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Bechard
07-07-2019, 06:47 AM
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?

MarkEHansen
07-07-2019, 07:03 AM
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.

linux3
07-08-2019, 10:44 AM
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.

Bechard
07-08-2019, 12:17 PM
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.

MarkEHansen
07-08-2019, 12:26 PM
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.

JRTJH
07-08-2019, 07:05 PM
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.

Bisjoe
07-09-2019, 04:18 AM
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.

linux3
07-09-2019, 04:58 AM
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.

dabbill
07-09-2019, 07:19 AM
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. :)

UsTwo
07-09-2019, 07:40 AM
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.

MarkEHansen
07-09-2019, 07:46 AM
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.

dabbill
07-10-2019, 08:02 AM
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.

MarkEHansen
07-10-2019, 08:12 AM
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.

thefulminator
07-21-2019, 07:38 AM
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.

pdaniel
07-21-2019, 08:26 AM
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.

crowbar
09-01-2019, 03:24 PM
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.

Steveo57
09-01-2019, 03:43 PM
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.

chuckster57
09-01-2019, 03:54 PM
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.

crowbar
09-02-2019, 07:42 AM
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.

ctbruce
09-02-2019, 08:26 AM
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.

Jim2366
11-08-2019, 03:27 AM
Just a couple weeks ago I had to purchase a new shank from etrailer. I had been towing my travel trailer with my Ram 2500 5.7 hemi then I purchased my new truck and since it was taller I had to lower the hitch. The back of the trailer was 5 inches lower then the front. The hitch was on the last set of holes on the shank and in two days I had a trip lined up to drive over 300 miles to Indiana to trade the trailer for a 5th wheeler. I live only 20 miles from etrailer and they had just turned the lights off but took my order and had the longer shank at 8am the next morning. I changed the shank and moved it down one set of holes and it leveled it to within an inch. I was thankful I had a socket the right size.

Jim2366
11-25-2019, 09:21 PM
I brought our new 2019 Cougar 361rlw home from storage that we purchased. I noticed the trailer s not level. The back end is lower than it should be .

Tonight I lowered the B&W 5th wheel hitch to the lowest set of holes. It was on the middle of the three positionss. So it will drop the front at the hitch by one inch. This weekend I will see how much it brings up the back. If not enough I will need help to adjust the trailer.

JRTJH
11-26-2019, 07:31 AM
For most applications, there's a "fine line" between trailer attitude and bed height clearance. As you lower the hitch or raise the pin box, you reduce the space between the truck bed rails and the trailer overhang. Raising the rear of the trailer is a "teeter totter" effect, as you do that, make sure you maintain at least 6" between the bottom of your trailer and the top of your truck bed rails.

Jim2366
11-26-2019, 12:14 PM
John,


Thank you for the advise, I will go over the storage and hopefully it will be a six inch space. When I hook up the trailer the truck only drop about an inch, which surprised me and I think has created the back being low. I will hook it up and find out tonight if I have the 6 inches. I am curious how much an inch adjustment at the hitch will change the back of the trailer too.

JRTJH
11-26-2019, 02:23 PM
My "best guess" is that the distance from the pin to the center of the axles is probably 2 times the distance from the rear bumper to the center of the axles. If that's close, then a 1" drop on the pin will be a 1/2" rise on the bumper. There's not a lot of change in bumper height by adjusting the pinbox a couple of inches one way or the other (up or down)…. For most trailers that I've seen, it's around 2:1, or twice as much pinbox movement as bumper movement.

Jim2366
11-28-2019, 04:32 PM
I went to the Cougar today and hooked it up. With lowing the B&W hitch to the lowest position I still have a little more than 7 inches clearance to the bedsides to the RV. However, it did not do much at all to bring up the very end of the trailer. I am going to take it to e trailer to see what they suggest, and I emailed, Petes RV where I purchased it from. I am glad it is winter and have time to get it ready pulling it in the spring.

Jim2366
12-04-2019, 06:15 PM
I went to E trailer with my truck and 5th wheel and they had two guys look at it. They measured the trailer to see if it was level. They measured from the strip of trim that runs the length of the trailer. It was only 1 1/2 inches too low at in the back. They suggested that if I could lower the pin box one hole down, it should be right on. It will still have the 6-inch space from the trailer to the bed rails.

I had measured from the bottom of the skirt or trim which was not the right place. I feel much better knowing I will be pulling the trailer with the correct balance.

Thanks, Jim

2019 ram 3500 diesel Aisin and 4.10 gears dually long bed
2019 Keystone Cougar 361rlw