Tow ball Hitch height to high, Why?

Cookies7276 · 03-02-2013, 09:52 PM

I cannot understand why keystone provides such a high hitch height it doesn't suit any vehicle you back up to it. No vehicle is made to suit this height without adapting it. Anywhere out of the u.s won't allow you to use anything legally to tow and you don't get any benefit from it ( I won't be offroading mine!!).
What a stupid trailer.

Paul

KJcachers · 03-02-2013, 10:04 PM

Frames are higher so the wheel well is under the box instead of in the living area. Everybody is doing this now to save interiorr space.

TAZ23 · 03-03-2013, 03:04 AM

A wieght distribution hitch with adjustable shank will allow the proper height adjustment from tow vehicle to trailer.

davidjsimons · 03-03-2013, 03:29 AM

At least you don't need bogey wheels on the rear corners when transitioning an incline as with a car trailer. I prefer the higher frame height to that scenario, but that's just my opinion.

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f6bits · 03-03-2013, 07:38 AM

On both my Grand Cherokee and F150, I'm using a drop shank for the hitch. I'm not aware of anybody here whose receiver is lower than the tongue.

Oh, and my trailer is pretty stupid, too. Doesn't have sense enough to come in out of the rain.

Ken / Claudia · 03-03-2013, 10:07 AM

Mine is 4 to 5 inchs lower than the hitch ht. But, than the truck and trailer are made in the US. The trailer is not stupid everytime I walk by it it says take me camping, stupid you paid for me to use.
By the way a friend purchased a Stai-able boat 23ft. in NZ had it shipped here and the trailer hitch is about same ht. has my TT and my boat. I wish we had boats built in the US as good as that one, it really takes on the Pacific Ocean unlike any other boat I have been in or owed.

GaryWT · 03-03-2013, 10:34 AM

Paul, not 100% what you are saying as nothing makes sense. Ball heights are totally adjustable take the bolts out of the hitch move it up or down as needed, flip it over if needed, use a longer shaft if needed.

My last trailer was too low to the ground, dragged a lot, but road level. New Premier is using the exact same hitch and the trailer is level because the dealer adjusted it at pick up, through on the weight bars and away we go.

Cookies7276 · 03-04-2013, 09:15 PM

Love the comments, glad you all took it in good spirits!

Just frustrating can anyone search and find me an extended shank or drop down shank or whatever I need in nz?
I have spoken to a reputable main tow bar dealer in Auckland who has told me that any reconfigurating of a tongue from a vehicle ie custom made will detriment the braked towing capacity of the vehicle and I have no idea how the height of the hitch/coupling can help anything other than road clearance?, these shanks must be seriously strong to take the weight of a large trailer/rv behind it.

Or am I reading into this totally wrong? The towbar recommended I get a box section welded to the underside of the trailer to bring the coupling down!!

Bear with me this is all new and I am not getting much help over here!!!

Regards

Paul

Ken / Claudia · 03-04-2013, 10:20 PM

Paul, let us know what trailer, tow vehicle and hitch you have. You should pull a travel trailer with a class V hitch on your vehicle. If so, go to reese hitchs on the web and look up "shank". I puchased one for my trailer several months ago. The shank with ball and wieght dist. hardware was in a package together. It was about 450 us. The idea is have the trailer level with truck backed up to it put the hitch hardware together where the ball would be towing the trailer level. Sorry, I do not have any photos. Good Luck

**JRTJH** · 03-05-2013, 06:06 AM

Paul,

You may be having difficulty finding an adjustable shank because they are not permitted in NZ.

Different countries have differing laws concerning trailer towing and vehicle use. NZ may well have laws concerning whether an adjustable shank is allowed. I well remember my new 1972 Gran Torino station wagon when we were assigned to Turkey. They hacksawed about 6" off the tailpipe at the entry port in Iskundrin. Turkey had a law that all exhaust must be directed horizontal to the road and my tail pipe had a little bend to direct the exhaust down. We wound up with the exhaust about 4" under the car, a definite safety hazard, but it met Turkish law.....

In North America, we easily adapt to trailer ball height with an L shaped shank, simply move the hitch ball up or down and connect the trailer, but there may be more to it that makes it a difficult situation in NZ. As stated, check out the Reese Hitch site and you'll see the many options available here. Show your dealer/hitch installer the pictures, he may be able to explain any legal or other limitations you face there (if there are any).

John

SteveC7010 · 03-05-2013, 06:44 AM

Normal drop/raise shank for WD systems:
http://reeseprod.com/content/product...635&part=63970

Deep drop only shank for WD systems:
http://reeseprod.com/content/product...635&part=63971

There are also many other sized shanks for various WD needs:
http://reeseprod.com/content/product...ID=1635&part=0

The standard shank is rated at 14,000# towing/1,400# tongue weight. There are some stronger ones rated at 15,000#/1,500#. These are all for 2"x2" receivers.

Are these standard ratings not strong enough for you? The ratings remain the same regardless of ball platform position on the shank.

Raising or lowering ball height using an adjustable shank has NO effect whatsoever on the braked towing capacity of the vehicle. It simply eliminates nose high or nose low situations with the trailer and matches the trailer to the tow vehicle.

When we had the Dodge and the Sunline, I had to use a deep drop shank set to the lowest position to level out the trailer. That had a coupler height of about 15". The Ford I have now is a bit lower in the rear end so the center of the receiver box is about 18" from the ground. If I was still towing the Sunline, I would use a standard drop shank to set the top of the ball at about 15". I'd still have to use some drop to the get the ball platform low enough to do that. It's even possible that I'd still need to use the deep drop shank, but since the Sunline is gone, I have no way to measure that now.

Just for comparison's sake, on my wife's '11 Grand Cherokee, the center of the 2x2 receiver to the ground measures 20". The receiver sits 3" higher than the one on my 3/4 ton 4x4 truck. Using a standard drop shank, the Jeep should match up to a trailer with a 24" coupler height just fine. Imagine that.

Cookies7276 · 03-06-2013, 09:17 PM

Great so I chuck this expensive box in the rubbish!!!, should have bought an English caravan!

Cookies7276 · 03-15-2013, 07:21 PM

Decided to get rid of the trailer, sick to death of it, ridiculous vehicles needed to pull the thing, stupid hitch height disaster waiting to happen.

Good riddance to it, and good luck to you lot i think you will need it!!

Paul

SlowPoke · 03-15-2013, 07:27 PM

I think someone needs a hug...

f6bits · 03-15-2013, 07:30 PM

I hope you're selling the clunker at half price. Someone will be thrilled to get it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookies7276

Decided to get rid of the trailer, sick to death of it, ridiculous vehicles needed to pull the thing, stupid hitch height disaster waiting to happen.

Good riddance to it, and good luck to you lot i think you will need it!!

Paul

B&T · 03-15-2013, 08:26 PM

ya'know if we had a restricted hitch height we sure would not have many choices out there

ThePressureIsOn · 03-16-2013, 04:53 AM

They are made for large U.S. tow vehicles. Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. Good luck finding something that you will enjoy.

davidjsimons · 03-16-2013, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cookies7276

Decided to get rid of the trailer, sick to death of it, ridiculous vehicles needed to pull the thing, stupid hitch height disaster waiting to happen.

Good riddance to it, and good luck to you lot i think you will need it!!

Paul

The height didn't change any since you bought it. I don't know if you can blame that one on a stupid hitch height. Good luck with your decision.

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Cookies7276 · 03-18-2013, 12:53 AM

Someone will get a bargain alright!, just not overly impressed with the whole thing.
The problems I've found so far in 3 months, black water lever snapped off, black water blocked, slide out takes most of the battery's power in one hit, hitch height, tongue weight, bizarre positioning of wheels ( too far back ), battery has no cover so all corroded, no low energy lighting, underside is starting to rust everywhere.

Just all the components seem pretty cheap and chucked together.

**JRTJH** · 03-18-2013, 06:03 AM

Cookies7276,

The Springdale is one of Keystone's most inexpensive models. It uses the same components as the more expensive names, but usually less of them. It has wooden framed walls, ceiling and floor trusses, different cabinets and doors, less insulation, aluminum siding, less plush carpeting and fewer amenities as "standard" equipment. Most of these, however, are more "plush" than any European caravan.

What is the same are the holding tank valves, some appliances, toilet, floor decking, frame height, front/rear balance (axle position) and weight per foot of length. The placement of the axles is strictly an engineering decision based on balancing the tongue weight of the RV. Moving them forward would "unload" the trailer tongue and make it unstable to tow. Remember that weight in front of the axles and aft of them is somewhat "floorplan specific" so choosing the floorplan you have does have some impact on where the axles must be placed to maintain the tongue weight in the appropriate range.

Batteries are installed by the dealer, not Keystone. A battery box is usually included with the battery by almost all USA dealers. I can easily extend and retract my slide a number of times on a single battery charge and still have remaining battery power to operate the RV overnight. It seems your problem is an undersized battery not an issue with the manufacturer. Any problem with the electrical system should be addressed with the New Zealand importer because the entire system was converted from 110 VAC (USA standard) to 220VAC (NZ standard) after it arrived in New Zealand. Additionally, some of the appliances were changed out to meet the requirements in your country and are not the ones installed by Keystone.

As for rust on the frame, early in my military career, When we were assigned overseas, our automobiles were shipped overseas on an open transport ship. After weeks of salt water splashing them, they arrived in Europe fully covered with salt water. Their useful lives were dramatically reduced by that exposure. Later in my career, that was changed by placing all automobiles being shipped in water tight containers to prevent exposure. That remains the standard today. Your RV was imported by a NZ outfitter and I'd make an honest wager that it was shipped to NZ on the open deck of a freighter, exposed to the salt air and water for the entire duration of travel. That's not a Keystone issue, that, again is the importer's issue. A slight amount of surface rust on the frame is normal, but "rusting to any significant degree" is almost always from lack of proper maintenance and/or exposure without proper cleaning afterwards.

As for no "low voltage lighting" As manufactured, there is a complete 12VDC lighting system in the RV. In fact, there are no 120/220 VAC lights anywhere in it. ALL the lights are low voltage. Whether connected to shore power or using battery power, the lighting system operates the same. If you have no "low voltage lighting" then it's because the importer either changed the lighting system or removed it and installed a different type of lights. In the USA, as manufactured by Keystone, the lighting system operates the same whether connected to shore power or using battery power. The only difference is the "limited time" on battery power vs the "unlimited time" when connected to shore power.

Almost all the issues you describe are from the conversion of the original Keystone RV at the port or the conversion facility in NZ, not from the build at Keystone. Good luck resolving your problems, but you can't point fingers at Keystone on many of the issues you face, they are a result of the conversion in NZ, not the engineering or design for use in the USA.

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