Proper hitch adjustment question

[bikemutt]

We've got a 2024 Grand Design 23LDE travel trailer which we bought at the end of the '24 glamping season, took one trip with it in '24. Our truck is a 2019 GMC Sierra Denali. Prior to hauling the 23LDE, we owned a GD 17MKE; a lighter, smaller trailer.

The hitch is a Camco Recurve R3 which was dealer installed on the 17MKE, it was then moved to the 23LDE by the dealership sales person. I'm assuming that if the R3 was suitable for use with the smaller trailer and not for the present trailer, the dealership wouldn't have overlooked an opportunity to sell us a new hitch.

In any event, here we are now, figured I'd ask if the hitch appears properly adjusted, or if it needs further attention.

Here's the hitch assemblies:

I measured the rear bumper height from the road surface before hitching up; 26". Then I hitched the trailer with no torsion bars and let the truck bear the full tongue weight; the bumper height from the road was 23.5", a 2.5" drop from no-load.

Finally, I raised the tongue jack, installed the torsion bars and removed the tongue jack, bumper height was then 24", a 2" drop from no-load.

After a 2.5 hr ride today to the campground, the rig felt real good. We experienced some side winds and the usual mix of careless texting drivers, crazy speed demon passers, etc., the handling, breaking and acceleration were all stellar.

I've thought about air bags to get the truck ride closer to nominal, and fiddling with the hitch torsion but, maybe the present setup is fine. What do you all think?

Thank you.

 

[Domo]

I'd add some more tension as the back of the truck looks low, meaning the steering is lighter... should be level as close to "no load" as possible.

 

[IBTripping]

Your Grand Design has a GVWR of about 7,000 lbs. (6995). As you noted, your Denali is an adequate tow vehicle for that weight travel trailer. It may be that the weight distribution hitch needs to be adjusted to transfer more weight to the front axle.

 

[SpencerPJ]

You are likely fine. The only way you will know is evaluate your payload vs scaled weight. My guess your tongue weighs 850# with trailer loaded, add a wdh, a few things inside the truck bed, a few people, and you will be close to your available payload per the sticker in drivers door (especially on a Denali, typically less available payload). Can you measure the difference in front end height (ground to top of wheel well) with the truck sitting alone, then with wdh installed? It should vary less than 1".

 

[Bzerull]

Trailer should be level, front end is low and on your truck, the distance between the wheel well and the top of your tire should be the same front and back. The front on yours seems to be high and the rear low. Reducing the weight/ raising the hitch will help in leveling the trailer.

 

[mnmnutswer]

I pull a 35 foot same with RAM 1500 same setup however I’m also using two sway-bars. Level and bars tight no sway from wind or trucks passing. Only once I ran it up to 75 mph all good. Average speed 60-65…

 

[bikemutt]

After reading the manual, ahem, I decided to see about leveling out the ride. Had to pickup a 3/4" torque drive wrench and a set of sockets as the manual wants the two angle position bolts torqued to 260 ft/lb, way more than my 1/2" drive can accommodate. The manual goes on to say that as long as the height difference between the front end and the back end is 1" or less, good to go. After adjusting the hitch to the maximum recommended angle of 12°, the front to back height difference is 1/2" with the front being 1/2" higher. Hooking up does require using the power jack to raise the trailer hitch and the truck quite a bit more than before in order to lock the tension bars in place without a serious fight, but, that's a power jack's strong suite.

Thanks for the help team!

 

[scottydl]

Agreed with others that tightening up the chains (moving up a link or two) on your WDH round bars will transfer more weight to the front axle of your truck, and theoretically even things out. A good set of measurements to take is “top of the wheelwell to the ground” unhooked, then with trailer connected (the rear will drop and the front will raise), then a 3rd time with the WDH activated. That would bring rear and front measurements back closer to standard.

 

[Rene T]

Do this in a good level parking lot or level driveway and have the trailer loaded like you were going camping. Tanks full of water.
The way I always did it was to pick a spot on the front and rear fender on one side of the truck and mark it with a pencil or tape. Then measure down to the ground at both spots and record the readings. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion, the front was 26” and the back was 24”.
That a difference or delta of 2”.
Now hook up the trailer and put some tension equally on both chains. Now take another set of measurements. What you want to end up with is a difference of 2” which is the delta. You could end up with 23.5” at the front and the back 20”. That is a delta of 3.5”. That’s not good. Go up one link on the chains and take another set of readings. Remember you need to end up with a 2” delta. Now yours will probably be different but do you get my point?

Now take a tape measure reading from the bottom of the trailer frame to the ground at the front and at the back. Both readings have to be the same. You may need to unbolt your hitch and either raise or lower it till the trailer is level. Do the tape measure readings on the truck all over again. Once you are done’ paint the links on the chains so you always use the same link.

 

[RayIN]

This is without a doubt the best, most accurate article written on How to properly set-up a weight-distributing hitch that I've ever seen and read since I began towing trailers in 1970. At the time of writing it covered nearly all the major weight-distributing hitches.
It's not all about the torsion bars, the ball mount must be properly adjusted first.

 

[bikemutt]

Do this in a good level parking lot or level driveway and have the trailer loaded like you were going camping. Tanks full of water.
The way I always did it was to pick a spot on the front and rear fender on one side of the truck and mark it with a pencil or tape. Then measure down to the ground at both spots and record the readings. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion, the front was 26” and the back was 24”.
That a difference or delta of 2”.
Now hook up the trailer and put some tension equally on both chains. Now take another set of measurements. What you want to end up with is a difference of 2” which is the delta. You could end up with 23.5” at the front and the back 20”. That is a delta of 3.5”. That’s not good. Go up one link on the chains and take another set of readings. Remember you need to end up with a 2” delta. Now yours will probably be different but do you get my point?

Now take a tape measure reading from the bottom of the trailer frame to the ground at the front and at the back. Both readings have to be the same. You may need to unbolt your hitch and either raise or lower it till the trailer is level. Do the tape measure readings on the truck all over again. Once you are done’ paint the links on the chains so you always use the same link.

Yes, I see your point, thank you.

This particular weight distributing hitch is a bit different; it doesn't use chains. Instead, it requires changing the ball assembly angle to adjust spring bar tension.