Travel Trailer Sag

[olyelr]

Ball height matters as the wrong angle requires different/more force on the bars to level out the car. often in a high ball scenario the installed bars are not capable of lifting the tail end up enough. incorrect install or too small bars.

But without the bars the car would indeed sag just as much. high or low

If you did have the wrong ball height, then you could still adjust the bar mounts on the trailer to be parallel still…but i get what you are saying. Im just saying, ball height is simply for making the trailer level. If the bars are not parallel then they have adjustment too. And im talking about the equalizer setup, as that is the only wd hitch i have ever dealt with and adjusted.

 

[Geotrash]

Hey folks,

I have a 2022 Yukon XL Denali (no air bag suspension) and I'm considering purchasing a travel trailer that has a dry weight of about 6320lbs. Today I went by the rv dealership to get a weight distribution hitch (equalizer 4) installed and to hook up the trailer. As you can see by the picture, I had about 2.5 in of sag in the back once everything was hooked up. The trailer looked pretty much level. How does this compare with others and is there anything I should be concerned about?

Thanks!

As there are no options I'm aware of for helper bags for the new generation of GM SUVs, your only real option is to max out the WDH setup. Start by making sure you have the strongest bars for your hitch - they usually come in ratings such as 600, 1000, 1200, etc corresponding with tongue weight. Then make sure you have the hitch set to maximize the leverage of the bars. On mine (Camco Recurve R3), there is an adjustment for this. Finally, as others have suggested, dropping the ball height one notch will help by increasing the leverage of the bars yet again.

That's about as good as you'll be able to get it until someone releases a rear suspension upgrade for the latest generation of GM SUVs.

On my trailer (6000 lbs empty, 7500 lbs loaded for camping with water, etc), the tongue weight was listed as 600 lbs empty but I measured it at 750 empty. I have the 1000 lb bars on my hitch and still get some sag (~1.5") but I have factory rear air bags which takes it up when the ignition is switched on.

Also, if you buy that trailer, I definitely recommend taking the whole thing to a truck stop that has a CAT scale. That's the only way you'll be able to see how much effect the WDH is having on the combination of truck and trailer. You'll need three measurements: 1/ Just the truck 2/ Truck and trailer without the WDH bars installed 3/ Truck and trailer with the WDH bars installed. Fortunately, most truck stops have places where you can park and hook/unhook the trailer + bars for all of this.

Finally, that's a lot of trailer for this platform. I'm right at the limits with my setup and yours would be another 800 lbs more. In my opinion, that trailer is *just* over the line to 3/4 ton pickup territory.

 

[DuraYuk]

get a tongue weight scale from Amazon for 130$ don't need to guess when you don't have too.

 

[Cop35758]

The ball height has nothing to do with the sag on the vehicle. All the ball height adjustment does is level the trailer off.

I use an equalizer hitch as well for our travel trailer, and i know how they are setup. My guess is they could put another washer in to get a little more weight off the rear end and on the nose. But in reality, you really need to check at the scales with the vehicle unloaded and a then loaded up with hitch and compare the numbers.

I'm going back today to tweak it. They didn't try to move any of the bars around or add any additional washers. Hoping this helps a good bit.

 

[olyelr]

I'm going back today to tweak it. They didn't try to move any of the bars around or add any additional washers. Hoping this helps a good bit.

Obviously getting the 4 corners weighed is ideal for assuring its set up properly. But as a rule of thumb, you want the front fender height to be as close to the same location when the trailer and hitch are hooked up as when the vehicle has no trailer at all. So, if the front fender height is higher when your hitched up, you need to get more weight distribution transferred to the front, which can be done by adding more washers.

 

[EGTroup]

On my 2023 Yukon Duramax pulling an Airstream 27footer, you really have to crank up the weight distribution bars to get the Yukon front fender to not lift up 1 1/2 inches vs when not connected to the trailer. Have to apply enough force on the weight distribution bars to shift weight off the rear axle and onto the front axle and the trailer axles. Goal is to get the Yukon to sit as close to level as possible.

Below is a picture of our leveled Yukon with ProPride WD Hitch and trailer. We leveled it and then we enabled the air suspension.

Watch this CanAm RV video to see how to properly install and adjust a Weight Distribution Hitch.