Setting up Weight Distribution Hitch

[jondrew55]

I installed a CURT True Track C17499 Weight Distribution Hitch on my Jayco 212 QBW trailer to tow with my 2019 Durango RT. Did a short trip this weekend (50 Miles each way) and everything seemed fine. Not much swaying (wife was following me in a separate car) and it seemed to pull fine.

I'm a bit concerned about the setup though. According to the instructions, when you set the hight of the hitch for the car, you should measure the height of where the ball goes into the level trailer (25" in my case). Take that number, and add 1/8" for each hundred pounds of tongue weight (.8 inches) and set the hight of the ball to that height to account for sag. The holes on the height adjustment are every 1.5 inches and I had a choice of 25" or 26.5", so I went with 26.5. Then you go about setting the bar adjustment and tilt of the ball to equalize the weight between the front and rear of your tow vehicle by measuring bumper height.

The bumper height is fine now, when I set the bar tension the front and rear of the Durango are equal within a 1/4 inch. But the trailer looks like it's pointing up in the air even though a level says it is not. I 'm thinking about redoing the entire adjustment from scratch using the 25" set of holes and see if the combo handles any better.

Looking for opinions/other people's experience in something similar.

[Goodspike]

Well first, I'm surprised the manual says to get the bumper heights equal. That is nonsense. The bumpers on many vehicles may not be equal to begin with! You try to get the front wheel well height close to what it was, but no lower. You could also work off the front bumper to get it close to the same height but measuring the wheel well is likely easier (depending on what your bumper's shape is).

Second, the instructions on how high to set the hitch are likely merely a guide. The goal is to have the trailer level when sitting on flat ground. How high the hitch ball needs to be will depend on the tow vehicle. Some vehicles squat more than others. But if your level says the frame is level, then it's probably okay. You may need to re-test though after setting the tension properly per the first paragraph.

[jondrew55]

I mis spoke on the bumper height. The idea was to make sure the front and rear suspension heights are about the same after loading. I measured from the ground to the top of the fender opening on front and rear before installation and loaded the springs until I got a similar height on both ends

Originally Posted by Goodspike

Well first, I'm surprised the manual says to get the bumper heights equal. That is nonsense. The bumpers on many vehicles may not be equal to begin with! You try to get the front wheel well height close to what it was, but no lower. You could also work off the front bumper to get it close to the same height but measuring the wheel well is likely easier (depending on what your bumper's shape is).

Second, the instructions on how high to set the hitch are likely merely a guide. The goal is to have the trailer level when sitting on flat ground. How high the hitch ball needs to be will depend on the tow vehicle. Some vehicles squat more than others. But if your level says the frame is level, then it's probably okay. You may need to re-test though after setting the tension properly per the first paragraph.

[Goodspike]

Originally Posted by jondrew55

I mis spoke on the bumper height. The idea was to make sure the front and rear suspension heights are about the same after loading. I measured from the ground to the top of the fender opening on front and rear before installation and loaded the springs until I got a similar height on both ends

My point was you don't want similar heights on both ends. First, the heights probably weren't similar before hook up. Second the rear will sag no matter what after hookup (unless you seriously over-torque the WDH). You don't want to compare front and rear.

Putting whatever weight your tongue weighs on the back of a vehicle, 2-5 feet past the rear axle will lift the front of the vehicle making the front end light. To correct that you need to get the front wheel well (or front bumper if you wish) to roughly the same height as before hook up. That will be putting roughly the same weight on the front tires as before hook up.

BTW, it is possible to overdo the WDH torque. If you get a jerkiness while towing I'd back it off a bit.

[jondrew55]

I'm going to do it again anyway. We took a bunch of stuff that was in the trailer and put it in the other car for the ride home. Maybe 100-120 pounds of stuff that had been randomly distributed in the trailer on the way up. I definitely thought the trailer young may have been noticeably lighter on the way back.

I do not have CAT scales located anywhere convenient to my house (like 30 miles away). But I did get a Sherline tongue weight scale so at least I'll be able to accurately know that much during the setup.

Originally Posted by Goodspike

My point was you don't want similar heights on both ends. First, the heights probably weren't similar before hook up. Second the rear will sag no matter what after hookup (unless you seriously over-torque the WDH). You don't want to compare front and rear.

Putting whatever weight your tongue weighs on the back of a vehicle, 2-5 feet past the rear axle will lift the front of the vehicle making the front end light. To correct that you need to get the front wheel well (or front bumper if you wish) to roughly the same height as before hook up. That will be putting roughly the same weight on the front tires as before hook up.

BTW, it is possible to overdo the WDH torque. If you get a jerkiness while towing I'd back it off a bit.

[Cumminsfan]

Unless you're on a perfectly flat road then you want to measure the TT's frame from the ground up at the front and rear to determine if it's "Level". You're really looking for parallel.

Also there's nothing wrong with being a little lower in the front of the TT. Better than high in the front low in the back.

Next time you work on your setup measure the front fender height 3 times.
1st unloaded
2nd hitched without the spring bars.
3rd after hitching the spring bars.
Like mentioned above try and get the front fender back to at least 50% of the unloaded to loaded height. i.e 38" OEM, 39" hitched without spring bars, 38-1/2" to 38" with spring bars.

Your Durango probably sits fairly level when empty so matching the front and rear heights could be tricky. Main thing is to not overload the front end of the Durango.

[Goodspike]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Like mentioned above try and get the front fender back to at least 50% of the unloaded to loaded height. i.e 38" OEM, 39" hitched without spring bars, 38-1/2" to 38" with spring bars.

I'm glad you spelled that out because otherwise it could be read as getting the front end down to 18 inches!

[bneukam]

Curt sells different adjustment shanks, that may work better. Towing with a SUV, or 1/2 ton truck with soft suspension slight adjustments can make a big difference in handling and ride quality.

[CharlesinGA]

When all is said and done, you want the front end pushed back down as Cummins fan described, AND the trailer level, measuring from the very front of a frame rail to the ground and same for the rear. Don't look at it, measure it, on a level, flat surface. I had to take mine to the grocery store lot.

Minor correction, the center to center hole distance on a standard shank is an inch and a quarter. I measured and set mine up, and then when I measured the trailer frame to ground, the trailer was an inch higher in the front, so I moved the head down a hole.

Charles

[Goodspike]

Originally Posted by CharlesinGA

Don't look at it, measure it, on a level, flat surface. I had to take mine to the grocery store lot.

I think I'd rather check it with a level. The parking lot may have some dips or some such thing, and almost certainly some slope for drainage, and a level will basically tell you whether you're close enough. It's not like it needs to be perfectly level and as a practical matter the minimum adjustment you can make on your hitch is probably something like 3/4 inch or more. Over the length of a 20'+ trailer that would be a significant change front to rear because you'd be lifting one end and dropping the other. I'm not sure if I'm thinking about this right, but seemingly it would be roughly a 1.5" change if the wheels were near the middle.

Note though even with a level the slope will affect the numbers. If you have your tow vehicle heading down a slope while the trailer has not reached the slope yet, that will raise the front end of the trailer.

[RobbieH]

My manual said to put the truck and trailer on level ground. Measure the truck's rear bumper from the ground. Now attach the trailer, it should lower the bumper approximately 1" when properly set.

Point being is that this may differ between brands and types of WDH.

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

My manual said to put the truck and trailer on level ground. Measure the truck's rear bumper from the ground. Now attach the trailer, it should lower the bumper approximately 1" when properly set.

Point being is that this may differ between brands and types of WDH.

Wheres it say that in the manual? I've looked all over and can't find that in my Ram's manual. In fact I can't find anything about a WDH in there.

[Goodspike]

Originally Posted by RobbieH

My manual said to put the truck and trailer on level ground. Measure the truck's rear bumper from the ground. Now attach the trailer, it should lower the bumper approximately 1" when properly set.

Point being is that this may differ between brands and types of WDH.

What manual? That really makes very little sense even if it's the truck's manual, but if it's the hitch manual it makes zero sense. Different trucks have different squat. On many trucks you might put way too much weight up front to get it back to only 1" of squat.

I'm going to guess it's the hitch manufacturer's manual. I just read mine (Eaz-Lift) and it too makes zero sense. It wants the front and rear to settle by the same amount or up to one inch more in the rear. I'd have a hard time getting my front end to a lower height and I'd likely be way overweight up there if I managed it. Even the same height would be too much torque with my trailer.

[RobbieH]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Wheres it say that in the manual? I've looked all over and can't find that in my Ram's manual. In fact I can't find anything about a WDH in there.

It wasn't in my Ram manual, it was in the installation guide for my WDH.