Hitch height help

[daydreamer36535]

Hi all,
I am getting my hitch hooked up and from my manual (1974 ambassador) I see it needs to be 191/2" to the top of the ball.

With the newer taller trucks, is this figure still good?

Is that in an unloaded or loaded truck?

I am assuming that is 191/2" , before hooking up the trailer? As the truck sits.

Thanks for your time,
Joe

[sovereign]

i loaded my truck first and then i set the height.

[thenewkid64]

I have to agree with soverign. All the instructions I have gotten say to set the ball height with the truck loaded as normal and gas tank(s) full.

Then after hooking up and adjusting the weight transfer bars park on a flat piece of parking lot. Walk off 25-30 yards from the trailer and see if the whole rig sits level. The trailer should be level front to back and the tow vehicle should be level front to back as well. Not being "Plumb" can cause sway and conrtol problems that could get you hurt. Not to mention others on the road. The overall height of the tow vehicle is not an issue unless it is sitting so high you need a ladder to get in and out!

[niftypkg]

So far as I know, hitch height is very important. Too low in back and you hit the road, too low in front and the crank will hit on driveways. If you use load levelers you need to experiment so that truck & trailer are level. Remember you my want to use the frig. or sleep without unhooking . At the correct ball height the trailer should be level. A hitch with an adjustable ball height is useful. With my F250 the truck hardly moves when I set the ball on, so sag is dependent on the tow vehicle. I'm sure this forumn can add much more to this string. Remember to retract the crank fully!!
Tom

[Inland RV Center, In]

Airstream and Argosy trailer hitch heights are governed by "two" things.
1. The weight that you have added (payload).

2. The condition of the axles.

Two like year and model trailers would probably not have the same ball height, because of those two factors.

The "ONLY" accurate way to determine the ball height of any trailer, is to load it for travel, level the trailer, and then measure from inside the coupler to the ground. For heavy duty suspension tow vehicles add about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to that dimension. For a softer suspension tow vehicle, add 1/2 to 1 inch.
Level the tow vehicle, then set the ball height.
Keep in mind, that the purpose of a load equalizing hitch, is to keep the trailer level, with respect to itself, and, to keep the tow vehicle level with respect to itself.
Additionally, the load equalizing hitch will then redistribute not only the tongue weight, BUT, also the trunk weight.
At the same time, the torsion bars, depending on brand, should bend 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches. That further signifies transfer of weight.
When the bars have little to no bend in them when hooked up, they are not transfering much weight. That then keeps entirely too much weight on the rear axle of the tow vehicle and not enough on the front tow vehicle axle. That results in very poor steering stability, and makes the entire rig highly susceptible to dangerous sway conditions.


Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com

[Oldhip]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Airstream and Argosy trailer hitch heights are governed by "two" things.
1. The weight that you have added (payload).

2. The condition of the axles.

Two like year and model trailers would probably not have the same ball height, because of those two factors.

The "ONLY" accurate way to determine the ball height of any trailer, is to load it for travel, level the trailer, and then measure from inside the coupler to the ground. For heavy duty suspension tow vehicles add about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to that dimension. For a softer suspension tow vehicle, add 1/2 to 1 inch.
Level the tow vehicle, then set the ball height.
Keep in mind, that the purpose of a load equalizing hitch, is to keep the trailer level, with respect to itself, and, to keep the tow vehicle level with respect to itself.
Additionally, the load equalizing hitch will then redistribute not only the tongue weight, BUT, also the trunk weight.
At the same time, the torsion bars, depending on brand, should bend 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches. That further signifies transfer of weight.
When the bars have little to no bend in them when hooked up, they are not transfering much weight. That then keeps entirely too much weight on the rear axle of the tow vehicle and not enough on the front tow vehicle axle. That results in very poor steering stability, and makes the entire rig highly susceptible to dangerous sway conditions.


Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com

Can someone tell me the height measurement from ground to BOTTOM of coupler on level 20x Basecamp?
Thanks!

[ROBERT CROSS]

The google is your fiend..

Maybe, say 4in less than from the top.🤔

Bob
🇺🇸