Trailer not level towing

[Crows Nest]

Towing our new 21NE. Hitch ball was setup at 19” per ETI specs. Using E2 WDH. Top of hitch is at only 16” when hooked up. There is probably 40-50 pounds of stuff in the front storage plus two full propane tanks. Nothing under the front dinette. When picking up trailer ETI suggested I might need a heavier WDH. U don’t recall which one I have but what are other people using? Or should I raise the ball height? Thanks

[Rossue]

A tandem axle should be level. If that is not possible due to the intervals of adjustment then slightly nose high is preferable than nose down.

Fastway E2 is a good WDH; am surprised anyone at ETI would suggest a "heavier" WDH. We use a simpler WDH- the Pro Series which has no anti-sway however, we have a naturally heavier tongue weight with the layout of a 21C. If I had a 19 or 21NE I would have the E2 as well.

Some here have a Blue OX and fewer still have the Hensley Hitch- which to me is overkill for a <5,000# trailer.

[Crows Nest]

So should I raise the hitch ball?

[Rossue]

If it is nose-down on a flat surface I would. First, measure from the belly band to the ground along the side of the trailer towards the front then the back of the trailer to verify it is not level. Every tow vehicle is different and I had to buy an expensive Reese RP3344 shank to get enough drop as my receiver was fairly high on my Yukon & then same with the Expedition.

Hopefully you can just adjust the height perhaps one step up to get level or slightly nose up.

[Bill and Earline]

The main point of a WDH is to minimize the weight and therefore the drop occurring on the hitch ball.

If your's is dropping a full 3 inches from 19" to 16", then I'm guessing the WDH is not fully doing it's job.

See if you can get someone with experience with this WDH to see if you're getting the full benefit, depending on how it's been set up.

An inch and a half sounds more like it.

[Ops]

Here's a video you may wish to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGAdTyFkYvY

Another is this one from an Aussie engineer as he discusses WDH's and the importance of proper install.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCgRiVNaXFc&t=12s

Having recently watched a "car" towing a Boler, nose up/tail down, clearly overloaded, start to fishtail, and the driver NOT knowing what to do with his overloaded trailer/car combo and four passengers - it was clear that the good luck fairy provided the only guidance to his successful movement to the shoulder of the highway.

I presume that the toilet paper stash in the Boler was accessed shortly after stopping.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Rossue

A tandem axle should be level. If that is not possible due to the intervals of adjustment then slightly nose high is preferable than nose down.

That's in direct contradiction about what I've ever read about towing a trailer. Nose up can induce sway. I agree level is best, but I'd love to read where nose up is preferable, tandem axle or not.

etrailer blog: https://www.etrailer.com/question-9393.html

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

That's in direct contradiction about what I've ever read about towing a trailer. Nose up can induce sway. I agree level is best, but I'd love to read where nose up is preferable, tandem axle or not.

etrailer blog: https://www.etrailer.com/question-9393.html

This has come up before here of course and this is where I got verified what I had heard from Reace seems to apply here:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ion-18618.html

[MVA]

Originally Posted by Crows Nest

Towing our new 21NE. Hitch ball was setup at 19” per ETI specs. Using E2 WDH. Top of hitch is at only 16” when hooked up. There is probably 40-50 pounds of stuff in the front storage plus two full propane tanks. Nothing under the front dinette. When picking up trailer ETI suggested I might need a heavier WDH. U don’t recall which one I have but what are other people using? Or should I raise the ball height? Thanks

I could not tell from your post on how your tow vehicle is pitched (how far up) when the E2 trunnion bars are installed. Here is another video from Fastway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_kbKyXRZTM

A key point that the video nor the installation guide for the E2 hitch seems to cover (that I could find!) is the relationship of the washers in the hitch vs the trunnion L bracket position when adjusting weight distribution. After calling Fastway, the tech told me that the L bracket position is a rough adjustment in WD, and the number of washers is a fine adjustment in WD. For our F150 and E19, I need to purchase a lower drop shank to get the TV and trailer to tow level.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZS94B8

YMMV

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Rossue

This has come up before here of course and this is where I got verified what I had heard from Reace seems to apply here:
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ion-18618.html

Learn something new every day. Tandem axle is different than single when towing nose up. Now if I can just remember that.


Thanks Ross

[WillyB]

When we picked up our 21C in Sumas Escape set the E2 ball way too low. We drove it that way back to St. Louis but I've now raised the ball 3 holes higher.

It now rides flat as a pancake and is much less squirrelly.

[WillyB]

Sorry, I forgot to attached original Escape's unloved setup.

[splitting_lanes]

Originally Posted by WillyB

Sorry, I forgot to attached original Escape's unloved setup.

Whoa, that looks pretty bad! The parking lot looks familiar though.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Crows Nest

So should I raise the hitch ball?

Absolutely, you're asking way too much of the WDH.

Most WDHs have ratings. I used 600# on both my 19 and 21.

Ron

[Crows Nest]

My understanding is that the unloaded ball height should be the same as the trailer hitch (in this case 19”).

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by Crows Nest

My understanding is that the unloaded ball height should be the same as the trailer hitch (in this case 19”).

Escape had mine set at 16" unloaded. Waaaay too low. They did credit me back for the longer shank since they were wrong.

[John in Santa Cruz]

A WDH needs its spring bars adjusted to minimize droop when fully loaded, maybe 1" droop at the rear bumper from unhitched to hitched with spring bars connected.

but question, does your FRONT bumper drop significantly when you hook up the WDH ? ideally both bumpers drop about the same amount if the WDH is properly adjusted. if thats too much, IMHO, your vehicle is undersprung for that load.

My 21, when loaded, drops the back bumper on my Expedition about 1" and I'm not using any WDH. I'm running around 500 lbs tongue weight.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by WillyB

Escape had mine set at 16" unloaded. Waaaay too low. They did credit me back for the longer shank since they were wrong.

That's bad. Tammy's dad Dennis used to install the hitches at ETI and they were done well.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Absolutely, you're asking way too much of the WDH.

Most WDHs have ratings. I used 600# on both my 19 and 21.

Ron

And some make the mistake of buying a WDH with 1,000# TW bars as they are typically less money than the 600# TW bars- probably due to economies of scale...there are more heavier trailers out there. Using the stiffer bars on a light trailer is not a good ride.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

A WDH needs its spring bars adjusted to minimize droop when fully loaded, maybe 1" droop at the rear bumper from unhitched to hitched with spring bars connected.

but question, does your FRONT bumper drop significantly when you hook up the WDH ? ideally both bumpers drop about the same amount if the WDH is properly adjusted. if thats too much, IMHO, your vehicle is undersprung for that load.

My 21, when loaded, drops the back bumper on my Expedition about 1" and I'm not using any WDH. I'm running around 500 lbs tongue weight.

I've been towing my 21 with my 2019 Expedition for four years now and occasionally don't put the spring bars on. They make a noticeable difference, primarily with porpoising and general slop.