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Old 09-21-2016, 08:46 PM   #1
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What Ball For A213HW

Thanks, in part, to what I learned on this Board I have just closed on a A213HW. Walk through scheduled for Friday!

What kind of ball should I be purchasing for this trailer? I will be pulling it with a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the hitch package.
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Old 09-21-2016, 08:55 PM   #2
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You shoud get a weight distributing hitch with sway control. It will make towing much easier. There are several brands available. I went with the equal-i-zer brand. To find WDHs go to etrailer.com and search for weight distribution hitch.
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Old 09-22-2016, 02:30 AM   #3
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You will need a 2" ball for the A213HW. It is also very important that you have the correct drop on the hitch itself. The best thing to do is back your TV up to the trailer during the PDI a new have the rep determine what the correct hitch drop is.
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Old 09-22-2016, 06:01 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tjwoody View Post
You shoud get a weight distributing hitch with sway control. It will make towing much easier. There are several brands available. I went with the equal-i-zer brand. To find WDHs go to etrailer.com and search for weight distribution hitch.
A WDH for a unit with a GVWR of less than 3300#? It hardly hits the prerequisite of needing brakes. The unit itself is only a couple hundred pounds over a ton. Methinks a WDH is overkill. Maybe an E2 if you want to go that route, but a full blown 4pt Equalizer is way too much IMHO.
But to answer the OP's question, a 2" ball is required. And as Brimare57 states, the drop of the draw bar is very important.

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Old 09-22-2016, 06:56 AM   #5
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A WDH for a unit with a GVWR of less than 3300#? It hardly hits the prerequisite of needing brakes.
It's not the vehicle weight it's the heavy tongue weight of AFrames with front storage trunks vs the TV characteristics. If the Grand Cherokee has off road suspension, then I would think the WDH would be a good idea to eliminate the rear end sag. If it has the harder sport suspension, maybe not.

Personally, I'd wait and see how it looked, and weigh it after hitching. And not be concerned about sway control as these campers tow wonderfully.
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Old 09-22-2016, 08:39 AM   #6
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I just weighed my 213s tongue weight for the 1st time. With the storage locker pretty much empty, the hot water tank full and the potable water tank about half, it came in at about 390 lbs.

I have a full size chevy ext cab and as you might expect, there is 0 sway.
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Old 09-22-2016, 08:46 AM   #7
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The op asked for size of ball which given the weight of the unit it requires a 2" ball as others have said. I also agree that a WDH is overkill and to first try the setup without, but with proper drop also as others have said.
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Old 09-22-2016, 02:32 PM   #8
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I'm thinking of ordering a A213HW but will need to set up my truck before I leave to pick it up. I have a Chevy pickup and several hitches for it, but it would be very helpful if I knew the best height for the hitch. I would really appreciate it if someone with a A213HW or T21TBHW could measure the height to the top of the ball when the unit is level.
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Old 09-22-2016, 03:08 PM   #9
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Our 213 is 16.5" off the ground when level.
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Old 09-23-2016, 12:14 PM   #10
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Wow, That's quite a bit lower than I expected. Is that to the TOP of the ball? You seem to have a Chevy 4x4 pickup too, so you must have quite a drop on your hitch. Can you tell me how far of a drop you are using?
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Old 09-23-2016, 05:13 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by PNWRVER View Post
Wow, That's quite a bit lower than I expected. Is that to the TOP of the ball? You seem to have a Chevy 4x4 pickup too, so you must have quite a drop on your hitch. Can you tell me how far of a drop you are using?
Not to the top of the ball. I am not an expert and refer to this site:

Choosing the Correct Ball Mount | etrailer.com

My truck does not have the z71 off road package, but does have the trailering package (thus a lower hitch height). Using the criteria in the above site, my hitch height (truck) is 17.5" and coupler height (camper) is 16.5"
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