Want to run my WD setup through you guys

[Elite130]

A few months ago, we traded in our Nissan Armada for a Titan. I went out today to setup my E2 weight distribution hitch today. I think I got it dialed in, but I need your opinion...

First, specs on the Titan: 2012 Nissan Titan (1/2 ton PU), Crew Cab, 5.6L, 4x4, premium utility package (aka tow package) 7200lb GVW, 9100lb trailer, 15,100GCVWR. I added a set of AirLift RideRite air bags.

Specs on trailer: 2011 Gulstream Amerilite 25BH, dry weight 4300lbs, GVR 7200lbs.

I have not weighed the setup yet, so I don't have any weight. I had both propane bottles mounted, battery and a full tank of water. I'm thinking I am about 300lbs short of fully loaded, but that weight will be evenly distributed through the trailer. Hopefully I'll be able to get weights on Friday. But here are the physical measurements I have. The measurements are from the top of the fender opening to the ground:

The starting line: Truck without trailer hooked up. 10lbs in air bags
Front 38"
Rear 39-1/8"

Trailer without WD Hitch 10lbs in air bags
Front 38-3/8"
Rear 37-1/4"

Trailer with WD Hitch and 10lb in air bags
Front 38-1/8"
Rear 38"

Trailer with WD Hitch and 30lbs in air bags
Front 38-1/4"
Rear 38-1/4"

Trailer with WD Hitch and 50lbs in air bags
38-1/8
38-7/8

From what I gathered today, I think I have the hitch adjusted correctly. The TT is level, the rise in the front was less than 1/4" and the rear is lower by 1/2" (thanks to the airbags). I am going to keep 50lbs of air in the air /bags. As the weight increases in the pickup, I will increase pressure to keep the same height ~38-1/2" to 39"

So what do you guys think? Am I on the right path? Do I have the hitch setup right?

Here are a couple pics of the final setup:





Thank you for your input!

[Elite130]

6.10.2013 Update...

We took the TT out for a weekend getaway. At home, I hooked up the trailer, loaded it like we normally do and I added 40lbs of air to the rear airbags to even her out. I stood back and looked at the truck and I still had this gut feeling that the WD hitch still wasn't setup right. I was getting quite a bit of lift in the front. The ride was ok, but the truck just felt rear-heavy. I knew the airbags was doing was leveling out the truck, and probably making the ride and weight-distribution worse. You can see all the data in the previous posts.

So, this weekend, for the drive home, I decided to lift the "L" brackets up a notch and see how that changes things. I hooked up the trailer, lifted the rear like you normally have to do with the tongue jack to get the WD bars on. Except this time, I actually had to use the cheater bar to get the WD bars on the "L" brackets. It took some lifting. I lowered the truck back down. I was amazed, the truck looked almost perfectly balanced. The front looked like it was the same height, maybe a tad lower, and the rear sat definitely lower, but it made the truck even. I didn't even add air to the airbags (there was the minimal 10lbs). I thought ok, now lets see how she drives now...

OMG...The towing experience was totally different. The front tires felt much more planted, the entire truck felt more balanced, there was little to no "porposing" and overall it was a much nicer towing experience.

On the way home, I was able to stop by the Shell scales and take a quick weight...The weight included myself, the wife and (2) young boys and a full tank. (The weight of the truck only with myself and a full tank of gas are in the ().)

Front Axle - 3160 (3260)
Rear Axle - 3448 (2620)
TT Axle - 4320

I took a quick measurement of the front wheel-well fender height and it was right at 37-3/4". I didn't grab a measurement of the rear. We are going camping again the weekend of the 22nd, so I will get more measurements then.

Here are a couple quick pics I took. I am not sure if the WD hitch is dialed in yet, but I can tell you it is a lot better than it was.

What do you guys think of the new axle weights?

[Elite130]

Wow, thanks Ron! I was getting really confused by all the information I am receiving. I followed the installation/adjustment information per the E2 manual and I thought I was doing everything correctly. Apparently I am on the right track. I guess I'll tow the TT this weekend and see how she pulls fully loaded. If something feels off, I can make necessary adjustments.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

[colochoclab]

Good info from Ron Gratz!

I may have to readjust.

[Ron_Gratz]

Elite130 wrote:
---After reading the information from this thread, it sounds like I need to adjust the hitch so a little more weight goes to the front wheels.

IMO, you should not transfer more load to the front axle.

I believe your Owners Manual says to adjust the WDH so the front height is within 1/2" of the unhitched height.
I take this to mean the height should be within 0 to 1/2" above unhitched, but NOT lower than the unhitched height.

Using a WDH to transfer too much load to the front axle can lead to undesirable TV oversteer. Some TV and WDH manufacturers, in the past few years, have changed their WDH adjustment recommendations.

I think the reason Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Equal-i-zer, and others have changed their weight distribution specifications is pretty well summed up in this Letter to Editor by Richard H Klein, P E printed in TRAILER BODY BUILDERS Magazine. The comment which specifically addresses front axle load is:

QUOTE
2. The statement “too much tongue weight can force the truck down in the back, causing the front wheels to lift to the point where steering response and braking can be severely decreased” is not the real issue with heavy tongue weights. The real problem is that the tow vehicle's yaw stability, as measured by “understeer gradient”, is severely decreased. This increases the propensity of the tow vehicle to jackknife in turning maneuvers. Specifically, recent full scale testing conducted by the SAE Tow Vehicle Trailer Rating Committee (and now published in SAE J2807), determined that the use of weight distributing hitch torque should be minimized. In fact they recommend that the Front Axle Load Restoration (FALR) not exceed 100% (100% means that the front axle weight is brought back, via weight distribution, to a weight equal to its “no trailer” condition).
UNQUOTE

A related explanation from a representative of the company which manufactures the Equal-i-zer hitch was first posted here. It says:

QUOTE

In the past we had suggested that you should see a small drop on the front suspension. We are always trying to improve things here at Progress – our motto is “Safe and Happy Customers,” and so we are always reviewing our instructions and installation process. Recently, as part of this constant effort our engineers looked more deeply into this aspect of installation. We had always felt that a small drop was a sign that the trailer’s weight was being transferred to the front axle, and that this was essentially a good thing.

As our engineers reviewed the instructions for the last round of renewal of our instructions, the found research results that contradicted our prior thinking. There has been a substantial amount of testing conducted by experts from SAE and the RV Industry Association to find out what will produce the best stability when towing. This towing suggests that you want your front axle’s compression to be close to, but not lower than your free-standing height.

(Underline added for emphasis.)
UNQUOTE

Ford says the Front Axle Load Restoration should be approximately 50%.

Chevrolet/GMC says the FALR should be 100%, 50% or 0% depending on TV model and TT weight.

Equal-i-zer says the Front Axle Load Restoration should be between 50% and 100%.

Equal-i-zer's revised instructions specifically state:

Good adjustment:
You have most likely achieved good weight distribution adjustment if your measurements show the following with the trailer coupled and the weight distribution engaged:
1. From the coupled without weight distribution measurement, the front wheel well measurement is at least halfway back to the original uncoupled measurement. See line C on Front Wheel Well Measure Chart.
2. The rear wheel well measurement is somewhere between the uncoupled height, and the coupled with no weight distribution height. It should NEVER be higher than the uncoupled height. See line C on Rear Wheel Well Measure Chart. See Figure 19.

Ron

[Elite130]

Nice rig! I really like the color. How did you get your hitch dialed in like you did? Did you do it yourself or did you have someone else do it? After reading the information from this thread, it sounds like I need to adjust the hitch so a little more weight goes to the front wheels.

[colochoclab]

Nice truck! (Biased opinion!)

I have virtually the same tow rig, although I am towing a heavier trailer, approx 7800# with about 900# on the tongue. No airbags, but I have my EQ 10K hitch pretty good. I get 3/4 squat in front and 1 inch squat in the rear. No sway, to porpoising. BUT, I dont load anything in the bed!

[Elite130]

Well then, It looks like I'll drop the pressure in the bags, dependent upon the ride. I may also try lifting the "L" brackets a notch to see if I can get a little more weight on the front tires and lift the rear a bit.

I'll be adding a dirt bike a few tools in the bed for this trip, so I'll see how that changes things as well.

Thanks again for the help

[camp-n-family]

You may find 50psi in the bags to ride really harsh. With your trailer you probably don`t really need them. I`ve got 1k of tongue weight and only use 20-30psi. Rides real nice with this, any more and it rides like a brick.

[WyoTraveler]

One of the problems I had when setting up WD on my previous TT was that it is difficultt to see any movement front or back when you set a TT tongue down on a 3/4 ton PU. I did all the set up per Reese instructions. Then drove it with different settings until it felt right when towing. A large heavy tongue weight TT would probably be easier to see front and back movement and take measurements. JMHO

[LeBout]

I installed air bags on my TV and I love them. Before installation I would feel a gentle but detectable bounce on the TV rear-end. Air bags firmed that up and help to level my front end.

[beemerphile1]

I don't want any rise in the front. The front being higher indicates that you have taken weight off the front axle. I feel that my hitch is adjusted correctly when the front wheel well drops 1/4 to 1/2".

[fla-gypsy]

You are definitely on the right track but I too feel the air bags are unnecessary and may actually make the ride harsher than needed. You may want to play around with the air pressure some to get the best loaded ride.

[RTrider]

I think you pretty much nailed it, but only some driving now will se if more adjustments are necessary.

I have no experience with air bags, only Timbrens, and they helped a lot on previous trucks I have used.

Go out and do some driving and do some quick lane changes (without the family) to see if the whole rig preforms properly. I had one of my first rigs set up by a well known RV place here in London and they tested the whole rig performance out on the road to nsure that everything was working together including the weight distribution portion.

Good luck.

[Earl_E]

Sounds like you are on the right track. The whole point of equalization is to keep the truck as level as possible or as close to the original level. It's to keep enough weight on the steering. Air bags won't in any way defeat that or take weight off the bars. They may help the back end from bouncing if your springs are too weak for the trailer. Give it a try. If it drives well, all is well. You're not dealing with sway, just with keeping control by keeping weight on the front end. Sounds to me like you are doing that.