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

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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

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

 

Nice Boat !

  • Super User

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.

  • BassResource.com Administrator

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.

  • Author
5 minutes ago, 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

  • Super User

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.

 

  • Super User

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.  

10 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

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

It looks fine, to me.

  • Author

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. 

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!

  • Super User

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.

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"

  • Super User
On 2/27/2018 at 2:26 PM, 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...

  • Author
10 hours ago, 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.

  • Super User

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

 

FB_IMG_1519936913745.jpg

  • Super User

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

  • Super User
11 minutes ago, 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.

  • Super User
41 minutes ago, 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...

  • Super User
14 minutes ago, 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#

  • Super User

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

  • Super User
33 minutes ago, 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.

  • Author
14 hours ago, 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.

  • Super User
15 hours ago, 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.

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.  

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

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