Do weight distribution bars need to sit level on the brackets?

[JeffandLori]

I have a Rockwood 2906WS and am pulling it with a 2013 F-150 5.0. I am just barely within weight specs, but that's because I am handicapped with the 3.31 rear end. Fully loaded I'm fine on payload, but about 100lbs short on tow and a couple hundred under on GCVWR.

The rig tows fine except when the fresh water tank is filled. That puts me at my limits and it doesn't feel as stable as when empty. Checking the WDH, measurements at fender look like this:

• Unhitched - 35 7/8"
• Hitched- no WDH - 36 3/4"
• Hitched-WDH 36 1/2"

And when I checked the weight at the CAT scale, even with the WDH, the front axle was about 250lbs lighter than unhitched.

So I moved the brackets up one notch. That brought the measurement at the fender right back to 36". I then drained the water to ensure it didn't push the nose down below stock and it was still right at 36". It'll be a while before I can get to a CAT scale. In the meantime, my WDH bars are going uphill as they go back to the trailer. Is this a bad thing?

Should I start over and make adjustments to the ball as well?

Drive it and see if it improves?

Back end of the truck squats about 1.5" at wheel well now. Didn't measure before.






thx

ps- jack is about 1" off the ground in the photos.

[andymil]

I adjusted the brackets to match the angle of the bars as best as I could.

[HangDiver]

There are others here more knowledgeable than I re: WDHs... That said, after measuring my front and rear fender height with nothing hitched, I adjust my Husky WDH to get within a half inch of those original measurements. That is, I adjusted my bars/ball height & tilt so that my truck sits almost exactly as it does without anything hooked up.

It sounds like you're measuring the rear fender height only? I'm not sure the angle of your bars matters as much as how your truck sits normally unhitched compared to hitched, but someone else can comment on that.

[bigmurph]

It is hard to tell from the picture but can the ball be tilted back? That would help the bar do their job a little better.

[AZ Pete]

I believe the bars should be parallel to the frame. You can add tension to the bars by adding more washers behind the ball. Do you have the hitch adjustment instructions? They will have the proper set up instructions.

[JeffandLori]

Originally Posted by HangDiver

It sounds like you're measuring the rear fender height only?

No, and I apologize if I was unclear. The measurements in the bulleted list that are around 36" were all taken from the front wheel well as per the Equal-i-zer manual.

My reference to the rear squatting was only to indicate that there was still some downward angle between truck and trailer.

thx

[Seachaser186]

Like someone else mentioned, you need to tilt the hitch head downward. There should be an adjustment for doing that.

[JeffandLori]

Originally Posted by bigmurph

It is hard to tell from the picture but can the ball be tilted back? That would help the bar do their job a little better.

I see what you are saying there. I do have the instructions. What I don't have is a socket or torque wrench big enough. If that angle is bad- and my sense is that it would cause accelerated wear, I may return them to their previous position until I can try to add a washer in the hitch if possible or return to the dealer.

Unless the hive says that is an acceptable method of getting a bit more torque without messing with the hitch.

[Briorick]

Originally Posted by AZ Pete

I believe the bars should be parallel to the frame. You can add tension to the bars by adding more washers behind the ball. Do you have the hitch adjustment instructions? They will have the proper set up instructions.

X2.....Looking at the pictures, I would suggest the same. Need more washers behind the ball. That would better align his bars.

[andymil]

Follow the manual for the hitch. I'd put the brackets back to the original position and make adjustments with the washers.

[HangDiver]

Originally Posted by JeffandLori

No,.... The measurements in the bulleted list that are around 36" were all taken from the front wheel well as per the Equal-i-zer manual.

Hope you get it figured out.

[Dan_M]

Took a pic in June.

Bars are parallel and lower than the frame.

[Platokidd]

Question, is that hitch rated for the weight your towing?
I only ask this because I could not adjust my 10k to work right when I purchase my new Lacrosse. My 10k bars kept bowing and I couldn't get it set to my liking.. Had to upgrade to the 14k and was good to go!.
I dont know the specs on your camper or what weight wdh you have. (10k - 12k 14k)
Could be your under sized on your wdh and mis adjusted.
Now to me the hitch looks to be not adjusted correctly. Those bars should be parallel or slightly down on the campers end.
Need to tilt the head back by adding more washers (don't go over max #) and lower the L brackets.

The manual is a good bathroom read

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by andymil

Follow the manual for the hitch. I'd put the brackets back to the original position and make adjustments with the washers.

What he said!
The first thing to do is adjust the head as much as possible, to get the right amount of weight transfer. You accomplished this in a different way (and 36" is a good front number for you), but you created another problem.

Put the L-brackets back where they were, and try adding 2 washers. you can have up to 8 washers. If that's not enough, THEN you would take other steps.

[thebrakeman]

PS - Having the bars tilted too much will cause the edge of the L-bracket to gouge into the bar when turning, causing noise and wear. Keeping things parallel will make things quieter, and keep things sliding surface-to-surface.

[CedarCreekWoody]

You need to lower those brackets to make the bars parallel to the frame per Equalizer instruction, then adjust head angle as needed. They will be extremely loud and cause excessive wear as you now have them set.

[Chaplain Kent]

The Equalizer system is not just WD it is also sway control. The picture you attached shows the bars bowed by the weight applied, this is not good. Go to etrailer website and check out their video for installation.

[LynnGlaze13]

Originally Posted by Platokidd

Question, is that hitch rated for the weight your towing?
I only ask this because I could not adjust my 10k to work right when I purchase my new Lacrosse. My 10k bars kept bowing and I couldn't get it set to my liking.. Had to upgrade to the 14k and was good to go!.
I dont know the specs on your camper or what weight wdh you have. (10k - 12k 14k)
Could be your under sized on your wdh and mis adjusted.
Now to me the hitch looks to be not adjusted correctly. Those bars should be parallel or slightly down on the campers end.
Need to tilt the head back by adding more washers (don't go over max #) and lower the L brackets.

The manual is a good bathroom read

The GVWR on the trailer "seems" to be about 8500 lbs or so with a dry weight of 7K.
The highest rated 2013 5.0L (RCLB) is 8400 lbs but if the trailer isn't loaded to the max he could just be under that rating. He says he is in the OP.

ProPride recommends 1400 bars on their P3 hitch once you pass 850 lbs of tongue weight so I would think your recommendation would be spot on.

[Bnrc73]

You've gotten a lot of good information here. The only thing I would like to add is for around $20 you can pick up from Manards, the two wrenches you need to adjust your ball, add washers,etc. They should be part of your trailer tools. Those bolts on the WDH should be checked regularly. Just my opinion.

[Grouch]

I have a similar problem with my new rig, so I was looking at this last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymcB2yeZr4s