WD proper setup-bars-and level tow vehicle

[RustyMacIntosh]

I am using a vintage Suburban 4x4 towing a 19f Mallard around seeing the kids and sights. My Suburban is a k1500. 16" tires. The hitch is a 10k hitch installed after-the-fact when we bought it last century. I think tow capacity is 6000 on this unit. Not sure. The Vortex is built, the trans is built as is the transfer case. No powerhouse but runs 10mpg all day long at 60.

I swapped over to a Harbor Freight WD bars and connectors on the trailer tongue. But still using the old EZ Lift receiver.

Previous bars were much lighter than the HF ones, (I got a killer deal so I bought them). These bars and chains are much heavier than the previous setup, plus those bars were over 20 years old if not more.

RV guy in another high end unit approached me the other day. He said when I came in the parking lot he saw that I had my bars on the trailer way too tight. He said his experience told him to tell me to lower the links down by at least one maybe two. He said I am risking a chance of riping the chains off the trailer mounts by having the bars so tight.

I thanked him, went on. OK...previous setup the Suburban would sit a bit down in the back when connected. But the trailer was level.

The new HB setup, I have the links at #4. The Suburban is level, the trailer is slightly up end, higher in the front than back on level ground. Just a bit, but not level and not noticeable unless you look at it carefully.

I did not notice any difference between either setup.

When I was putting the new bars on, I did make the setup tighter than before.

So, what is the standard rule of thumb?

The Suburban is heavy. Probably in excess of 6500 then add all my stuff, two dogs and a computer I bet it is beyond that.

The trailer is said to be about 4k empty. I am far from empty. I am loaded heavy. Food, water, stuff I bring along, including a spare generator, I am sure I am tipping over 5k. When I get a chance I am going to weigh the whole setup just for curiosity's sake.

13k maybe a bit more.

So what is the rule for setting up the WD bars. I also have a slide brake which really does keep the sway down when a big rig comes flying up behind and passes you.

[RustyMacIntosh]

Swapped the EZ Lift knockoff with a Reese unit in Santa Maria. Rather than the bars and chains, this unit is a square straight bar from the hitch to the tongue of the trailer. First few miles heading NB on 101 I noticed less porpoising of the Suburban. I still feel trucks and larger vehicles as they come up behind me. Heading down to Santa Barb the wind was blowing pretty hard there near the rest areas. It all seems very stable.

Getting back to SLO then up to Big Sur then into Carmel, rather than to go over to 68 I went up Carmel Valley then took Los Laureles grade over to over to Laguna Seca where I have rental property to check on. I sorta like this setup better than the chains and bars. My old unit was creaking and groaning a whole lot lately, probably that friction brake from HB. It went into the junk bin at the dealer in Santa Maria,.

Even though I have a MH 34f given to me by my adopted kid, this Mallard is what I used extensively. While in Santa Maria--- Vintage, I spec'd out a 20 ft Fleetwood generic with slide-outs on both sides. While the trailer stays under 22ft, those slideouts are cool. My Mallard is old school heavy. This was a fiberglass and aluminum built. Then I wandered over to look at Airstreams.....I ah, wandered back to my Suburban....

Who knows I might retire the Mallard. I'll wave to you when I come by 156 transitioning to 101 NB. I cruized down NMain past the old high school. How this town has changed in 40 years...

but gotta love those rent checks!

[Vintage465]

My recommendation is to stay away from Chinese stuff and imported knock offs in general. I pulled a 30’ rig over the grapevine on highway 5 using a blue ox and it worked perfectly. No sway. No bounce. Good unit.

[TomG2]

RustyMacIntosh wrote:
......snip....
"When I get a chance I am going to weigh the whole setup just for curiosity's sake."
...snip....

You will get better advice after you provide those numbers. Until then, it just a guessing game. I know people like to tell other people what to do without much information. Not me.

[RustyMacIntosh]

im in a very windy area right now, Fraser Park heading west to 166 then up to Monterey (chkin on rentals in Toro and SB). The wind is fierce. Gusts. When I get to Santa Maria I am going to swap the hitch unit from this EZ Lift, and get a better friction brake, this HB is not quality,

[rbpru]

I agree with Vintage.

The TV and TT are level.
The TT hitch is set on the ball. My dealer prefers a 1" high ball preload.
The combination sags at the hitch.
The bar links are adjusted to bring the TV and TT back to level, or a tad nose down.

I have a Blue Ox and it was worked great even through hard stops and emergency swerve.

[Vintage465]

RustyMacIntosh wrote:
I cranked the chains back to #4 from 5 after a 250 mile drive yesterday. The TV is now pretty much level, the trailer seems level too but I have not had it on solid ground level ground since I am in the mountains
I prefered the 4 links over the 5. Next week I am going to a dealer on the coast to look at another brand of WB and such, maybe just the square bars vs the bars and chain.

I know it is very windy today, the trailer is moving the Suburban around a bit. I had it all weighed also, 7200 Suburban and 4900 trailer.

I might drop the hitch down one more notch but leave the bars alone.

But first...COFFEE! Gotta love free Shorepower--!

I may have missed it in the thread somewhere, but what is your anti-sway devise? Is it a friction bar or integrated into your hitch/WD-set up? Thinking if it's Harbor Freight it won't be integrated. If you get moved by wind, it should move both your vehicles as one if it moves you at all. Trailer that small, tow rig that large you should have no sway and really side winds should do nearly nothing other that let you know they're there. I say this 'cause I've robbed this train...............
I pulled a 25' Nomad bunkhouse rig all over the western US with 1999 1/2 ton 4x4 suburban with 5.7 and factory tow package. Never any sway at all, using a Draw-Tite 1000 pound set up with a friction sway control.

[Vintage465]

BarneyS wrote:
You should not try to level the trailer with the spring bars. You level the trailer by moving the hitch head up or down on the draw bar or shank. The spring bars should be tightened just enough to return the lost weight from the front axle of the truck when you put the trailer tongue on the ball.

I suggest you take a long look at this thread, which is stuck at the top of the Towing forum, for help on setting up your hitch correctly.
Barney

The is the right way to do this.

[RustyMacIntosh]

I cranked the chains back to #4 from 5 after a 250 mile drive yesterday. The TV is now pretty much level, the trailer seems level too but I have not had it on solid ground level ground since I am in the mountains
I prefered the 4 links over the 5. Next week I am going to a dealer on the coast to look at another brand of WB and such, maybe just the square bars vs the bars and chain.

I know it is very windy today, the trailer is moving the Suburban around a bit. I had it all weighed also, 7200 Suburban and 4900 trailer.

I might drop the hitch down one more notch but leave the bars alone.

But first...COFFEE! Gotta love free Shorepower--!

[rbpru]

My truck was backed into the TT dealer's shop. The truck and TT were both level. The hitch ball was set 1 inch above the TT socket. The TT was set on the ball and the bar links adjusted so the TT was 1 inch nose down and the truck 1 inch nose up as compared to level.

As the TT load varies from trip to trip and the components age, I try to keep the bar chain links adjusted to give the same TT nose down,truck nose up.

A bit more TT nose down, really does not seem to affect anything over the past 40.000 miles.

[Terryallan]

RustyMacIntosh wrote:
Its all level now, and I dropped the link to 5 from 4. The trailer sits a bit lower in the front, but tomorrow will be the test, when I go over the Grapevine then to Santa Barbara.

Just be careful, you didn't unload the front / steer axle. Will cause sway.

[RustyMacIntosh]

Its all level now, and I dropped the link to 5 from 4. The trailer sits a bit lower in the front, but tomorrow will be the test, when I go over the Grapevine then to Santa Barbara.

[lenr]

IMHO--yours may vary.
SUVs and pickup trucks often sit high in the rear and are designed to come down under load. The best handling will happen with front end weight about the same as when the trailer is not hitched, and the easiest way to check that is measure the front bumper. If the chains are adjusted to return normal weight to the front but the back has come down an inch or two, the front bumper will be up 1/8" to 1/4" which has been my goal. The tow vehicle looking level has never been important to me unless the rear is hanging very low indicating too much trailer. More important to me is normal weight back on the front. If the front has come down to less than unhitched, it is too tight with danger of bending the receiver. If the trailer is not level the only way to adjust is raise or lower the ball mount on the shank. Reese says no less than 5 chain links between the bars and the pull-up bracket. Stop in a sharp turn some time to see how tight those chains can get. The ball mount head is usually designed to tilt to change the length of the chains when front axle weight is back to normal. WD bars are usually labeled with a weight rating--Reese says you can use theirs down to half of the rating.

[Terryallan]

For a tow vehicle that old. the instruction on using a WDH are. Take it to a level parking lot. Unhook. just raise the tongue off the ball. Measure the front bumper to the ground. Measure the rear bumper to the ground. Write it down

Hook up. adjust the springer bars / weight bars until the front bumper is with in 1/4 inch of where it was before you hooked back up, and that the rear is no higher hooked up than it was unhooked. Yes you can raise the rear too high.

Remember the bars should be level with the tongue. Use the hitch angle to lean them back, or raise them. The more angle toward the trailer the hitch head has on it. the more weight the WDH will transfer. You can pull one link more or less to get the bars level, and pull more or less, but if that don't work. you will need to adjust the hitch head angle.

Once you get the front of the Tv back to where it should be. The rear of the TV will usually take care of itself. You should have no problems towing once this is all done. Get the hitch right, and then add sway control.

If the trailer is too high in the front or too low in the front. You will need to raise, or lower the hitch head on the shank. Getting the WDH correct is the key to ease of towing. Really not that hard.

Spend time getting the hitch right, and you will have no sway in normal driving.

[Lynnmor]

You bought a hitch with bars that are much too heavy. Weigh the trailer at the tongue and get the appropriate hitch.