on with little regard to it being set up properly.

Start out by reading the sticky at the top of the towing forum for adjusting weight distributing hitches. Next, get some fender-well-height measurements, empty truck, truck with trailer setting on ball, and truck with hitch engaged. Front and rear fenders, parked on a level surface.

The key is that the ride height at the front fenders should be no lower with the trailer hitched and the weight distributing hitch engaged, than it did when it was sitting empty.

From the way it sounds, the hitch head is tilted back WAY too far. The front end of the truck is probably being squashed down well below normal empty ride height.

[stevetraceyshel]

Jayco Whitehawk Ultralight.

[APT]

What brand/model of WDH? Are you using a pipe or cheater bar?

The scenario does sound reasonably if trying to pull up by hand. What model TT?

I'll add to the electric tongue jack recommendation as well. They make it much easy for WDH.

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[edsland]

I cranked mine once before installing a power jack. Best $ i spent