2018 HW276 hitch height

[Spetz]

Good day all, first post here.

The Mrs and I are getting a 2018 HW276 but we are having a hard time deciding on what WD hitch to get. Seems easy but our tow vehicle is about 5" inches higher than stock.

For the life of me I can't find the stock hitch height for the trailer to base a drop shank length on.

Does anyone know offhand what the hitch height for a level HW276 is?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[SeaDog]

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. You didn't say what your tow vehicles is that can have a real bearing on WDH or no WDH. It may be that with a trailer that has a gross weight of around 3800 lbs and a tongue weight of about 300 a WDH is really not needed.

[spurticus]

More than likely a WDH is not needed. Again, need your TV info. I had a HW pup and only added a friction sway bar.


Here’s a good quick video from Curt on how to figure out proper ball mount rise or drop.

https://youtu.be/Dgmo5w7ddVw

[Spetz]

My TV is a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with Max tow package. I'm replacing the Class II hitch with a Class III so I can run the WD hitch. I "may" not need it, but I will be close to max weight so the safer the better. It'll be short distance trips only.

[pojp58]

Most WDH instructions will tell you to set the ball height to the same height where the leaf
springs on your truck touches the rear axle.

[Spetz]

I know the height it is supposed to be set at, but because the trailer is on order, I am looking for the WD hitch beforehand so I can order it and then get it installed during pick up. By knowing the stock hitch height measurement, I can then figure out what size drop shank I will require (if any) so that the tow bar will be level.

Current Wranglers do not have leaf springs.

Hope this makes sense..

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by SeaDog

Welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. You didn't say what your tow vehicles is that can have a real bearing on WDH or no WDH. It may be that with a trailer that has a gross weight of around 3800 lbs and a tongue weight of about 300 a WDH is really not needed.

X2. Does the HW276 use a 2" ball? If so, I wouldn't think a WDH is necessary. We pull a 7,000 lb cargo trailer without a WDH because it is not required. That's about twice the weight of your new popup.

What I would suggest is adding load leveler type air bags to the rear of the Rubicon. They will do nothing to increase weight capacity, but they do wonders leveling a load, road stability, and much more comfortable ride. They are cheap and easy to install. Check "Air Lift 60817" fits rear of Jeep Wrangler.

2007-2017 Jeep Wrangler 2WD & 4WD - Air Lift 1000 Air Helper Springs [REAR] [60817] | $81.63 | SD Truck Springs | Leaf Springs, Helper Springs and Suspension Parts

Your TT dealer should be able to give you a ball height for the trailer. If you have a ball on your Rubicon, measure that height and determine the drop. You should be able to determine the necessary hitch drop doing simple math. My guess is that it would be a 4 to 5 inch drop. On our son's Liberty, we use a 5" drop to clear the bottom of the spare tire.

[EJdubc]

we purchased a 2018 HW276SC in the fall. Our TV is a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I don't know the tongue height of the trailer offhand but I use a 2" straight receiver on my class IV hitch rated for 6,400 with no WD. the max trailer weight with cargo is under 4,000 and tows nicely without the WD. I think your Rubicon with class III should be rated for 5,000(?) so might be good to try without the WD as you most likely don't need.

my straight mount is the perfect height (has the 2" ball mount slightly below the 2" tube) so if you can back up to a Grand Cherokee with a factory hitch and see how much higher/lower your are, that might give you an idea? Just a thought.

Welcome to the forum and BTW we love our HW and hope you do too!

[tigger68]

We have a 2016 hw296 and were towing with a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We towed without WD too

[OttieJB]

We own a 2017 hw276 and towed it with our Hummer H3 (smallest Hummer) and a anti-sway bar with no problem at all—didn’t need weight distribution hitch. We ordered our trailer and I remember while waiting for it I wanted to make sure everything was ready before we got it, don’t get me wrong it’s great to be prepared but I ended up buying a lot of things we really didn’t need. Hitch height is important but regarding the WD hitch..you probably don’t need it. I would recommend a anti-sway bar setup though—they work for a trailer that size (weight). With that said, with the trailer level, the bottom of the tongue is approximately 20” from the ground and the top is 22” from the ground.

[OttieJB]

With that said, with the trailer (2017 HW276) level, the bottom of the tongue is approximately 20” from the ground and the top is 22” from the ground.