Fastway E2 WDH

[steve dunham]

We have the factory Fastway E2. WDH for our Escape 21 which we have never used
Based on tongue weights posted in recent threads it appears this may be time to put it to use
The setup procedure looks fairly simple but ?
Does anyone have any tips , pointers , things to avoid during setup / installation ?
The RV dealer in town is too busy to do the setup otherwise for the $50 , I’d let him do it !

[flynfrfun]

I installed mine following the instructions. Glad I did it myself. It can take a little fine tuning to get right. As the hitch breaks in it might require adjustments. I would not want to have to go to a shop and pay for this. But I’m a diy kind of guy.

Also once you go thru the process once you will start noticing all the trailers on the road with improperly set up WDH.

[gbaglo]

I'm moving from my RAV4 with a Hidden Hitch receiver and ProSeries WDH.
Measured today and it is 16 1/2 inches from the ground to the bottom of the hitch receiver on the new Highlander with OEM hitch receiver.
From the bottom of the hitch receiver on the RAV4 to the ground is only 11". Looks like I have to adjust it, and I'm looking for instructions. Found one video, but it mostly addressed sway bars ( that I don't have ) and wasn't very good anyway.

[steve dunham]

I got lazy , the RV shop near me said they could fit me in their schedule and the bill would be $40 if I paid them cash .
It’s done , the truck and trailer ride level and I’m out $40 .
Is it perfect, I don’t know, but the last WDH I had set up at the factory sure wasn’t .!

[mtnest]

My memory is faulty at times, but I’m pretty sure I came across excellent how-to videos from this company. I have the same WDH on our 19, installed by ETI when I picked up three years ago. Try searching the company’s web site. You may get lucky. -Tom

[flynfrfun]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'm moving from my RAV4 with a Hidden Hitch receiver and ProSeries WDH.
Measured today and it is 16 1/2 inches from the ground to the bottom of the hitch receiver on the new Highlander with OEM hitch receiver.
From the bottom of the hitch receiver on the RAV4 to the ground is only 11". Looks like I have to adjust it, and I'm looking for instructions. Found one video, but it mostly addressed sway bars ( that I don't have ) and wasn't very good anyway.

In general:
All of the below should be done on level ground.
1 Level trailer
2 Adjust hitch ball to same height as trailer coupler
3 With tow vehicle uncoupled, measure from ground to bottom of front fender at the axle
4 Couple tow vehicle and measure front fender again ( it should be a bigger number since the back end will squat and the front end will get nose high)
5 Now hook up your WDH chains and measure front fender a third time. Setup correctly the fender should measure about the middle of the two prior measurements.
5 Check trailer for level once you get things set up correct. If its too nose down you might have to go up a hole with the ball. If so then you need to double check the fender measurements because they will probably change which will require adjustment of the system.

I’m assuming you wont need to adjust the number of washers to get the head angle right since that is already set.

Disclaimer: I have only been thru this process once. My above steps are very general. Im only trying to give Glenn a rough idea of where to start. If you see anything wrong with the above feel free to chime in and correct me.

[gbaglo]

Thanks Josh. I think my tools and skills will allow me to phone North Shore RV Centre and book an appointment.

[flynfrfun]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Thanks Josh. I think my tools and skills will allow me to phone North Shore RV Centre and book an appointment.

Haha...I don't blame you. I was curious about how WDH systems work and also I’m cheap so did it myself. Now hopefully you can get it done for $40 like Steve did but I’m not going to hold my breath because you live in the same region as me and we know up here we pay double or triple for everything.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'm moving from my RAV4 with a Hidden Hitch receiver and ProSeries WDH.
Measured today and it is 16 1/2 inches from the ground to the bottom of the hitch receiver on the new Highlander with OEM hitch receiver.
From the bottom of the hitch receiver on the RAV4 to the ground is only 11". Looks like I have to adjust it...

Yes, the head will need to be roughly 5" lower on the hitch bar (shank), but that's not exact, because WDH adjustment also depends on dimensions of the tow vehicle (wheelbase and rear overhang). If the shank is currently turned up, it may need to be flipped down, but that's obvious when you look at it.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Looks like I have to adjust it, and I'm looking for instructions. Found one video, but it mostly addressed sway bars ( that I don't have ) and wasn't very good anyway.

Some people seem to be able to understand instructions only in a video, but many available videos are simply wrong. Every WDH manufacturer publishes clear printed instructions for installation and adjustment.

The Pro Series towing web site no longer shows weight distributing hitches, but Pro Series is just one of the brand names for the same company which also uses the Reese, Hidden Hitch, and Draw-Tite brands - that "Pro Series" WD hitch is the same as the same type from another one of these brands. If it is the basic trunnion type it is probably the Reese 66020, and that page links to installation instructions. If that's not the one, browse the WD products and find the match.

Adjustment is basically the same for all two-bar chained-up WD hitch systems, but the details of how the hitch head is secured to the shank and how the head angle is changed vary. The instructions linked above are 14 years old... and nothing has changed in that time.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by flynfrfun

2 Adjust hitch ball to same height as trailer coupler

It helps to start with the ball slightly (an inch or so) higher than the coupler, since the tow vehicle is going to squat some, even with the WD system properly adjusted.

Originally Posted by flynfrfun

5 Now hook up your WDH chains and measure front fender a third time. Setup correctly the fender should measure about the middle of the two prior measurements.

Well, it certainly will be lower than the high (hitched but no WD) number (that's the WD action) and should never be lower than the low (unhitched) number (that would be too much WD action), but standard practice is to aim for closer to the low (unhitched) front height rather than mid-way.

Originally Posted by flynfrfun

I’m assuming you wont need to adjust the number of washers to get the head angle right since that is already set.

But that setting was for the RAV4, and the Highlander may need less WD torque (because the Highlander has longer wheelbase) or more WD torque (because the Highlander has longer rear overhang). You can calculate this, or just do the setup and adjust if necessary... but I agree, at least starting with the same head angle is reasonable.

[gyuill]

Steve. Take a look at the L pin and the L pin locking clip. There is a new locking clip that is much easier to use and fixes a problem with the arms binding where it runs under the L pin. That spring clip holds the L pin up so it doesn’t ride on top os the bar. I, and others have had a problem where the arms bind and move the bracket on the frame.

Graham