Truck measurements

[cmcguire48]

I have a question that I don't know how to ask but here goes. I measured my truck wheel wells from the ground and here is what i got. With trailer attached rear was 34" and front 36". I unhooked trailer and now both rear and front are 36. Is this two inches something of concern and if so how do I get both of them close.

[MTK46]

Is this a travel trailer or a 5th wheel trailer? What size of truck do you have? A little more info will help.

[cmcguire48]

I have a 2016 XLT F150 pulling a 5300 lb Starcraft, i forgot to mention in my posts that when I took the measurements I had already taken off Equalizer, if this matters, thanks so much for your help.

[Spdracr39]

How does it pull? If it pulls ok I wouldn't worry about it but if it pulls heavy I would either tilt the ball up a little or raise the spring bar mounts one notch.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by cmcguire48

I measured my truck wheel wells from the ground and here is what i got. With trailer attached rear was 34" and front 36". I unhooked trailer and now both rear and front are 36.... Is this two inches something of concern and if so how do I get both of them close.

Your measurements don't sound right. The distance of the front wheel well to the ground should be higher with the trailer than without the trailer.

Wrong measurements. Ignore the change in the distance of the rear wheel well to the ground. Put the Equal-I-Zer back on and tighten the spring bars to where you think it has the correct tension.

What you want is distance from a point on the front wheel well to the ground without the trailer. You got that.

Next you need the distance from that same a point on the front wheel well to the ground, with the trailer tied on and the Equal-I-Zer spring bars tightened to where you think it has the correct tension.

The distance from the front wheel to the ground, with the WD hitch hooked up, should be the same or not more than one-half higher with the trailer than without the trailer.

...when I took the measurements I had already taken off Equalizer...if this matters

Yes, it matters. You want the measurements of
1] just the wet and loaded truck, and
2] the wet and loaded truck with the wet and loaded trailer tied on, and with the spring bars tightened.

[cmcguire48]

thank you so much. what does this do for me?

[Loraura]

It tells you if your WDH has transferred enough weight to the front axel so you have proper steering and control.

When you put the trailer on he ball, your front wheel wells will go up. When you connect the WDH it should bring it back down to with a half inch of where it is without the trailer on it.

[cmcguire48]

Should i do the same with back wheels?

[JMynes]

The rear is going to squat no matter what.
Get the front fender height back as close to un-trailered height as possible, then tow your trailer to a CAT scale and check axle weights. Make sure none are heavier than their rating. Unless something is way out of whack, only the rear axle of your tow vehicle will be anywhere close to a problem.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by cmcguire48

Should i do the same with back wheels?

No.

If you get the WD hitch adjusted properly, the rear end of the tow vehicle will take care of itself.

But this all assumes that the floor of the trailer is level front to rear when the trailer is connected with a properly-adjusted weight-distributing hitch, and both the trailer and tow vehicle are wet and loaded to the weight you will have when on the road. I use a 4-foot carpenter's level to double-check the level of the floor in the RV.

If the wet and loaded trailer is not level front to rear after you have the WD hitch properly adjusted per the front wheel well distance to the ground, then the next step is to change the adjustable shank of the WD hitch to result in a level trailer with the spring bars tightened to the correct tension. IOW, raise or lower the ball mount to result in a level trailer.

With a level trailer front to rear, and with the front wheel well between zero and one-half inch higher with the trailer with spring bars tight than without a trailer, then your hitch is properly adjusted.

[Loraura]

Agree you shouldn't have to worry about a little rear sag. To be safe look under the truck with everything connected and verify that you aren't resting on the bump stops.