[VAC] Re: Hitch set up

[KEVIN D ALLEN <overlander64@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Eric!

I would double-check with the retailer where you purchased the Reese drop
bar.  My tow vehicle is a '99 K2500 Heavy Duty 3/4 Ton 4-wheel drive
Suburban and it required a 9" drop bar to get the ball mount to the correct
height for my Overlander.  It was a standard Reese product, but the first
dealer that I tried didn't know such a thing existed and sold me the
"deepest drop" available -- (after 2,000 miles)  I tried Ace Fogdall RV in
Cedar Falls Iowa and they had the exact part in stock and idicated that it
was a near standard stock item for Airstream dealers.

You won't regret getting the hitch set up properly.  I towed with the
shorter drop for about 2,000 miles and can relate that you are bound to
encounter a number of potential problems.  It was nearly impossible to get
my trailer even close to level (part of the problem is that it constitutes
less the 50% of the maximum trailer weight that my tow vehicle was designed
to tow) - - the truck doesn' squat more than 1 inch when the trailer tounge
is dropped onto the ball.  The most obvious problem was that with the
trailer off-level the tail of the trailer would drag on even the most gentle
driveway incline.  The second problem wasn't obvious to me as I didn't know
how smoothly my rig should operate (with this tow vehicle) - - there was a
"seat-of-the-pants" uneasyness that could be felt anytime the rig was on the
road and it was very taxing to tow in wind or rain storms as the trailer
fought the truck - - and this was with Reese Dual Cam Sway Controls.  Once
Ace Fogdall worked through all of the set-up issues, the truck doesn't even
know the trailer is there and the whole rig is level - - the whole key
seemed to be getting the correct drop in combination with the correct ball
mount angle as the trailer now tows bettern that it did with any of my
earlier tow vehicles.

I'm wondering how critical these
> dimensions are. It seems to me that since they show passenger cars pulling
> the trailers back then that 19 1/2 to the top of the ball might have been
> taking into account the effect of the tongue weight on the car springs to
be
> then leveled with the weight distributing set up. My whole situation seems
to
> indicate to me that I'm at the opposite end of the effective range of the
> weight distribution possibilities. Since I have no experience with any of
> this I wonder if there are any factors I am not taking into account. I
have
> not really checked it out on a level spot yet. Keeping the driveway plowed
is
> more of a priority right now. I did drop the trailer onto the ball and the
> truck came down a couple of inches. There is some stuff stored in the
> trailer, possibly simulating a loaded for travel situation. If the trailer
> and truck are basically level does it matter if I'm at the bottom end, so
to
> speak, of the weight distribution set up or is that 1 1/2" difference
going
> to lever my front wheels up? I'm just hoping this set up will be close
enough
> without having another drop bar fabricated.

If the drop bar that you have is incorrect, try giving the dealer the
opportunity to make it right - - or you might find that the dealer where you
but the correct part might be willing to trade parts - - I was able to trade
my shallow drop bar on the extra deep drop bar - - there was a small loss on
the deal, but given the safety issue involved it would have been worth the
exchange at 5-times the loss.  There WILL be a noticeable difference in the
stability of the towing combination when the geometry of the hitch set-up is
within the engineering design specifications.

Good luck with your hitch set-up project.

Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI/VAC #6359
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban