weight distribution - too tight?

[wileefox]

I recently watched a youtube video on Reese weight distribution bar set up. In the video they instructed to bring the hook level with the ground and hook to hook up the chain. I was taught to bring the hook down to point much lower than that before hooking up the chain.

Consequently, I've been hooking the bars up far too tight. What are the effects of doing this? Is it dangerous?

[dodge_guy]

From
What I remember you get the truck and trailer level. Pull up the WD bar by hand from the chain and hold it against the snap up bracket. Then count down 2 links and set the WD bar in the snap up bracket: you can use the tongue jack to raise the trailer up so you don’t need the bar on the snap up. Then set it down and see how it’s setting and get your measurements.

[valhalla360]

Is some of this the old hand crank vs electric front jack?
- With a hand crank jack, it takes a lot of effort to drop and raise the front of the trailer. As a kid, we had a short piece of pipe that was always on the A-frame. One of use would use the pipe to lever the attachment into place while the other would crank. As soon as it was cranked enough that you could lever it in place with a fair amount of effort, you pinned it and did the other side. Then you could retract the jack. If you were doing it by yourself, you would crank for a bit, try it, crank for a bit, try it...etc...
- With electric, it's easy to just take it a bit further so it doesn't take much effort to lever it into place.

As long as you are connecting to the same link, the end effect should be unchanged.

[Timtation]

Before switching to the Andersen hitch my procedure was to lower the hitch onto the ball, attach the chains, lift the latch then raise the jack. This seemed to keep the world level and unit ching was just the reverse. If I needed the lever for release the jack wasn't at the right level.

[NEOK]

my father-in-law and I were towing his new to him trailer several years ago. He had hitched the bars too tight and it felt like I was driving on ice since the rear tires weren't making good contact with the road.

[Hooterville]

Go to the towing section of this forum and read the hitch setup sticky at the top. Each brand and trailer is different so you have tailor the setup specifically for your trailer, hitch and tow vehicle.

[lawrosa]

wileefox wrote:
I don't think I explained it well. I'm talking about hooking the chain into the hook and then lifting it into place and inserting the pin.

the video instructed to bring the hook assembly down to a point where it is parralel with the ground. I've been swinging it down almost to the end of its arc before hooking the chain onto the hook and lifting it into place.




.

It doesnt matter how far you bring the hook up and down. It matters wait chain link your using. And also after bars are tensioned that the bars are

1. parallel with the frame or with a slight downward angle
2. having a min of 5 chain links showing
3. All in relation to distributing the correct weight from scales or wheel well measurement to get the front of vehicle at or near unloaded ride height/weight.

So if you are tightening too much without a source to measure or weigh, you can essentially lift the rear of the vehicle right off the ground...

[wileefox]

I don't think I explained it well. I'm talking about hooking the chain into the hook and then lifting it into place and inserting the pin.

the video instructed to bring the hook assembly down to a point where it is parralel with the ground. I've been swinging it down almost to the end of its arc before hooking the chain onto the hook and lifting it into place.




.

[Terryallan]

IF we are talking about the same thing. My bars are lower. They are level with the ground once I pull them tight. After all that is what you put washers in the hitch for. To angle the bars down to pull more weight.