What size ball? WD installation

prof_fate · 04-09-2011, 10:03 AM

Picking up our trailer on Tuesday - I've got the truck and a reese straitline WDH w/ dual cam antisway. What I don't have is the hitch ball itself.

What size does the trailer take? FOr the reese I should have a 1.25" shank -is this the common size that I can pick up at walmart/advance or should i have begun the hunt a while ago?

Any advice on install is most appreciated. I know to put the ball level with the tounge and get the wd bars such that the front of the truck only rises 1/4" over stock ride height (seems like a very small amount). I do have a nearly perfectly level paved driveway to do all this in at least.

I assume I"ll be drilling the tougue to mount the hitch - me and drilling metal are not a good combination, so any advice on drill speed, cooling,bit type, pilot hole, etc, is most welcome.

LadyWindrider · 04-09-2011, 12:40 PM

2 and 5/16 inch. Never seen one Wal Mart, or other places. Maybe Camping World.

You mention setting up the hitch in the driveway, but your first line says picking it up.....
How are you towing it home? The hitch needs to be set up before you leave with the trailer, at least that is my opinion.

acadianbob · 04-09-2011, 05:33 PM

2 5/16ths ball; it only comes with large shank due to required load capacity

I towed my trailer home without WD; but tongue weight was only 450 pounds (or so) and only 40 miles. You will need to decided whether it is safe to tow your trailer home from the dealer without WD. It may not be safe. So, just because I did it doesn't mean that you should. There are lots of variables, your skill, the trailer, your tow vehicle, road conditions, yadda, yadda, . . .

Yes, you will be drilling into your trailer frame to mount the brackets for the cams. I found it easier to start with a smaller bit and progressively go to larger ones in steps. But be very careful if you do this as the bit can "grab" and possibly injure you. You need to drill slowly and deliberately; ready to release the trigger if the bit grabs and stops. If it does that, the drill itself will twist and that could cause damage to YOU. I also occasionally oiled the bit.

Are you sure you don't want the dealer to install? That seems like a lot of trailer to attempt towing without WD for an Expy.

kalik282 · 04-09-2011, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prof_fate

Picking up our trailer on Tuesday - I've got the truck and a reese straitline WDH w/ dual cam antisway. What I don't have is the hitch ball itself.

What size does the trailer take? FOr the reese I should have a 1.25" shank -is this the common size that I can pick up at walmart/advance or should i have begun the hunt a while ago?

Any advice on install is most appreciated. I know to put the ball level with the tounge and get the wd bars such that the front of the truck only rises 1/4" over stock ride height (seems like a very small amount). I do have a nearly perfectly level paved driveway to do all this in at least.

I assume I"ll be drilling the tougue to mount the hitch - me and drilling metal are not a good combination, so any advice on drill speed, cooling,bit type, pilot hole, etc, is most welcome.

Do yourself a favor, (as others have suggested) and have the selling dealer install your hitch for you. They should do this for $0.00. They should have the level area needed for proper installation.

Oh yeah...and 2 5/16 is the standard TT ball size.

John

prof_fate · 04-09-2011, 06:15 PM

Install is free if I'd have bought their $1500 hitch...I opted to go and get my own for $500. Not sure if they'd install mine for free at this point.
They are delivering it to me (following us home). It was a display model at the RV show so it's been towed a few times now with no WD hitch so it can be done, at least by experienced knowledgable folk.

miatared · 04-09-2011, 06:53 PM

I would check with the dealer or FR.

I have a Shamrock 19 (twin of the Roo 19) and it has a 2 inch hitch - it is stamp on it. Yet a friend with a Jayco 19 has a 2 5/16 inch.

LadyWindrider · 04-09-2011, 09:47 PM

His trailer is in the 6500 pound neighborhood. Not only should it never be towed by an expedition without sway control, An Expedition is going to have a full load with that weight. 3 children, wife, stuff, it will be interesting.

popik · 04-10-2011, 12:55 AM

it will be fine...just dont race anyone

SaskCampers · 04-10-2011, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acadianbob

2 5/16ths ball; it only comes with large shank due to required load capacity

they actually come in class III 1" and class IV/V 1 1/4" shank sizes. I have both.

acadianbob · 04-10-2011, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windrider

His trailer is in the 6500 pound neighborhood. Not only should it never be towed by an expedition without sway control, An Expedition is going to have a full load with that weight. 3 children, wife, stuff, it will be interesting.

X2 You will definitely need that WD hitch. I hope you have the longer wheelbase Expy.

I'm glad they are towing it to your home for you. Be safe!

dimurrrw · 04-10-2011, 08:42 AM

Everybody here seems to be making the assumption that you acquired a hitch with bars of appropriate capacity for your trailer. Just out of curiosity, what weight bars did you get?

dimurrrw · 04-10-2011, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prof_fate

Install is free if I'd have bought their $1500 hitch...I opted to go and get my own for $500. Not sure if they'd install mine for free at this point.
They are delivering it to me (following us home). It was a display model at the RV show so it's been towed a few times now with no WD hitch so it can be done, at least by experienced knowledgable folk.

You know, it might be a real good idea to find a local hitch shop and offer the mechanic $100, or so, to stop by your house after work and do the install for you. He would have the proper tools and knowledge to do it properly.

SaskCampers · 04-10-2011, 08:49 AM

Don't forget the 01 Expedition is truley an F150 chassis vs the newer style that has IRS etc. and they are rated to tow 7400 to 7700lbs if properly equipped. In reality they are within a couple hundred lbs of the F150 Supercrew of that era for towing capacity. BTW there was only 1 wheelbase back then. Big diff is the Supercrew was on a 138" wb and the Exp on a 119".

prof_fate · 04-10-2011, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSasks

they actually come in class III 1" and class IV/V 1 1/4" shank sizes. I have both.

Both walmart and advance auto have the 2 5/16 but in a 1" shank, 6,000lb capacity. I'll try the dealer on tuesday when we pick up -they should have it or know where I can get one, or I'll mailorder it and wait.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dimurrrw

Everybody here seems to be making the assumption that you acquired a hitch with bars of appropriate capacity for your trailer. Just out of curiosity, what weight bars did you get?

8,000. Empty trailer is 5465, gvwr I think is 7500 give or take a few pounds. We never plan to load it anywhere near that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSasks

Don't forget the 01 Expedition is truley an F150 chassis vs the newer style that has IRS etc. and they are rated to tow 7400 to 7700lbs if properly equipped.

8100 lbs actually, and ours is so equipped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by acadianbob

X2 You will definitely need that WD hitch. I hope you have the longer wheelbase Expy.
I'm glad they are towing it to your home for you. Be safe!

The longer WB expy (which is newer, back in 01 it was the F250 based excursion - rare and very expensive). The longer WB might be nice but it weighs more and can't tow more so you actually lose some GCWR, will be tempted to put more stuff in the truck - and don't forget the space from rear axle to hitch is much longer too giving the trailer more leverage. I'm guessing it's 6 of 1, half dozen of another.
Our plan is to to tow to our campground (75 miles) and once there all we need to do is move the trailer in and out of storage. We can leave it there in the winter but the plan is to bring it home. We'd like to take a week and go somewhere over the summer but that's still up in the air at this point.

The WD hitch is pretty much mandatory to tow that much/have that much toungue weight. A bit of research shows that the dual cam is great sway control, short of a hensley. If we were planning to tow a lot then we'd have done things differently.

If the expy doesn't work out for some reason or I find a 'better' vehicle (talk to the DW on that one) then we can always change. The blue book on ours is $7000 and we paid $4400. The wife wants a pickup for herself to drive to work but also wants the dog and all the kids inside with us. That makes a pu even with a cap a difficult sell to her as it will get croweded on trips to the camper with our kids, borrowed kids, dog, food, bikes, etc. We looked at two, an 02 F250 4 dr long bed V10 Dually and an 01 dodge 4 dr long bed w/ a cummins - $10k and $8k respectively.

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