Hey guys, help a noobie out. Basically, how do I set it? How will I know if it's set wrong? Is this hitch any good? It's an antique, I think.
I will try to explain this, I have been using mine for just over a year and the main benifit is that it uses the bars to push the towed wieght foward of the tow rig and backwards on the trailer. This spread loads the wieght so not just the two rear tires on the truck and the front tires on the trailer are supporting everything. To know if you have it set up right depends alot on feel, I will look at how my truck is sitting with no wieght on the trailer, then load the blazer, after that I try to get them both level by adjusting the amount of links am pulling up on. It took a little trail and error to get the truck on the trailer in the right spot and then how I adjusted the hitch. Once you get it where the truck is at its best to pull give it a shot. Here are a couple pics of mine.
My trucks are only 1/2 tons, a K1500 and a C1500, which of coarse have fairly soft rear springs. Would I need to hook the trailer to the ball, then use the jack to raise the back of the truck a little, then connect the chains?
When I have used them I will put the trailer on the ball but just barely so that the truck isnt supporting any of the trailer weight. Then I will get the chains as tight as I can and lock them in place on the trailer then lower the jack the rest of the way. This of course was on a 28' 10k lb enclosed trailer with my K2500HD and it still dropped the back of my truck. (pulled well up hills thoughimp: ) If your trailer is smaller then trial and error may be your best bet. Measure how high the back of the truck sits with the trailer unhooked, Hook the trailer up without the bars, measure where the truck sits, then do it again with the bars and try to end up somewhere in the middle.
A weight distribution set up does indeed put more weight on the front end of the tow vehicle. First measure the height of your tow vehicles front bumper from the ground,(level ground, no weight on hitch) then hitch the ball, and using the tongue jack raise the rear of the tow vehicle about maybe 2-4 inchs. Secure the weight distribution bars and then lower the tongue jack putting the weight on the hitch. Now measure the height of your front bumper and if it is the same you have it set right, if not then take up a link at a time until the measurement is the same with the load as without.( the trailer should be level as well) If you cant get it right this way, then your ball height may need to be lowered or rasied. Too much weight on the front will cause a loss of traction in the rear wheels and too much weight over the hitch will cause "floating" in the steering not to mention possable damage to the rear suspension if the weight is great enough. I am not able to see the photos you posted, so I dont know what system you are using but they are mostly the same at least in principal. I use the reese duel cam set up and I really appreciate the performance, no sway even when passed by 18 wheelers on the highway, nice ride too, no bounce or "pogo-ing".
This pretty much sums everything up. Only thing to add is to measure the height of both the front and rear bumpers before lowering the trailer onto the ball. Ideally you want both bumpers to drop the same amount (or within a 1/2" of each other) when the bars are in place and the weight is on the truck.
Here are a couple of helpful articles I found about how to set up a WD hitch http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/17730894.cfm http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/14265335.cfm
