Level Travel Trailer

[HawkTX]

I changed my tow vehicle and this has been a challenge with changing slots on the shanks, etc., but I think I finally got it. Was a little nose high until I filled the fresh water tank half full, which is how I typically tow it. Seems pretty level now. Is there secrets you guys use to get your rig level? From everything I've read it is pretty important for multiple reasons. Still a NEWB to travel trailers. I've mostly towed 5th wheels in the past, but never changed tow vehicles during owning them and the dealer always set them up. Took this pick to kind of compare to the lines on the building. I put a level on the front by the hitch/propane tanks and does not show level and is only slightly off, but I think it is impossible to get it 100% after all the adjusting. I got a local mechanic shop to let me use their torque wrench because you have to tighten those bolts to the shank at 320lbs of torque! Mine only went up to 250lbs.

Think I should take it back to the dealer, which is about an hour away just to have them look at it or good enough?

[HawkTX]

Gdetrailer wrote:

HawkTX wrote:

Sorry about the image sizes....I dragged them into Google Photos and didn't really look at the size.

So here is the LONG and SHORT of it.

I flipped the shank because when I put it at the top setting (before I flipped it) it was almost 2 to 3 inches in difference when I measured the front and back. After I flipped the shank and went up one notch that is what I got in the picture above and while it looks high on the hitch it actually measures even for the most part in the front and the back.

The reason I was thinking about taking it back to the dealer, which is an hour away) is they got it so straight when I bought it (with my TV being a GMC Yukon Denali). The guy that hooked it up really knew his stuff and I was hoping to get him, but that might be a roll of the dice because the dealership is a big one.

No big problem about image sizes, just alerting you that the forum software doesn't work well with pictures larger than 600 pixels wide and does not automatically resize them to fit properly. Hence the entire page of posts grows in width which then forces everyone to have to scroll side to side to read the entire text or view the pix.

So, if I am reading this correctly, you started with the hitch 2 or 3 inches too high and flipping the shank reduced that to near level or slightly high, am I correct?

If I am correct, the real fix IS a new shank which has more drop than the one you have. You need one bolt hole longer shank in the drop mode which would drop your tongue approx 1". This will put your setup in the ideal range of tongue slightly down.

These shanks can be used to raise, lower or stay the same in height, yours appears to be very short with not many bolt holes to choose from. You need one that is a bit longer and will have more bolt holes..

IF I am not correct in my assumption and you were 2 or 3 inches too low before flipping the shank, you may need a different shank anyways which would give you the correct holes to get you slightly nose down.

In some respects, if you were 2 or 3 inches nose down I would suggest running it there as long as you are not dragging the tongue. Will not hurt anything as long as the tongue jack is not dragging under normal driving.

I would rather error on tongue low than tongue high, it is a safer place to be. I have always run tongue low on my trucks and trailers and the combination for me always is a stable tow.. I have even had to make emergency maneuvers several times at highway speeds to miss deer running in front of me..

Stomping on the brakes hard results in your tow vehicle front diving and your level or slightly above level tongue will now go well above level which now destabilizes your trailer..

This is great info. I really appreciate it. I’m gonna look at those shanks tomorrow and get one ordered.

[Gdetrailer]

HawkTX wrote:

Sorry about the image sizes....I dragged them into Google Photos and didn't really look at the size.

So here is the LONG and SHORT of it.

I flipped the shank because when I put it at the top setting (before I flipped it) it was almost 2 to 3 inches in difference when I measured the front and back. After I flipped the shank and went up one notch that is what I got in the picture above and while it looks high on the hitch it actually measures even for the most part in the front and the back.

The reason I was thinking about taking it back to the dealer, which is an hour away) is they got it so straight when I bought it (with my TV being a GMC Yukon Denali). The guy that hooked it up really knew his stuff and I was hoping to get him, but that might be a roll of the dice because the dealership is a big one.

No big problem about image sizes, just alerting you that the forum software doesn't work well with pictures larger than 600 pixels wide and does not automatically resize them to fit properly. Hence the entire page of posts grows in width which then forces everyone to have to scroll side to side to read the entire text or view the pix.

So, if I am reading this correctly, you started with the hitch 2 or 3 inches too high and flipping the shank reduced that to near level or slightly high, am I correct?

If I am correct, the real fix IS a new shank which has more drop than the one you have. You need one bolt hole longer shank in the drop mode which would drop your tongue approx 1". This will put your setup in the ideal range of tongue slightly down.

These shanks can be used to raise, lower or stay the same in height, yours appears to be very short with not many bolt holes to choose from. You need one that is a bit longer and will have more bolt holes..

IF I am not correct in my assumption and you were 2 or 3 inches too low before flipping the shank, you may need a different shank anyways which would give you the correct holes to get you slightly nose down.

In some respects, if you were 2 or 3 inches nose down I would suggest running it there as long as you are not dragging the tongue. Will not hurt anything as long as the tongue jack is not dragging under normal driving.

I would rather error on tongue low than tongue high, it is a safer place to be. I have always run tongue low on my trucks and trailers and the combination for me always is a stable tow.. I have even had to make emergency maneuvers several times at highway speeds to miss deer running in front of me..

Stomping on the brakes hard results in your tow vehicle front diving and your level or slightly above level tongue will now go well above level which now destabilizes your trailer..

[HawkTX]

In reference to the above post here is a picture I took before I flipped the shank. See how it leans forward from Front to Back?



I resized that image...hopefully that worked.

[HawkTX]

Gdetrailer wrote:
Hawk, now the pix is visible!

Yeah, looks like the trailer tongue is riding a bit high.

Does not look like your hitch shank has any drop..

You need a hitch shank which has some more drop.

See if this pix works..



With the above hitch shank you can select a lower set of holes to bolt your WD hitch to which allows your trailer tongue to ride lower.

I would also tend to agree that using a level is not the best tool here since level is affected by the slope you are parked on.

A ruler/measuring tape would be a much better tool for the job.

Measure the frame of the trailer at the tongue and at the back of your trailer near the bumper.

Tongue should measure slightly lower than the frame near the bumper.

Also for post pictures on this forum you need to resize them so they are no larger than 600 pixels wide, larger than that and you have to scroll side to side..

A member of the forum put together a cool setup that is free to automatically resize and host any photo you want to post on this forum..

Just drag or drop the photo to the link below then once the photo has been uploaded to the hosting site you can simply copy the entire URL provided by the hosting site and paste into your post (it already includes the proper coding for photos)..

Simple and quick.

RV.net photo posting link

Sorry about the image sizes....I dragged them into Google Photos and didn't really look at the size.

So here is the LONG and SHORT of it.

I flipped the shank because when I put it at the top setting (before I flipped it) it was almost 2 to 3 inches in difference when I measured the front and back. After I flipped the shank and went up one notch that is what I got in the picture above and while it looks high on the hitch it actually measures even for the most part in the front and the back.

The reason I was thinking about taking it back to the dealer, which is an hour away) is they got it so straight when I bought it (with my TV being a GMC Yukon Denali). The guy that hooked it up really knew his stuff and I was hoping to get him, but that might be a roll of the dice because the dealership is a big one.

[HawkTX]

XXX

[ScottG]

Looks almost perfect to me. Slightly down in front is fine.
Your truck is not level, which isn't totally critical but if you can add a little spring bar tension, it might be closer. If not, just drive it and soo how it does.

BTW, you need to reduce the size of your images - they are WAY too big. They should be no bigger than 480X640 per forum guildelines.

[Gdetrailer]

Hawk, now the pix is visible!

Yeah, looks like the trailer tongue is riding a bit high.

Does not look like your hitch shank has any drop..

You need a hitch shank which has some more drop.

See if this pix works..



With the above hitch shank you can select a lower set of holes to bolt your WD hitch to which allows your trailer tongue to ride lower.

I would also tend to agree that using a level is not the best tool here since level is affected by the slope you are parked on.

A ruler/measuring tape would be a much better tool for the job.

Measure the frame of the trailer at the tongue and at the back of your trailer near the bumper.

Tongue should measure slightly lower than the frame near the bumper.

Also for post pictures on this forum you need to resize them so they are no larger than 600 pixels wide, larger than that and you have to scroll side to side..

A member of the forum put together a cool setup that is free to automatically resize and host any photo you want to post on this forum..

Just drag or drop the photo to the link below then once the photo has been uploaded to the hosting site you can simply copy the entire URL provided by the hosting site and paste into your post (it already includes the proper coding for photos)..

Simple and quick.

RV.net photo posting link

[HawkTX]

Gdetrailer wrote:
For some reason I don't see your pix..

However..

You are much better off to have the nose slightly DOWN, not level or slightly high.

Reason for this is it shifts the Center of Gravity (COG) FORWARD of the trailer axles slightly and effectively preloads the tongue weight a bit heavier.

Riding tongue up or level effectively pushes the COG BEHIND the trailer axles so when ever you hit a uneven piece of road which makes your hitch ride even higher (like when your vehicle crests the top of a bump but your trailer has not gotten to the part of the road) your trailer now will get unstable.

The key to stability in bumper pulls is to load the tongue to the max, yeah you want 15% tongue weight for best stability.. You didn't have this problem with a 5Vr since they typically have 20%-25% of their weight on the hitch pin..

The other thing that concerns me is you half full tank of fresh water, that is a new stability problem which at the worst time will upset the stability. Having half full tank allows a lot of room for the water to slosh back and forth and side to side.

Depending on tank size that can mean 200 lbs or more of water slamming around.

You want that tank to be completely full or nearly empty, if you do not need 1/2 tank worth of water, then only put a couple of gallon in just for potty breaks and such. 2 gallons of water is 18 lbs of water vs 200+ lbs of water sloshing.

Rather than fixing the level issue with ballast like a liquid it is better to fix it correctly by dropping your hitch lower. IF you cannot drop your hitch to a lower hole on the shank then it is best to purchase a longer hitch shank for more drop.

Good info. Here is the picture in a different format. Can you see it now?

[Bob_Olallawa]

Using a level to check it will only work if the area it is sitting on is level. I use the trim strip and measure to the ground near the front and rear of the trailer. If you are parked on the roadway remember the road most likely slopes from center to edge. The dealer would be my last choice to set up a hitch.

[Gdetrailer]

For some reason I don't see your pix..

However..

You are much better off to have the nose slightly DOWN, not level or slightly high.

Reason for this is it shifts the Center of Gravity (COG) FORWARD of the trailer axles slightly and effectively preloads the tongue weight a bit heavier.

Riding tongue up or level effectively pushes the COG BEHIND the trailer axles so when ever you hit a uneven piece of road which makes your hitch ride even higher (like when your vehicle crests the top of a bump but your trailer has not gotten to the part of the road) your trailer now will get unstable.

The key to stability in bumper pulls is to load the tongue to the max, yeah you want 15% tongue weight for best stability.. You didn't have this problem with a 5Vr since they typically have 20%-25% of their weight on the hitch pin..

The other thing that concerns me is you half full tank of fresh water, that is a new stability problem which at the worst time will upset the stability. Having half full tank allows a lot of room for the water to slosh back and forth and side to side.

Depending on tank size that can mean 200 lbs or more of water slamming around.

You want that tank to be completely full or nearly empty, if you do not need 1/2 tank worth of water, then only put a couple of gallon in just for potty breaks and such. 2 gallons of water is 18 lbs of water vs 200+ lbs of water sloshing.

Rather than fixing the level issue with ballast like a liquid it is better to fix it correctly by dropping your hitch lower. IF you cannot drop your hitch to a lower hole on the shank then it is best to purchase a longer hitch shank for more drop.

[HawkTX]

Sounds good!

[wanderingbob]

It is not necessary to be purrrrfectly level .Eye ball is close enuff !

[jdc1]

My fifth wheel trailer is impossible to get level. Every time I go up a hill, it's out of level. Every time I go down a hill it's out of level. It's exhausting.

Just kidding. Just get it eyeball close.