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Old 07-07-2016, 11:41 AM   #1
gunlake
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Hitch height

I have a 2008 Cougar 29 ft and wondering if anyone can tell me the correct hitch height. I'm thinking it about 23 in and wondering then how high I should set my ball at. Thanks
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Old 07-07-2016, 01:10 PM   #2
sourdough
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I don't know that there is a set hitch "height" for hitches. They vary all over the place. You want the trailer and truck to be level, or close to it, when hitched up (I'm talking about bumper pull).

What kind of hitch do you have? There should be detailed instructions on how to set it up.
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Old 07-07-2016, 01:21 PM   #3
gunlake
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It is a bumper pull and hooking up t a F-350. I measured it in my driveway at the tongue and its 29 but guessing my driveway its level. So I just measured the frame between the wheels and its a 24.5 so Im going to set the ball height on the truck to 24 inches. Let me know if this sounds correct
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Old 07-07-2016, 01:26 PM   #4
Mike484
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Youtube it, there are some instruction videos there.

What I do is set the trailer level, then measure the height if the tongue. Then I set the ball at that height. Then when I hook up and set the weight distribution, it should be near level, if the tongue is a little down, it is ok, but not up.

You will probably need to do adjustments as you go until you find the sweet spot to where it pulls best.
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Old 07-07-2016, 03:43 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gunlake View Post
It is a bumper pull and hooking up t a F-350. I measured it in my driveway at the tongue and its 29 but guessing my driveway its level. So I just measured the frame between the wheels and its a 24.5 so Im going to set the ball height on the truck to 24 inches. Let me know if this sounds correct
Yes, measuring between the wheels near the equalizer is how I noticed my dealer's tech did it. It naturally accounts for the TT being out of level. This works if the top of the coupler is at the same height as the bottom of the frame rails you are measuring to.
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Old 07-07-2016, 03:52 PM   #6
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You might want to check that the frame at the coupler is the same height as between the wheels. I'm thinking (my trailer is in the shop) that the frame rails for my tongue are welded UNDER the trailer frame rails - I think, which would make your ball lower.
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Old 07-07-2016, 04:40 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
You might want to check that the frame at the coupler is the same height as between the wheels. I'm thinking (my trailer is in the shop) that the frame rails for my tongue are welded UNDER the trailer frame rails - I think, which would make your ball lower.
FWIIW: My tongue frame rails are welded to the bottom of the TT frame rails and the coupler is on top of the tongue frame rail. Therefore, the height from ground to the underside of the TT frame between the wheels is the same as the top of the coupler on our trailer. Our frame is from BAL.

Most recent model year Keystone TT seem to be set up this way.
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Old 07-07-2016, 05:52 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike484 View Post

What I do is set the trailer level, then measure the height if the tongue. Then I set the ball at that height. Then when I hook up and set the weight distribution, it should be near level, if the tongue is a little down, it is ok, but not up.

You will probably need to do adjustments as you go until you find the sweet spot to where it pulls best.
That's what I do.
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Old 07-08-2016, 05:01 AM   #9
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One thing I recently learned is to measure the frame at the front and the rear (frame to the ground on a level surface) and then adjust until it is level or slightly lower in the front. Disregard everything else you heard or learned. I was using a bubble level on top of the frame near the hitch. It was a full 3" off!
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Old 07-08-2016, 07:17 AM   #10
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I have yet to find a section of concrete that is level the length of my front TV tires to the rear TT tires. My driveway has a slope, the street has a slope, parking lots are wavy. Where is everyone finding these levels spots to make accurate measurements?
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Old 07-08-2016, 08:02 AM   #11
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I have yet to find a section of concrete that is level the length of my front TV tires to the rear TT tires. My driveway has a slope, the street has a slope, parking lots are wavy. Where is everyone finding these levels spots to make accurate measurements?
A CAT scale. Just hope a trucker doesn't come along in the middle of it.







Just kidding of course.
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Old 07-08-2016, 04:39 PM   #12
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Howdy All;

There are some rest areas that the State Police use for remote scale locations.
Those locations HAVE to be level. Cruise some of them or even just call to see
where they may be located. Free and you could take your time and get'r right.

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Old 07-08-2016, 05:52 PM   #13
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Even if your driveway has a slope, as long as it's consistent it will not change the "level" of your TT. As mentioned earlier, don't use a level to check, use a tape measure. Measure the frame at the front and rear.

I personally use my eyes. My car trailer has a dove tail, so I just look at the lines of the trailer compare to the pavement from the front to the start of the dovetail. I don't get that excited about an inch or so, but anything more than that is actually pretty noticeable.
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Old 07-08-2016, 06:38 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gunlake View Post
I have a 2008 Cougar 29 ft and wondering if anyone can tell me the correct hitch height. I'm thinking it about 23 in and wondering then how high I should set my ball at. Thanks


Back to the original OP questions:

Measuring the frame between the wheels and accounting for the coupler position relative to the point you are measuring to on the frame gives you the best indication of your coupler height since it compensates for uneven surfaces. I suspect it will be 24 inches.

As to what you set your ball height to, that is harder to predict since it depends on how much your TV will squat when loaded. Reese suggests setting the ball height 1 inch higher as a starting point to account for the sag. Most of us ended up tweaking the ball height at least once until we got it right.


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Old 07-11-2016, 08:10 AM   #15
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Camping world is where we (after being educated) did our first.
Large parking lots can be a good spot.
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