Towing with a level trailer
 

I noticed that my Dodge Ram has tail sag when hooked up to my 19ft Escape and they are not level. Should I reconfigure my rise or drop on my truck hitch or look at an equalizing hitch to distribute weight better? Has anyone used an equalizer on this size trailer?

I use a WDH when towing my 19'. Levels the tow vehicle so there is no sag and provides a nice stable tow.

Because the Escape 19' has tandem Torflex axles, it is important that it is towed level. If the nose is lower the leading axle will take more than it's share of the load, making the trailer less stable, as if you moved the axles forward and reduced the tongue weight. Even a couple of inches lower than level - measured at the coupler - makes a difference.

If you are talking about a real Equalizer WDH, changing the head height on hitch shank will raise or lower the front of the trailer. Here's the manual if you don't have it. See steps 6 and 7 for adjusting the weight distribution. I found it to be a mix of the "L" bracket height and the head to shank angle. Keep in mind you may have to readjust the trailer for level once you level out the trucks weight distribution. Takes some fiddling around with.
On my old Ford Ranger, I could not get the truck to level by adjustments, had to resort to Air-Lifts. I believe my stick trailer hitch weight is a lot heavier then an Escape 19, 600 lbs loaded.

http://www.equalizerhitch.com/pdf/EQOwnersManual.pdf

If you don't have an Equalizer, skip this post.

We use the Anderson WDH on our 19' hooked to a 06 Tundra and it works great.

I just got the 21 and Anderson WDH, but I'm thinking about replacing the bump stops on the Trailblazer with a Timbren SES kit to help the rear coil springs.
http://timbren.com/

Paul,

If your hitch is adjusted properly you should not need the kit. On my old Trailblazer EXT with my Reese cranked up properly the Casita felt just fine. Had equal drops of 1-1/2" front and rear. Without the spring bars the back dropped at least 3" or more. Hitch weight would have been very similar to 21'. Just my thoughts. (Only reason I did not keep my TB was because of the high mileage and reliability. I believe it would have been fine with the 21' I have on order.)

I had the Timbren's installed on my Sienna several years ago. Before that I had airbags which were a constant problem with losing pressure. The Timbrens have been great for hauling my pop-up trailer and any other time I have a heavier load.

Was that drop at the front compared to the unloaded (no trailer) height, or compared to the height with trailer but no WD?

If the ride height at the front dropped - especially as much as 1.5" - from the unloaded position when the trailer was attached and WD applied, the WD hitch was not adjusted properly. It was adjusted to apply far too much load transfer, according to the instructions from Reese and other WD manufacturers: the WD system should just bring the front back down to the unloaded position, not further down.

Neal/Carl,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. The TB probably doesn't need them, the hitch weight so far is just below where GM says WD is necessary, but they shouldn't hurt either. I'll get the Anderson dialed in between this weekend and the NOG in a few weeks.
Those Jeep GCs are sure nice, but I'm going to run the TB for another season or so.... it's been very reliable so far, it's not worth anything in trade and paid for tugs seem to run better ;D.