Community Forums

kiltronix · 09-05-2021, 01:47 PM

Weight distribution hitch. Top of rear wheel well with no load = 42 inches. Full load w/o bars = 40 inches. Full load with bars 5th link = 41 inches. I've heard not to go beyond 5 links. Any truth to this? Want to get back to 42 inches. TIA.

redbaron73 · 09-05-2021, 02:51 PM

What brand weight dist hitch do you have?

jrollf · 09-05-2021, 06:19 PM

You should have some rear squat, your goal isn't to remove all of it. If you remove all the rear squat that implies you transferred to much weight to the front axle and trailer axle and your rear axle may not be carrying enough load.

Double check the instructions for your specific WDH. Front wheel well height is usually the main target for WDH setups.

kiltronix · 09-05-2021, 06:36 PM

EAZ Lift 1000

xc-mark · 09-06-2021, 05:05 AM

I have always measured both front and back wheels wells . Get the front close to where it was and the back will have some sag. If you take that much weight off the back with the bars (back to normal ride height) it most likely will make for a rough ride and poor traction when you pull away from a traffic light in the rain.

TandW · 09-06-2021, 05:32 AM

The whole entire point of having a WDH is to maintain the aspect of the tow vehicle in relation to the road. This is done by redistributing some of the weight forward onto the front wheels. It helps to maintain tire aspect and to keep headlights from shining over the horizon.

move on · 09-06-2021, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiltronix

Weight distribution hitch. Top of rear wheel well with no load = 42 inches. Full load w/o bars = 40 inches. Full load with bars 5th link = 41 inches. I've heard not to go beyond 5 links. Any truth to this? Want to get back to 42 inches. TIA.

There is truth to the recommendation of not putting too much load back onto the front axle as this will cause your tow vehicle to oversteer. The parameter that you should go by is FALR (front axle load restoration). Look into your tow vehicle owners manual. They will probably tell you to limit FALR to 50% or in some vehicles 25%.

TXiceman · 09-06-2021, 07:34 AM

What is the fender height on the front doing as you added the trailer and bars? You need to measure BOTH ends of the tow vehicle.

If you are not getting enough weight transfer, tilt the hitch head back toward the trailer and then remeasure.

You want the tow vehicle to squat about the same amount on the front and the rear.

Ken

Cumminsfan · 09-06-2021, 08:51 AM

The rears not as important as the front. Set the front and deal with the rear afterwards. Rear sag is normal. Thats why the rear is higher than the front to begin with.

Persistent · 09-06-2021, 11:32 AM

There are lots of ways at looking at adjusting WDH's. I would trust the WDH manufactures instructions about whether to use all links or not. If someone else says not to, I would want to know what the evidence is. "Just think about it. It makes perfect sense." does not cut it with me.

Follow instructions on how to set up the WDH. Once that has been done check truck's towing instructions.

I agree with measuring the front height change as well. Load the truck like you will be when towing. Include passengers and equipment.

Front should usually not drop lower than this starting height with trailer hooked up.

Add the trailer without weight bars. Remeasure front. Front will probably rise. You said rear drops 2 inches.

Add weight bars. Rear will raise. Front will drop. You said rear raises 1 inch at 4 links. Front will probably drop half of the measured rise. If it drops below starting height, you have gone too far.

Getting it close to starting height means you have restored front load to what is was before hitching the trailer. This is important for steering performance and front wheel drive.

Don't raise the rear more than starting height. Some drop usually works well for high speed road stability and head light aiming.

Otherwise, just try it and see!

bneukam · 09-06-2021, 01:44 PM

Could be wrong, but maybe he has a lift kit, that has leveled the truck. Understand he now wants to keep that same look while towing.

kiltronix · 09-07-2021, 08:45 PM

Thank you all for your insights. I was out of town with no cell. It is 5th link. No lift kit. I will experiment with front measure as I've not heard this before. Makes sense. Be blessed.

shane_the_ee · 09-08-2021, 08:21 AM

Weigh it! Measuring fender heights is a decent approximation, but I’m a big fan of using the three pass method and figuring out exactly what your WDH is and is not doing. You can tweak it ‘til the cows come home, but that won’t fix undersized spring bars. And if you’ve already added a lot of crap in the truck bed which also took weight off the front axle, transferring a little more-than-usual weight back to the front axle isn’t going to hurt anything…

Cumminsfan · 09-08-2021, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shane_the_ee

Weigh it! Measuring fender heights is a decent approximation, but I’m a big fan of using the three pass method and figuring out exactly what your WDH is and is not doing. You can tweak it ‘til the cows come home, but that won’t fix undersized spring bars. And if you’ve already added a lot of crap in the truck bed which also took weight off the front axle, transferring a little more-than-usual weight back to the front axle isn’t going to hurt anything…

All auto MFG suggest measuring, why would that be bad?
If an auto mfg wants the front returned to 50% of OEM height why would you need to weigh the front?
You end up in the same place without driving to a pay scale.