do you have the directions to the WDH set up? i'm only asking cause I paid camping world to do mines and the results looked a lot like yours (I have a post here asking for help), none of the weight was transferred to the front. After reading the directions and flipping the shank per maez93 advise, it got a lot better, it was a matter of adjusting the bar mounting points on the trailer to get it dialed in. Also, when you get your truck weighed, have your family there so you can get a more accurate reading on axle weights pre and post hook up of trailer. your tongue weight looks fine. I would try flipping the shank and going a little higher on the the hitch. the hitch looks like the same set up I have with the equalizer, it should help transfer more weight to the front. keep us posted!!!

 

I pulled them up online and have read over them. The service guy at the dealer "helped" me by telling me what to do. The hitch was from a buddy who recently traded his TT in on a class c. The dealer wouldn't set it up for me for liability reasons(which I get, but they really wanted me to buy one from them too!)

 

The worst thing you can do is "reduce" your tongue weight.. Well, unless you are still able to keep it to at least 12% of the total trailer weight.

I'm not good at math, but I think your original weight of the trailer with #1040 TW and #7520 GVW puts you at about 13% tongue weight?

To me, that seems like it's perfect for the trailer side.

If you are concerned over the amount of payload it's putting on your truck, well.... That's what that size of trailer is gonna do..

The first pic does look like you are still sagging a bit on the rear, so maybe you can move the L brackets up another hole to tighten the bars a bit more transferring a bit more to the front end?

To me, you are at the max ratings, but not really "over" any of them, so as long as it tows okay and you don't feel it's overloaded, go with it..

Only you know how it tows. You can't always go by the "numbers" even if it's a tad over, but to me, you are right up there, but seems okay.

Good luck!

Mitch

 

his weight in the front axle of truck is way to light, before he goes up on the L bracket, I think he should go up 1 or 2 holes on the shank first... it looks like he is already at the highest point on the shank so he has to flip the shank to go 1 or two notches higher there before he messes with the L bracket.

before you start making adjustments (with trailer unhooked) measure the distance from ground to fender to get fender heights for front and rear.... then measure them after you hook up (without wd bars)... the difference between the front and rear after you install WD bars should be atleast half the distance you had without wd bars.... that's the easiest way to know if you are transferring weight without going to the scale... I bet you have a TON of sway right and going about 55 is scary AF!

 

Thanks for the info, it actually pulls really well, and not much sway cruising at 65-70. Im mainly concerned with my weight distribution, the front axle has felt really light to me just driving. After i relocated some weight to the back of the TT it felt better when we hated it back to storage lot...even my wife thought it felt a little better to her just riding. Im going to add some water to the black tank this next weekend for a 3 hour trip and see what it does.

 

Hi bn. Respectively, that's a tough call.. It looks like the trailer is level right now. If he raises the hitch head up another notch, that's going to make the trailer nose high?

Looking closer at it, he doesn't have much space between the trailers A frame and the WD bars either.. So, raising them up anymore might allow them to hit the frame, and that won't be good either.. So, I wouldn't change that either..

Tilting the hitch head to point 'down' a bit more might be an option, if it's not already tilted as far as it can go already? I'd even say to lower the hitch head a notch while you are at it.

I've found that towing any trailer with the nose just a tad lower than level helps a lot. With the more tilted head, that should also put more pressure on the bars, and transfer more to the front end too.

I had to dial my hitch in a couple of times after the dealer installed mine. I ended up tilting it a tad more and lowering it a notch on the shank. But, each setup is different, so trial and error!

Good luck,

Mitch

 

Did you weigh with and without WD bars attached? I did that with my half ton to see how much weight was transferring up front to dial in my hitch. I don't think there's much more you can do. It looks as though you ended up with a higher than expected tongue weight. Pretty much your choices are run overweight or upgrade trucks since hitch adjustments aren't really going to move enough to fix your problem. If you are moving stuff around and filling tanks to try and balance that's a good indicator that you have way too much trailer for your truck. You also may check that receiver sticker because the tongue weight along with your WD hitch weight could be exceeding that limit as well. Sorry to sound negative but I went through the same thing last year. Good Luck

 

I'm under all the weight ratings for Truck, axles, Hitch, and GCWR. just trying to get everything dialed in.
GVWR 7000
GCWR 16100

I didnt weigh without bars connected, i will next time.

 

Mitch, just saying what worked for me and the way I pack my truck/TT. I initially started with the L bracket and ran out of adjustments there. I also maxed out on the washers I had. I also did not want t0 flip the shank. I made so many adjustments prior to, was trying to save him time. My tongue does sit a hair higher then level, but I like the feel while driving a little better then lower, so its going to stay that way. But yeah, every set up will be different, driver must tweak it to his comfort taking into consideration the limits of his vehicle.

 

I would tilt the head down so the bars point more to the ground if you want to transfer more weight to the front. Use the jack on the tounge of the trailer to put the bars in place. I usually hook up the trailer, lock it then jack it up 3 and place the bars in the brackets with my hand and not that special tool for snapping them in. Second pic looks good, if anything should be tounge of the trailer slightly lower the the back.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

my set up is the same way, I have to lock the hitch on then go back up to get the bars in... same as when I disconnect, I need to lift it up to get the bars out...

it sounds like all he needs to do is a little tweaking, he feels comfortable with it... washers or/and L bracket should be all he needs to do.

 

Youtube usually has good installations of these hitches also.

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk

 

I don't know how that hitch works. But I'd bring the trailer nose down and the rear of the truck up. That means getting some sort of different hitch or hitch height.

I prefer to have weight on the truck. That way that weight helps steer, and a wind that blows the trailer doesn't push the truck around.

So I'd get the truck to near max and be happy with that. Also, the actual weight on the toung when you put the trailer without truck is NOT the same as tongue with the hitch. That is the whole point of the hitch.

I think the rear of our trucks are soft. I'd look into bags, timbrens, or add a leaf as well. I don't think your too bad on the whole with some tweeks.

 

Here is my OPINION, based on many years of adjusting WDH's, and towing many thousands of miles using several different brands. YMMV

Adjust the WDH so that the front and rear of the tow vehicle "squat" the same, or with the rear slightly lower (on our f150's approx 1/4 to 1/2 inch should be acceptable), when hitched up and ready to travel. This distributes the tongue weight proportionally. Also the trailer should be level or just slightly nose down. I have adjusted many WDH's this way over the years, and have not had any complaints.

In the end, it's your tow vehicle, your trailer, and your comfort level...so do what you think is best, but I think if you try this, you will be happy.

 

Ok, so I tweaked my hitch setup tonight. I flipped the shank over and raised the ball about 2" and also tilted it back a little bit too to lower the bars to the recommended height per the manufacturer. I also measured a spot on the frame by the tongue, and it was exactly the same before and after I hooked up, 18.5" both times, so that's pretty dang good I think! I also measured the fender height too before and after....
Front Before: 37 1/4"
Front After: 37 3/8"

Rear Before: 39 1/2"
Rear After: 37 3/4"

So the front and back fender height is 3/8" difference, that's pretty good, right?

 

IMO, we have a failure to communicate here...I'll take the blame for that.

Based on your numbers, the front is raised by 1/8 inch and the back is lowered by almost 2 inches. IMO, more weight needs to be distributed to the front

The difference reference made in post #15 is not between the front and rear measurements...it is between the before and after measurements individually.

For instance, if the WDH causes the rear to "squat" one inch from the unhitched measurement, then the front should also "squat" one inch from it's unhitched measurement. Just ,make sure you don't cause the front to "squat" more than the rear. At the same time, ya gotta keep the trailer level or just slightly nose down.

Somebody help me here...what am I not expressing clearly? Thanks!

 

Seems like Tom has done more of these than me, to be honest. But, I think you are moving in the right direction.

My concern with Tom's advise is that we have overload springs in the rear. I'm sure his "inch" was an example but there will be more flex in the rear. Especially until you hit and engage those.

Do make sure the front goes down. The above measurement has it going up ever so slightly. You want to transfer weight on your steer axle. That's what the hitch is supposed to do.

Your heading the right way though.

 

Seems like Tom has done more of these than me...

I've done dozens over the the past 35 or so years...that doesn't make me an expert or anything...it just means I'm old, or perhaps I don't know when to quit towing. Coletrain, you seem to have a good grasp of the principles involved...so that would indicate much experience...perhaps you have done more of these than me?

My concern with Tom's advise is that we have overload springs in the rear. I'm sure his "inch" was an example but there will be more flex in the rear. Especially until you hit and engage those.

Yup, that was just an example...sorry if I did not make that clear. The actual amount of "squat" will vary with the tongue weight, the capacity of the WD bars, and the suspension stiffness of the tow vehicle.

 

I'm confused...or it could be the wine.

Let's say I have my truck and trailer sitting in the street...the street is pretty much level. They are not hitched. I level the trailer. I measure the front wheel well to the street. Let's say 36". I set the trailer on the ball...but do not hook up the distributing bars. I measure the wheel well again...say 37".

I then want to hook up the weight distributing bars (I have chains on mine) to the link(s) that move my wheel well measurement 50%...or 36 1/2 "...???

I have air bags so I want them deflated..? And I want the trailer to be level...or half a bubble down? Do I raise it with the air bags if it isn't already??

 

Let's say I have my truck and trailer sitting in the street...the street is pretty much level. They are not hitched. I level the trailer. I measure the front wheel well to the street. Let's say 36". I set the trailer on the ball...but do not hook up the distributing bars. I measure the wheel well again...say 37".

I then want to hook up the weight distributing bars (I have chains on mine) to the link(s) that move my wheel well measurement 50%...or 36 1/2 "...???

That's exactly right if you're shooting for 50%. But as correctly pointed out below by madmaxmutt, the front fender height is a way of approximating it only--to verify/make final adjustments you need to go to the scales. As an aside, if you haven't seen the "weigh my truck" app, check it out! The whole process takes about 30 seconds, you don't need to even get out of your truck or shut off the engine--the ticket gets emailed to you. https://weighmytruck.com/

I have air bags so I want them deflated..? And I want the trailer to be level...or half a bubble down? Do I raise it with the air bags if it isn't already??

Airbags give you the ability to adjust your ride height, ride stiffness, improving the load carrying capability of the suspension, etc, independently of the WDH setting, but naturally that means there are many different ways of setting them up with a WDH that will largely depend upon personal preferences of what ride height you want, what gives the ride quality you like with your rig, etc. Complicating things, if you adjust the airbags after setting up the WDH it will probably change the setting of the WDH (inflating the bags will tend to relax the torque of most WDH’s).

Of course it’s only as complicated as you want to make it. Pretty much any amount of air you add is going to be an improvement over nothing unless you go nuts and way over inflate them. If you’re particular about wanting a certain % returned to the front, it makes sense to fill the bags to a certain pressure and leave them, setting up the WDH as if they weren’t there and knowing your setting will stay put so you don’t need to go back and forth. A good starting point is to inflate the bags to a bit under the point they remove all the sag in the rear due to the tongue weight. Then, depending upon how much torque you use with the WDH the rear will come up a little more and end up close to unloaded ride height.

The Air Lift 5000 bags and others similarly sized do a pretty good job of adding spring rate/load capacity in proportion to how much load is on them when they’re returned to the unloaded height so the truck handles the load well but still provides as good a ride as possible. This is a big reason why self-leveling systems are becoming more popular. RAM uses that philosophy for their air-suspended trucks though a bit differently for the 1500’s and HD’s. For the 1500’s they have you de-activate the air suspension, set the WDH to 66%, then let the air suspension level which is going to relax some amount of torque off the WDH (which is why I don’t really like that method—it’s imprecise). For the HD’s they have you set the WDH to 50% while allowing the rear air suspension to auto-level while you’re doing it. In each case they’re aiming for around 50% with the rear air springs bringing the rear up to its unloaded height.

You may find you want to adjust things a bit this way or that to suit your preferences for your particular setup, but if you’re anywhere close to the above you should be golden. You’ll have much better and safer ride and handling than with the WDH alone. As an added bonus your headlights will stay on the road and if you have a leveling kit the truck won’t look stupid while towing….

I do not recommend adjusting your bags as a way of leveling the trailer. Adjust the bags to get the height/ride you want on the truck and adjust the hitch height to level the trailer after that.

Keep in mind, while the ride height is the big visual cue, it’s the added spring rate given by the bags that provide the improvement to the rear suspension allowing it to handle the extra weight with competence. Ride issues such as porpoising, “bouncing front end,” etc, are symptoms of lack of rear spring rate. Bags (or really stiff rear springs as is the case with HD’s) eliminate the cause of the problem at the source. The height contributes, of course, because if you're close to your bumpstops your ride will naturally suffer over large bumps.

 

My research shows this from Eaz-Lift installation instructions (emphasis added):

"By adjusting the chain links up
or down, the desired levelness of the car and trailer will be
gained. Remeasure front and back of towing vehicle and have
both settle the same amount or up to an inch lower in back by
adjusting chain on Spring Bars. You have now distributed the
trailer tongue weight on both axles of the towing vehicle."

The above instructions are the way I have adjusted WDH's for years. But, boy oh boy, now I'm confused...do I stick with the old-fashioned way that has worked well for me for years, or do I change my ways? Thoughts anyone?

One of my thoughts is that using Ford's recommended 25% FALR leaves too much weight on the rear axle and, depending on the tongue weight of the trailer, could exceed the GAWR of the rear axle when the weight of truck cargo and occupants are added into the equation.

As I have previously posted, it's your truck, your trailer, and your comfort level. Take in all the available data and suggestion, then do what you feel is best. I would be surprised if anyone here has the perfect correct answer. I'd sure be interested to hear what others think.

 

Wow. You guys have given lots of facts.

Here are my thoughts over a few days.
1. Its recently come to popularity that the rear tires are even more important for control than the front. Has to do with losing the back end. So I can see why having weight on the rear is important.
2. The front truck spring compresses as more weight is put on it. If you stand on the front of the truck,it goes down. So when hitching a trailer, by not returning to to stock height, this means there is less weight on the front.

So why would you put all the weight on the rear and remove weight from the front? I don't know about you, but I have put a pallet of blocks on the tailgate, for easy unloading, and done short trips. Its weird, you can tell steering is hurt. The suspension is in a different spot and the tires are riding on center, not the whole tire etc.

The whole point of the WDH is to put weight back on the front.... That's its whole point! That's why it was invented. That's why every RV place sells them, and reccomends them!

I'm sorry I am at least getting the front end back to original weight, not less. This has made me realize we do want most of the weight on the rear, but we gatta get the front back to where we started...I'd go a smidge more thus distribution the load across both axles of the truck.

Also, as mentioned. Hit the scales with your truck in wheelie mode, and let me know how that goes.

I am starting to wonder if this "not returning the front to where we started" is with no load on the truck. Like no cargo. Nothing in the bed. Now if there were no bed weight I can see why they would want the few hundred pounds of tongue weight on the rear. And even get more, stealing weigh from the front , so as that big trailer doesn't push the rear of the truck around and jackknife.... That's where it makes sense. But if you have a full bed load. That weight needs to be spread around.

Sorry, these are just thoughts ...hope I helped.

 

I am starting to wonder if this "not returning the front to where we started" is with no load on the truck. Like no cargo. Nothing in the bed. Now if there were no bed weight I can see why they would want the few hundred pounds of tongue weight on the rear. And even get more, stealing weigh from the front , so as that big trailer doesn't push the rear of the truck around and jackknife.... That's where it makes sense. But if you have a full bed load. That weight needs to be spread around.

I think you are bit off base with this thought. I have certainly not read J2807 completely. The reason is; it is a performance test to rate vehicles. It is NOT a statement of what an owner can/should/will do with a vehicle. It requires some extremely precise tasks that NO owner will ever do in practice. J2807 just like the test Ford used to do, requires a level trailer with weight completely evenly distributed up to what they rate the vehicle at. That does include weight distribution of simulated passengers in the tow vehicle and trailer. I personally discount the engine performance portion of J2807 because it ends about 3 thousand feet underground, where I live

Think of J2807 in terms of the EPA's mileage rating test or the crash test ratings. That is what it is. A means for consumers to somewhat accurately judge a vehicle compared to other similar vehicles. An owner can drive in a manner to raise mileage and safety or lower their MPGs and/or drive less safely, but the EPA has to set up some standard (as poor as it is) to create a comparison mechanism. The EPA does verify some percentage of vehicles. The Insurance Institute tests are "independent" evaluations of safety. I am not sure anyone verifies what the manufacturer's report on their tow rating tests, though.

The other problem with J2807 is it does not allow for sway control in any form.

 

I need to read J2807. My stubborn butt isn't buying it.

Its a long story no one cares about. But I hauled pallets of fertizer with a truck and trailer. Each pallet was about a ton. I never had an accident. But I learned the hard way with some scares where not to put weight.

So this logic, is battling my experience.

I will Google and read that though.

 

Where is a link to J2807. I have found many articles on it.

Also, the articles indicate that this is a testing standard. It is not saying its best, its saying this is the common standard we will use.

Go ahead and link the ford owners manual where it says this. I keep finding the short version that doesn't mention it.

 

Where is a link to J2807. I have found many articles on it.

Here you go: J2807: Performance Requirements for Determining Tow-Vehicle Gross Combination Weight Rating and Trailer Weight Rating - SAE International . Though now I realize my copy is out of date.... Looks like they may have added a lot to the latest revision, I'll have to check it out.

Go ahead and link the ford owners manual where it says this. I keep finding the short version that doesn't mention it.

Here you go: https://owner.ford.com/tools/account/how-tos/owner-manuals-search-results.html

 

I have changed my hitch setup to provide 90% FALR. The rear "squat" is 1 3/8 inches measured at the receiver, and the trailer is slightly nose down. I'm heading out on an approx. 120 mile round trip this coming weekend, and I'll report back here with any observations worth noting. If ya don't hear from me, come looking...perhaps I jacknifed the rig because I didn't follow the 25% recommended FALR in the manual.

 

Anxious to hear your thoughts please do post back, I hope we helped. I feel like even though we provided lots of different opinions and facts, there was some consistency that got you going in the right direction.

We did all agree that the trailer should be nose down. [emoji106]