Since I bought my TH I have hitched in this manner: Bring trailer on to truck hitch as soon as you see it drop the truck a bit with the trailer weight you slap on the weight dist. bars chain them and pin them. Then you drop the trailer fully. This is how I was thought by dealer. I was told the other day that I was dropping it incorrectly and putting all weight on The hitch and not on the tongue,bars,and hitch as intended. Will you all post how you hitch up, so we can compare notes. Thanks!
The way I do it is, once the hitch is on the ball, I flip the latch then raise the tongue(and back of the truck) up 3-4" or until my whimpy electric jack stalls out. Then I hook up the bars and then lower the jack. This places the preload on the bars.
2007 Dodge 6.7 Cummins, 6sp auto, Quad cab, long bed, white, Prodigy
2009 Shockwave T29FBSP, white & blue, tan interior, 4000W Onan, Reese Dual Cam 15K/1,500.
V10 man wrote: The way I do it is, once the hitch is on the ball, I flip the latch then raise the tongue(and back of the truck) up 3-4" or until my whimpy electric jack stalls out. Then I hook up the bars and then lower the jack. This places the preload on the bars.
V10 man wrote: The way I do it is, once the hitch is on the ball, I flip the latch then raise the tongue(and back of the truck) up 3-4" or until my whimpy electric jack stalls out. Then I hook up the bars and then lower the jack. This places the preload on the bars.
Thats the way I do it !!!
Ditto here also. The trick about the WDH is to preload.
07' Ford F-250 SD 6.0L
08' Keystone Sprinter 250 RBS
I put the trailer onto the ball and make sure it is secure and then I rasie the trailer up and relieve the weight from the tow ball and then install the WD bars. Once this is all complete, I lower the tongue and the trailer weight is evenly distributed.
learn something new every day (thanks I have bin doing it wrong) I never raised it before seting the chains just made the chains tight then lowered the jack
V10 man wrote: The way I do it is, once the hitch is on the ball, I flip the latch then raise the tongue(and back of the truck) up 3-4" or until my whimpy electric jack stalls out. Then I hook up the bars and then lower the jack. This places the preload on the bars.
Thats the way I do it !!!
Same way here also. Have been doing that way for years.
2004.5 Dodge Cummins
2005 Z400 (wife)ALBA pipe w/wisper tip,k&n filter,jet kit,cdi box and Elka suspension
2006 Z 400 same mods
2005 trx450r Modded by Factory HONDA and YES IT'S FAST
2008 250ex
2007 W/W FSW3200 fiberglass sides, and all the options
the only thing that matters is if you have the correct pre-load. all that having the tongue raised does is make it easier to pull up the bars and apply the pre-load. So if you don't mind lifting, you can even drop the trailer tongue fully onto the ball and then lift, makes no difference to the end result. I personally drop the hitch onto the ball, lower it, latch it, and lift the bars into place, exactly the same as the OP. Then I retract the jack and carry on. I never raise the tongue with the jack. Been doing it that way for 20 years, I guess I ain't going to learn a new trick now!
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
1980 MCI MC-5C highway coach conversion
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