Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Towing
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-07-2019, 06:47 AM   #1
Bechard
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Tecumseh
Posts: 65
New Tow Vehicle Hitch Height Adjustment?

Hi folks,

Having just moved from my Chevrolet Traverse to a much bigger Chevrolet Silverado 1500, it's occurred to me that I may need to adjust the height of my hitch.

On my Traverse the top of the hitch ball was 22 1/2" from the ground. Sounds I be trying to get the same height on the new TV? I believe the truck is a little higher, and I'd have to adjust my hitch shank (it has four height holes) to match.

Should I just be aiming to make the hitch look level when connected to my TV?
__________________
TT: 2021 Passport 2950BH GT
TV: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss LT
Ontario, Canada
Bechard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2019, 07:03 AM   #2
MarkEHansen
Senior Member
 
MarkEHansen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 1,005
You should be aiming to have the travel trailer level when hitched and WD employed. This is not so easy to just measure out up front.

When the dealer installed my WD hitch, they leveled the trailer (just front to back, using the tongue jack) and measured from the ground to the top of the coupler. They then set the height of the hitch ball about 1" higher than this value.

They said this was a rule of thumb and usually worked out just right.

I use the Fastway E2 WD hitch and the instructions talk about how to adjust the hitch, including the proper height for the hitch ball.
__________________
2022 Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL - "Big Bertha"
2019 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali HD 6.6L Duramax TD, CC, 4WD, DRW - "Mr. Beefy"
MarkEHansen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 10:44 AM   #3
linux3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western NY
Posts: 586
Would help to know which WDH you have.
From my Explorer to my Silverado the ball height was close enough.
I did have to adjust the bar holders (?) on the trailer.
I have a Husky Centerline TS and the docs that came with it were pretty useless but customer support at Husky was great.
__________________
#####################
Rob
Bereft of TT and looking.
2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 6.2L
linux3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 12:17 PM   #4
Bechard
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Tecumseh
Posts: 65
Quote:
Originally Posted by linux3 View Post
Would help to know which WDH you have.
I have a Husky Round Bar Weight Distribution package with Sway Control Bar.

Unfortunately my driveway isn't level so I'd have to hook up, pull out, unhook on the street (blocking neighbours) to set it up. I'll start by trying to match the height it used to be, and go from there I guess.

If it's not a good match, I'll have to adjust quickly.
__________________
TT: 2021 Passport 2950BH GT
TV: 2019 Chevrolet Silverado Trail Boss LT
Ontario, Canada
Bechard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 12:26 PM   #5
MarkEHansen
Senior Member
 
MarkEHansen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 1,005
Another option is to locate a flat location, like in the back of a large parking lot. If you're quiet and quick (ish) it's likely no one will complain. Certainly sounds better than blocking your neighbors.
__________________
2022 Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL - "Big Bertha"
2019 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali HD 6.6L Duramax TD, CC, 4WD, DRW - "Mr. Beefy"
MarkEHansen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2019, 07:05 PM   #6
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,772
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
Another option is to locate a flat location, like in the back of a large parking lot. If you're quiet and quick (ish) it's likely no one will complain. Certainly sounds better than blocking your neighbors.
Another good spot with a long, level area suitable to adjust a hitch is most church parking lots (on Monday through Saturday).... Also the OP might consider school parking lots during the summer ???? But you're right, no need to block the neighborhood roads when there are alternatives available.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2019, 04:18 AM   #7
Bisjoe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Sammamish
Posts: 256
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Another good spot with a long, level area suitable to adjust a hitch is most church parking lots (on Monday through Saturday).... Also the OP might consider school parking lots during the summer ???? But you're right, no need to block the neighborhood roads when there are alternatives available.
That's what I did, plenty of room at empty middle/Jr. High or high school lots.

It's not only the height but suspension may be more or less stiff, so the only way to tell is hook up and find a place to measure a few blocks away.
__________________
2017 Springdale 202QBWE, 2017 F150 XLT 5.0

Bisjoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2019, 04:58 AM   #8
linux3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Western NY
Posts: 586
I have the same hitch.
A couple of blocks away, within walking distance, was a church with a nice flat parking lot.
Walking distance was good because I forgot a few tools.
I asked first and it was no problem to make my adjustments there.
__________________
#####################
Rob
Bereft of TT and looking.
2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71 6.2L
linux3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2019, 07:19 AM   #9
dabbill
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Spokane
Posts: 26
I used a church about 2 miles from my house. Just made sure I put a wrench on every bolt before I left the house to make sure I had all the right tools.
dabbill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2019, 07:40 AM   #10
UsTwo
Senior Member
 
UsTwo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Saint Charles, Misssoui
Posts: 163
Having just done this with a new hitch, yes you will need to measure and readjust if needed. Make sure the camper is level, front to back. Measure from the top inside the ball hitch on the camper to the ground.. Then measure the top of the ball to the ground..Get as close to an inch over the hitch, as you possibly can..Try not to go under that inch. Over by an 1/8 or 1/4 is workable.. Good luck.
__________________


Craig
Kathie
2013 Keystone Cougar
X-Lite 31 RKS
UsTwo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2019, 07:46 AM   #11
MarkEHansen
Senior Member
 
MarkEHansen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 1,005
I think you mean to say that you want the ball to be 1" higher than the trailer's coupler? Otherwise, can you please clarify? This is how I understood it should be.
__________________
2022 Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL - "Big Bertha"
2019 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali HD 6.6L Duramax TD, CC, 4WD, DRW - "Mr. Beefy"
MarkEHansen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2019, 08:02 AM   #12
dabbill
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Spokane
Posts: 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
I think you mean to say that you want the ball to be 1" higher than the trailer's coupler? Otherwise, can you please clarify? This is how I understood it should be.
Every where I have read you should have the ball and top of trailer coupler the same height when the trailer is level. When hooked up my trailer is about 1" lower in the front then the back.

I am going to weigh and remeasure the trailer today or tomorrow as the trailer is loaded a little heavier than normal for our upcoming trip this weekend.
dabbill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2019, 08:12 AM   #13
MarkEHansen
Senior Member
 
MarkEHansen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 1,005
Well, keep in mind that once you place the trailer on the hitch, the back of the TV is going to squat just a bit, even with a WD hitch, it's just not going to remain at the same height.

When the dealer was installing my WD hitch, they said a good rule of thumb is to place the ball so it is about 1" higher than the trailer coupler to account for this inevitable squat.

YMMV.
__________________
2022 Cedar Creek Champagne 38EL - "Big Bertha"
2019 GMC Sierra 3500 Denali HD 6.6L Duramax TD, CC, 4WD, DRW - "Mr. Beefy"
MarkEHansen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2019, 07:38 AM   #14
thefulminator
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Posts: 40
Something else you might want to consider. I also have a Silverado 1500. I added a set of airbags to it to help with how much the back end squats when I have the trailer attached and the truck is fully loaded. I installed a pair of AirLift airbags and can now adjust the height of the back of the truck and hitch as I want. When the truck and trailer are fully loaded I pump up the airbags to 75psi. When I'm just ferrying the trailer, 25psi is all I need.
__________________
2009 Silverado LT 1500 4X4 Crew Cab, 9500 lb towing capacity with Putnam XDR and Equalizer 10K, + 2013 Outback 250RS, Truffle
Me ('65), DW ('68), DS1 ('99), DS2 ('03), Dwoof ('12)

We all bleed Orange and Black, GO BEAVS
thefulminator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2019, 08:26 AM   #15
pdaniel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Sandy
Posts: 191
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
You should be aiming to have the travel trailer level when hitched and WD employed. This is not so easy to just measure out up front.

When the dealer installed my WD hitch, they leveled the trailer (just front to back, using the tongue jack) and measured from the ground to the top of the coupler. They then set the height of the hitch ball about 1" higher than this value.

They said this was a rule of thumb and usually worked out just right.

I use the Fastway E2 WD hitch and the instructions talk about how to adjust the hitch, including the proper height for the hitch ball.
I had a 2017 Cougar 30RLI towed by a Ram 2500 and later a 3500. I had to set the unladen ball about 4 inches higher than the tongue in order to keep the trailer level.
pdaniel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 03:24 PM   #16
crowbar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Shawnigan Lake
Posts: 121
Wow! Glad I picked up on this thread. I'm dealing with a similar adjustment to be made to my tow. Last trip out, noticed that my trailer seamed to be sloping down a bit. Now I'm planning on raising my ball up one hole on the hitch and go from there. New to this hitch thing as my last trailer was a 5th wheel.
crowbar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 03:43 PM   #17
Steveo57
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 551
It really depends on the hitch. The Equalizer setup wants the ball at the same height as the coupler. You should be able to find the setup instructions for your particular hitch on line. I would download them and then set it up accordingly.
__________________
2018 Keystone Cougar 22RBS
2020 Ford F-350 XLT SC SRW 6.7l Powerstroke.
Steveo57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2019, 03:54 PM   #18
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,203
We set the equalizer ball 1-2” above the coupler height to allow for squat. The other important thing that most dealers/techs seem to miss is the angle of the hitch on the shank. We see the ball tilted forward a lot. It needs to be tilted AWAY from the tow vehicle, we try for 10-15 degrees.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2019, 07:42 AM   #19
crowbar
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Shawnigan Lake
Posts: 121
Thanks for the input on this. Right now my ball is level but is sitting lower than the coupler when the trailer is level. If I put it up one hole, it should be just slightly higher and it sounds like that's what I want.
crowbar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2019, 08:26 AM   #20
ctbruce
Site Team | Emeritus
 
ctbruce's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 3,878
As stated above, it is seldom a single adjustment. Follow the hitch directions. Setting the hitch height is the gross adjustment. Setting the head angle is the fine adjustment. Dial just that puppy in for best results.
__________________

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Impact 312
2017 Silverado 3500HD SRW
ctbruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hitch, tow, tow vehicle

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:04 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.