Upgraded Tow Vehicle WD hitch adjustment

[CommTech]

I just upgraded my tow vehicle from a F-150 CCSB 4X4 3.5 EB to a F-250 CCSB 4X4 6.2L. The camper is a Flagstaff 25BDS that CAT scale weighed in at 6300 lbs. ready to camp (I don't tow with water in the tanks)



Since I am still in the 1,000 mile break in period where towing is discouraged by Ford, I would like to get a better idea of what changes those who have made a similar upgrade have made to their Equalizer 4pt WD hitch when transitioning from a 150 / 1500 series to a 250 / 2500 series tow vehicle.



I connected the trailer to the hitch but did not install the bars just to see if I needed to get a shank with more drop since the F-250 sets up higher than the F-150 did.



With the full tongue weight of the trailer (950 lb.) on the ball of the Equalizer hitch the front fender measurement of the truck increased by .5" and a level placed on the floor inside the camper showed perfectly level front to back.


I own the Equalizer, so I intend to use it, but my understanding is the sway control part of the hitch needs the bars to be under tension to provide the sway control. If the trailer is already level without the bars being installed how would I put them under tension?


I weighed the truck at the CAT scale. With a full tank of gas, me and the DW in the truck total weight was 7180 lbs. Front axle 4240 lbs. and rear axle 2940 lbs. It is a 10K GVWR truck, payload sticker of the truck says 3106, actual usable appears to be 2820 lbs. (10K less 7180). The GAWR for the truck are 5600 lbs front, and 6340 lbs rear.


Oh, and the safety chain hooks on this camper fit the Ford hitch without modification. I have to put the hooks on from the top down, they won't go on from the bottom up, but they do fit. The tag on the chains says " 5/16 Grade 43 Chain".


Thanks in advance for any experiences you want to share.

[SeaDog]

the bars on a wdh are not for leveling a trailer they are for transferring weight to the front of your TV. You should be able to add some tension (transfer some weight) and the rig should still remain close to level.

[CommTech]

OK, perhaps I didn't explain the question clearly.

On the F-150, the trailer's tongue weight caused considerable sag, so lifting the tongue and back of the truck up with the tongue jack allowed the bars to sit on the L brackets on the trailer and provided the tension needed on the bars (by transferring weight) and brought the height of the hitch as well as the front of the trailer up, and making it very close to level, since the full tongue weight was no longer being carried by truck's rear suspension.

With the F-250, there is very little sag when the trailer's full tongue weight is applied, thus the source of the tension on the bars has been mostly eliminated.

My concern is that with a reduced source of tension for the bars the sway benefits of the hitch will be greatly reduced. So, I am looking for a way to provide enough tension for the sway control to function.

I will hitch up with the bars the next time I am at the storage location and see if there is any tension at all on the bars.

[youroo]

To the OP drop the WD head Down 1 set of holes and see if that produces the Needed tension for your Sway Control to be Active! While still having TV and Trailer Level! Yes you Need substantial Friction for the Sway Control! Youroo!!

[Lins]

Originally Posted by CommTech

OK, perhaps I didn't explain the question clearly.

On the F-150, the trailer's tongue weight caused considerable sag, so lifting the tongue and back of the truck up with the tongue jack allowed the bars to sit on the L brackets on the trailer and provided the tension needed on the bars (by transferring weight) and brought the height of the hitch as well as the front of the trailer up, and making it very close to level, since the full tongue weight was no longer being carried by truck's rear suspension.

With the F-250, there is very little sag when the trailer's full tongue weight is applied, thus the source of the tension on the bars has been mostly eliminated.

My concern is that with a reduced source of tension for the bars the sway benefits of the hitch will be greatly reduced. So, I am looking for a way to provide enough tension for the sway control to function.

I will hitch up with the bars the next time I am at the storage location and see if there is any tension at all on the bars.

If I were you, I would first do what SeaDog mentioned. If it's not level enough for you, follow youroo's suggestions.

[CommTech]

Thank you Yooroo, your suggestion is confirmation of the only solution I was coming up with which is to lower the hitch a notch so the bars will be under tension.

I will have to see if there are any lower holes in the stock shank or if I will need to purchase one with more drop.

If I do need to purchase a replacement, the F-250 has a 2.5" receiver so I might as well get a shank for that size receiver while I am at it and eliminate the need to use the adapter that came with the truck.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by CommTech

Thank you Yooroo, your suggestion is confirmation of the only solution I was coming up with which is to lower the hitch a notch so the bars will be under tension.

I will have to see if there are any lower holes in the stock shank or if I will need to purchase one with more drop.

If I do need to purchase a replacement, the F-250 has a 2.5" receiver so I might as well get a shank for that size receiver while I am at it and eliminate the need to use the adapter that came with the truck.

Big price to pay for the 2-1/2" shank,I use the adapter as when it is in Use under tension it is Quite! You will Not bend or break the 2" Shank pulling your TT! Youroo!!

[itat]

When we switched to the F-250 I found it sits higher than the old 2009 F-150 so I had to order a shank with more drop. Our TT weighs about 7300# fully loaded with about 760# on the tongue. It drops the back end of the F-250 several inches. It took a few tries but I got it dialed in just right.

[TNVJONES]

I have the exact same trailer and tow vehicle with an E2 hitch. You will need to get the extended shank to be able to drop the hitch. I would also suggest following the instructions for set up as you may need to re-assess the number of washers to get the proper tilt angle of the ball as it may differ from the F-150 once you have the correct drop on the shank. I would not spend extra $ for 2.5”shank unless I was planning on towing over 10k. Good luck. You will like how easy this set up ties once dialed in.

[CommTech]

Thanks everybody, perhaps a second 2" to 2.5" adapter is a smarter purchase and just order a 2" shank with more drop once I get a chance to actually hook the trailer up fully with bars.

The adapter becomes a critical piece of hardware with the 2" shank and a 2.5" receiver wouldn't want to be without one, better to have a spare.

I have no plans to pull 10K, there may be one upgrade in the fairly near future, but the GVWR on that unit is a little less than 8K and total length less than 30 ft. Flagstaff 26RBWS or Rockwood 2606WS.

[prestonj12]

Get rid of that adaptor. Look closely, the adapter is rated for very low tow weights. I’ve replaced all of mine with actual 2.5 inch shank bars.

[bshort]

Originally Posted by CommTech

Thanks everybody, perhaps a second 2" to 2.5" adapter is a smarter purchase and just order a 2" shank with more drop once I get a chance to actually hook the trailer up fully with bars.

The adapter becomes a critical piece of hardware with the 2" shank and a 2.5" receiver wouldn't want to be without one, better to have a spare.

I have no plans to pull 10K, there may be one upgrade in the fairly near future, but the GVWR on that unit is a little less than 8K and total length less than 30 ft. Flagstaff 26RBWS or Rockwood 2606WS.

I got the 2.5" shank because the 2" in the adapter clunks around.

[CommTech]

OP here, just wanted to post an update on the adjustment made to the E4 hitch and the results after the first tow this weekend.


Four washers were removed from the Equalizer hitch head and that was the only adjustment made to the hitch.


Towing with the F-250 is a much more pleasant experience. The F-150 with the Ecoboost worked OK, but with only a few hundred pounds of payload capacity left, it was time for a heavier duty tow vehicle. The F-250 works so much better, and I have capacity for a TT upgrade when the right time and deal come along.



Thanks to all who contributed their guidance on this situation, and I will be stopping by the CAT scales in the fairly near future just to double check myself.

[Lins]

I’m surprised you removed washers. Washers are for the amount of tongue weight, not payload capacity. If it works for you, though, great!

[babock]

Originally Posted by Lins

I’m surprised you removed washers. Washers are for the amount of tongue weight, not payload capacity. If it works for you, though, great!

To bring back the height to level will be far less tension on the equilizing bars on a 3/4T than a 1/2T. Makes total sense.

[Lins]

Originally Posted by babock

To bring back the height to level will be far less tension on the equilizing bars on a 3/4T than a 1/2T. Makes total sense.

I did the same thing, didn’t have to change much. Takes the same force, just moves less on a 3/4t

[babock]

Originally Posted by Lins

I did the same thing, didn’t have to change much. Takes the same force, just moves less on a 3/4t

It doesn't take the same force. You aren't moving all of the tongue weight...just enough to level out the vehicle which will be way less on a 3/4T.

[Dustyhd]

You’ve done the right thing by removing those washers and the combination will handle better with less FALR(WD). The f250 will carry way more weight on the front axle with TW applied and would probably tow just fine with no WD at all. Use just enough WD to take advantage of the additional sway control the hitch provides.

[Lins]

Originally Posted by babock

It doesn't take the same force. You aren't moving all of the tongue weight...just enough to level out the vehicle which will be way less on a 3/4T.

I’m curious what the OP finds for scale weights if he measures with the hitch hooked up and not. 6 washers returns the lost weight to the front axle on ours. The couple hundred pounds lost is still lost on a 3/4t, it just visually looks less, and still takes a lot of force to return for optimum handling.