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On_the_Lam's avatar
On_the_Lam
Explorer
May 20, 2013

Hitching Up WD Hitch on Uneven Ground

We moved into our new house a year or so ago. Where our trailer sits, it's level front to back, or can easily be made so with the electric tongue jack. However, the trailer is not level side to side, it's about a 4-5 inch drop from one side to the other. When hitching up, I used to pull the trailer out into the street, then complete my hitching on level ground (Equalizer WDH). Maybe I'm being lazy, but this year, I've simply hitched up in place. When I do this, I need to use the cheater bar on the low side L-bracket. The high side simply slides into the bracket when the tongue is lifted far enough. If I block the tongue, I can get the low side to slide in just fine, although I have to lift the trailer (and tow vehicle) a little higher. Trying to level the low side wheels doesn't seem to dramatically alter the hitch height. Once hitched, the tow vehicle wheel well height measurements are off on the low side (front and rear) by about an inch (compared to high side). Level hitching reduces the difference, but only by about a half-inch.

The end result is that my tow vehicle seems to have the weight distributed correctly (per wheel well height measurements), but one side (driver's) is a tad lower than the other. Doesn't seem to affect towing/stability. Further complicating the issue is the tow vehicle is pretty substantial, so I was thinking the stiff springs may be making up for the "low side" and not truly representing a potential issue. If that makes sense.

My wife says I'm crazy for obsessing about a half-inch, and my neighbors think I'm crazy because of the constant barrage of hitching, unhitching, measuring and muttering they've been subjected to over the last couple of weeks. Any thoughts, or ideas on changing something up, or leaving it alone? Sorry for the long post.

2 Replies

  • My driveway is really steep and the lawn where I temporarily park the trailer slants off in another direction. After six years, I have determined it is just about impossible to get the WD hooked up correctly there. I hitch it up, pull down into the street, and then run up the jack, put on the trunnion bars, etc. while on a level surface.

    The time I "saved" by doing the weight dist on the lawn was used up in sweating, swearing, and being in a foul mood.
  • How does the truck sit empty on level ground, about 1/2" lower on one side? Way too much time and effort spent on this issue without heading to the scales and seeing what is really going on. If you are set up correctly, pull the thing to a campground and enjoy it. If it is not right, get it right and go camping. I don't think I have ever had a truck that measured the same left and right side, either empty or hooked up to a trailer.