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What do you think, do I need to level my trailer? 2024


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 

Level it out or no? What are the risks of towing with a trailer that isn't level? It's tipped forward if you can't really tell.

image1 (11).jpeg


fishing user avatarLoweStinger reply : 

Its in the receiver hitch drop, Get one with less.

 

Nice Boat !


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

Get on level ground, and put a level on it.  Or measure from the front and rear to the ground, and verify they are the same.  Excessive weight on the ball cause front end lift in the tow vehicle, and can cause steering issues.  If the ball is too high, you'll have trailer swaying issues.


fishing user avatarGlenn reply : 

Looks like your receiver hitch is a 1" drop.  It's really hard (if not impossible) to find one without a drop. You can flip it over instead. By the looks of it, that would probably give you the lift you need.


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 
  On 2/28/2018 at 12:01 AM, Glenn said:

Looks like your receiver hitch is a 1" drop.  It's really hard (if not impossible) to find one without a drop. You can flip it over instead. By the looks of it, that would probably give you the lift you need.

I was wondering if that was ok to do! Thanks


fishing user avatarfishnkamp reply : 

The trailer should be level and most run between 18 to 20 inches off the ground to the center of the ball. Try turning the draw bar over and reinstall the ball.  Try that and see if it works better.

 


fishing user avatarTOXIC reply : 

While I doubt your tongue weight is enough to cause a problem, you nay have a tracking issue with the trailer wanting to sway.  It's a bigger issue with tandem trailers and heavy tongue weights.  If it were me, I would get it as level as possible. Has it given you any problems towing?  It doesn't look like you are too far off.  


fishing user avatarPECo reply : 
  On 2/28/2018 at 3:24 AM, TOXIC said:

It doesn't look like you are too far off.

It looks fine, to me.


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 

I haven't had any trouble towing, but its a lot more obvious than it looks in that picture to the point that it bothers me just as far as aesthetics go. I am doing what Glenn mentioned above and swapping my ball to the other side. Gonna re-prime and paint it while I have it apart. 

 

The only problem I do run in to is when I need to put it in the garage it is tipped so far forward due to the elevated height of the garage that I have to sit on my bed step and do like a leg press type maneuver to get my jack stand to deploy to where it needs to be. It's not very fun and I'm hoping that this will lift the tongue up enough that I will be able to put the jack all the way down without it running into the ground. 


fishing user avatarJLBBass reply : 

flip the hitch receiver, and if it's a 1" drop, then you will add 2", and if a 2" drop, then you'll add 4" in height once flipped. that should do it!...........NICE BOAT!


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 

It looks a touch low in the front.  IMO, it's better to be low in the front than high.  I'd leave it alone.  Now, if you load up the truck and it drops more, then I'd probably look for a straight bar to level it out.


fishing user avatarJohnbt reply : 

Fwiw, etrailer says to get to zero you buy a mount with a 2" drop and a ball with a 2" rise.

 

www.etrailer.com/p-C40034.html

 

"2" Hitch Ball - 2" Rise - 1" Diameter x 2-1/8" Long Shank - 6,000 lbs"


fishing user avatarFurther North reply : 
  On 2/28/2018 at 4:26 AM, RenegadeBassin said:

I am doing what Glenn mentioned above and swapping my ball to the other side.

Keep in mind that this will move the ball up by 1/2 the size of the hitch bar, and the drop...so 2" total if you have a 2" hitch bar and a 1" drop now.

 

I've done this several times on different vehicles, and it works...as long as 2" isn't enough to move the trailer to far into the opposite condition...


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 
  On 3/1/2018 at 10:01 AM, Further North said:

Keep in mind that this will move the ball up by 1/2 the size of the hitch bar, and the drop...so 2" total if you have a 2" hitch bar and a 1" drop now.

 

I've done this several times on different vehicles, and it works...as long as 2" isn't enough to move the trailer to far into the opposite condition...

Ill try it out and if it looks like its too much I'll buy a straight bar. They've got a bunch on amazon.


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 

Or get one if these and you'll have a wide variety of options.  I love mine!

 

FB_IMG_1519936913745.jpg


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

That's a great looking device if you have multiple trailers and multiple tongue heights.  How much do they run?


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 4:49 AM, J Francho said:

That's a great looking device if you have multiple trailers and multiple tongue heights.  How much do they run?

 

 

It was $350 + shipping when I ordered it last spring.  I believe they have increased since then.  Hardest thing was finding a ball to fit it.  Only one company (Curt) makes a 2" ball with a 1.25"x2.5" shank.....and noone locally carried it.

 

All the money over the years I've spent on bars and balls would far exceed what I paid for this.


fishing user avatarFurther North reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 4:43 AM, S Hovanec said:

Or get one if these and you'll have a wide variety of options.  I love mine!

 

FB_IMG_1519936913745.jpg

Looks cool...also looks like it'd knock 50 pounds off my tow capacity... ;)

 

Do you have a link to it?  Never mind, found it: http://www.rhinohitch.com/product/2-aluminum/

 

It's only 25 pounds...


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 5:21 AM, Further North said:

Looks cool...also looks like it'd knock 50 pounds off my tow capacity... ;)

 

 

It's only 25 pounds...

 

The powdercoat steel one is 50#


fishing user avatarMickD reply : 

How did I ever get through towing my old rig thousands of miles off-level?


fishing user avatarS Hovanec reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 5:42 AM, MickD said:

How did I ever get through towing my old rig thousands of miles off-level?

If it was high or light on the front end, I'm surprised it wasn't all over the road.  My Tahoe is finicky, my old Silverado wasn't.


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 5:42 AM, MickD said:

How did I ever get through towing my old rig thousands of miles off-level?

Yeah like I said, mine towed fine the way it was, it just looked pretty weird.


fishing user avatarMickD reply : 
  On 3/2/2018 at 6:21 AM, S Hovanec said:

If it was high or light on the front end, I'm surprised it wasn't all over the road.  My Tahoe is finicky, my old Silverado wasn't.

It was low in front.   I towed with a GM mini van.


fishing user avatarBigAngus752 reply : 

I tow our Ranger RT188 with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the V6.  The boat sits level when there's no cargo in the Grand Cherokee and it pulls beautifully.  When we take week-long trips and the Jeep is full of luggage, coolers, etc. then the boat tends to be a little low at the nose but still pulls just fine at 75mph or up and down mountains.  But I would never, ever try to pull that boat with the trailer high at the nose.  The Grand Cherokee just doesn't have the mass of a big truck and that boat would wave my rear end all over.  If you stay a little low at the nose or level you won't notice a thing with your full-size truck.  


fishing user avatarafrayed knot reply : 

A 3" lift kit on the truck should solve the problem  


fishing user avatarRenegadeBassin reply : 
  On 3/3/2018 at 2:00 AM, afrayed knot said:

A 3" lift kit on the truck should solve the problem  

I actually have one :lol1: guess I should've went higher with it!




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