I recently picked up a used weight distributing hitch. When I first hooked it up I didn’t have enough chains remaining (requires 5 links unused). So I angled the hitch down as instructed to lower the levers. I hooked it up and the ball sits inside the coupler at an angle now. Hooked up to the trailer I can raise the truck and trailer up together so it SEEMS like it’s holding but I want to make sure this is normal and safe! I’ve never used one before so this is all new! Here are 2 photos:
your tow chains should be crossed, they don’t appear to be in this photo
It looks okay, but I’m not familiar with that type of coupler and would need someone with more insight into older trailers to comment.
If you’re not sure, haul it to an RV dealer - they have a lot of experience with these types of hitches. I don’t have this style of weight distributing hitch
we use a weight distributing hitch
it is a bit different than the one you show but the principle is the same
I would not be happy AT ALL with the hitch ball tilted like that
looks to me like the way the ball part is attached to the hitch post is set at the angle
I would straighten that out and try again
looks like you weight bars could come up so they connect on the trailer VEE with a few links of the chain up on the hook
I would want everything straight going back to the trailer
You are putting strain on the hitch with it tilted - it will wear the ball uneven and someday its going to give
take it to a trailer expert to show you how to hook up to make it all level
and YES the point of crossing the chains it to have a cradle to catch the trailer IF it comes unattached and with that angled ball - I would expect that it has a greater chance of that too
Thank you!! I normally do cross my chains but just hooked them up to get them out of the way while I was putzing with this new hitch today. I had the trailer ball in an upright position before but then only had 3 links on the chain before I got adequate tension. So I tilted the ball like they said and the chain tension was right (would shorten it by 1-2 links for horses in) but that angle inside the coupler looks scary! I cranked the truck and trailer up a dozen times and it never slipped but I wasn’t sure if this was the norm! I’ll try to find an RV place to take a look! Great idea!!
On a side note I’ve got the hitch as low as I can on the setup but I think dropping it down another hole or two could maybe fix both problems. Do they make an extension like a longer drop hitch for weight distributing hitches?
[QUOTE=Keg-A-Bacchus;8130781]
Thank you!! I normally do cross my chains but just hooked them up to get them out of the way while I was putzing with this new hitch today. I had the trailer ball in an upright position before but then only had 3 links on the chain before I got adequate tension. So I tilted the ball like they said and the chain tension was right (would shorten it by 1-2 links for horses in) but that angle inside the coupler looks scary! I cranked the truck and trailer up a dozen times and it never slipped but I wasn’t sure if this was the norm! I’ll try to find an RV place to take a look! Great idea!!
On a side note I’ve got the hitch as low as I can on the setup but I think dropping it down another hole or two could maybe fix both problems. Do they make an extension like a longer drop hitch for weight distributing hitches?[/QUOTE]
yes.
http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Ball_Mounts-sf-Adjustable_Ball_Mount.aspx
It’s good you’re considering replacing the drop-hitch with one that provides more adjustment. AFAIK, you do not want that kind of angle for a variety of reasons. Hopefully, lowering the ball in a “normal” orientation will give you the adjustment you need. But I also agree with having a discussion with an RV place as the trailer side may also not be correct for your particular combination of tow vehicle and trailer. Everything needs to “match”, as it were, for best results.
The responses were to nice. DO NOT DRIVE THIS TRAILER LIKE THIS NEVER!!!
ok got the message , the ball should come straight/level from your truck . The entire way you have this put together is wrong and very dangerous. whoever put this together is completely inexperienced with hooking trailer to truck. I have exactly the same weight distribution system as you have,had it for years. NEVER have the ball off balance you are going to kill someone when that trailer flies off that hitch.
I don’t see how a RV dealer is going to understand this, don’t you have any place to go that handles horse trailers?
And when you get the ball attached correctly to your truck the way you are using the distribution hitch isn’t correct, its way to loose. I usually have as least 6 links hanging (2 horseBP) and it takes some strength and a stong bar to get those chains on the trailer. You need instruction can’t explain it but trailer and truck should be level and the hitch should be on top of the ball and the whole hitch on your truck is completely wrong, needs to be lowered.
very scary what you’re doing….
To ease your concerns I haven’t driven it like this yet so PHEW! Was just setting it up today but clearly it’s far more complicated then they made it sound! Glad I asked! I don’t have any horse trailer places anywhere nearby but I did find an RV place I can see if they can help. I’ll try to hunt for an extension to lower the whole hitch before I take it in so they can adjust it properly. Any other tips for the RV place would be very helpful!
[QUOTE=walkers;8131011]
The responses were to nice. DO NOT DRIVE THIS TRAILER LIKE THIS NEVER!!!
ok got the message , the ball should come straight/level from your truck . The entire way you have this put together is wrong and very dangerous. whoever put this together is completely inexperienced with hooking trailer to truck. I have exactly the same weight distribution system as you have,had it for years. NEVER have the ball off balance you are going to kill someone when that trailer flies off that hitch.
I don’t see how a RV dealer is going to understand this, don’t you have any place to go that handles horse trailers?[/QUOTE]
RV dealers know weight distribution systems like the back of their hands. Horse trailer dealers tell you to buy a bigger truck because they don’t understand them. Would never take a complicated hitch to a horse trailer dealer.
I used a similar WDH with a BP for years and would NEVER have driven off with this configuration.
One bump in the road and you will be depending on your crossed chains to hold your trailer.
Arms of the WDH should be level - from your pics the chains connecting the arms should be several links shorter & walkers is 100% right: getting them on takes leverage and considerable strength.
Did you use any sort of tube that slips over the hooks where the chains connect to the hitch platform to get the chains on?
Without this help you cannot get the arms level unless you are The Hulk.
If the chains just slip on you are not connected correctly or safely.
Look into the adaptor souloudinhere suggested & PLEASE get someone to show you how the setup looks when correctly attached.
When you do you will be pleased with how nicely your BP handles using the WDH.
[QUOTE=walkers;8131011]
I don’t see how a RV dealer is going to understand this, don’t you have any place to go that handles horse trailers?[/QUOTE]
The reason for this recommendation is that very few horse trailer dealers have any experience or knowledge about WDH systems since, in general, the North American horse trailer world tends to think that throwing a big, beefy tow vehicle solves all. Many folks don’t even realize they are actually required even with pickup trucks with bumper pull loads over a certain weight. On the other hand, WDH are used pretty much standard with all but the most diminutive travel trailers and rec dealers have a lot of experience with them.
Yes, go to an RV trailer place.
Your ball is too high. They will figure it out for you, but my not super-educated guess is you need more of a drop from the truck.
Good for you for asking.
I use an RV/custom trailer shop for my horse trailer after some not so great experiences with the “horse trailer” shop. They are very reasonably priced, understand WD and sway, and weld just as good as the other place.
Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I’m going to order a longer shank right away to bring it all to the RV place. Question…how much ground clearance do I need from the bottom of the shank? To the top of my reciever is 20". To the bottom of my coupler is 16.5". My current shank is 9" from top to bottom. If I get a shank that is 12" from top to bottom to lower it appropriately I will have 8" of ground clearance between the bottom of the shank and the road. Will this be enough and also allow clearance for the trunion bars? Thanks!
You need the ball mount to be at the level it needs to be for your trailer to be level or oh-so-very-slightly nose high. With your trailer on it’s jack on a level surface, measure up from the ground to ascertain what the correct ball height is and then measure up from the ground at the back of your tow vehicle to calculate what your drop needs to be to make that so.
The RV dealer can help you with all of this and sell you the correctly sized hitch. There’s not a lot of markup on these things and you’ll probably pay a similar price, and they’ll do all the math and set it up for you.
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