Ill be there next month ... HA! I love Lake PowellWell if you were out here in Utah I might have to hire you to set up the equalizer and airbags.
Towing upgrades - Any suggestions
Well the stars all aligned this weekend and we made two big purchases. First I found a buyer for my '06 titan and I upgraded to an '08.5 LE LWB 4x4 with big tow.
The same day we also found a screaming deal on a 'new' trailer (sold our old '92 trailer a couple of weeks ago). We ended up getting an '09 Kingsport 295 QB. This trailer is longer than I was hoping to get, but the LWB Titan should help. The GVWR rating on the trailer is 7950 lbs. ('dry' is around 6000). List on the trailer is $20k and we got it for $12.9k. Cheapest I could find one anywhere in the country is over $15k, and this is brand new, just an older model year.
Anyway, this set up is quite a bit different than my short wheelbase titan and the 24' trailer (though trailer weight isn't a LOT different). My biggest worry is the length of the trailer. Any suggestions?? I do have an Equalizer brand hitch that is rated for 12k lbs, and the dealership is going to set it up properly for the trailer, so I should be good to go there.
I hope to take a photo or two later this week when I take delivery of the trailer and will post it to that other thread soon.
The same day we also found a screaming deal on a 'new' trailer (sold our old '92 trailer a couple of weeks ago). We ended up getting an '09 Kingsport 295 QB. This trailer is longer than I was hoping to get, but the LWB Titan should help. The GVWR rating on the trailer is 7950 lbs. ('dry' is around 6000). List on the trailer is $20k and we got it for $12.9k. Cheapest I could find one anywhere in the country is over $15k, and this is brand new, just an older model year.
Anyway, this set up is quite a bit different than my short wheelbase titan and the 24' trailer (though trailer weight isn't a LOT different). My biggest worry is the length of the trailer. Any suggestions?? I do have an Equalizer brand hitch that is rated for 12k lbs, and the dealership is going to set it up properly for the trailer, so I should be good to go there.
I hope to take a photo or two later this week when I take delivery of the trailer and will post it to that other thread soon.
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Add washers to tilt the the hitch head back more. Here is a little bit of info from the website.
With the trailer parallel to the
ground, measure from the ground to
the top of the trailer coupler.
See Figure 1.
Trailer Coupler Height: _______
The hitch ball should initially
be placed as close to this height as
possible. Insert the adjustable shank into the receiver on the tow vehicle and
secure it with hitch pin and clip.
Insert the spacer rivet with washers into the back of the hitch head to
pre-load the angle of the hitch head. Start with 5 spacer washers for longer
wheelbase tow vehicles like pickup trucks, and 4 spacer washers with
shorter wheelbase vehicles like an SUV. Slide the bolt channel around the
shank and hold the hitch head so that the top of the hitch ball measures from
the ground as closely as possible to the coupler height. This is generally a
step that requires two people.
Observe where the top slot in the bolt channel aligns with the holes in
the shank. See Figures 2a - 2b. If you can see any part of the shank hole that
is lower than the bolt channel slot, drop the head down to align these holes
for the initial setup. See Figure 2a. If you cannot see the lower hole in the
shank, raise the hitch head so that the top slot aligns with the shank hole
slightly above it, and use this hole for the initial setup.
I tow a 30' jayco that comes in at 7600 gvwr and with the weight dist. hitch my truck sit perfectly level. The guy That i bought my tt from helped me set it up. As I had never used one before. and when we took the measurements the front and back was the same and the leveler on the tt was level also. Sounds like you just need to go back to the dealer and say hey this is not set up right. and if they can not get it right the 2nd time get the guide out and see if you can find some help
I decided I wasn't going to mess with having the dealer try to set it up....
I added 3 washers (total 7) and brought the L brackets up one notch. It made quite a bit of difference, but there is still a little way to go. It does sit better.
I did order a set of airbag from someone on this site and will be installing those as well.
I added 3 washers (total 7) and brought the L brackets up one notch. It made quite a bit of difference, but there is still a little way to go. It does sit better.
I did order a set of airbag from someone on this site and will be installing those as well.
I drive a 06 Titan SE King Cab and tow a 30 foot Fleetwood Wilderness that is 7200 lbs dry. I installed Firestone air bags and they made a big difference with keeping the vehicle and trailer level on the road. Also cut down on tire wear on the front. i also installed a Cold Air Intake. Truck doesn't even slow down on steep hills. I never tow over 60 mph
So, for anyone following this thread...here are the results. After a lot of adjustments the rear was still sagging and there was only about 1 1/2" clearance on the bumper stops (on the rear suspension). I wasn't comfortable with this so I installed the air bags before the trip. They were surprisingly easy, though they took a few hours to do all the wrenching, etc. I placed the air chucks into the metal piece that also holds the trailer wiring bracket on the back.I decided I wasn't going to mess with having the dealer try to set it up....
I added 3 washers (total 7) and brought the L brackets up one notch. It made quite a bit of difference, but there is still a little way to go. It does sit better.
I did order a set of airbag from someone on this site and will be installing those as well.
These made a world of difference. Not only in the stance of the truck but the handling, etc, etc.
I'm very happy with the difference the air bags made, and happy with the good price I got thanks to someone on this site!
As for towing, you really feel the trailer back there, but I did make it up some 6-8% grades in 2nd gear and right about 40 mph. Went up and over several mountains on this trip. No idea what the gas mileage was, and I'm not sure I want to know, but I feel much better about this truck/trailer combo now that I have the air bags on there.
Good to hear! Glad the trip went well.
P.S. - Your gas mileage SUCKED! :lol:
P.S. - Your gas mileage SUCKED! :lol:
Exactly what I did with the RAS and the LT tires. RAS was more for piece of mind than necessity. I tow a 28ft 2009 Fleetwood Prowler.If the back of your T is riding that low with the trailer hooked up, then the hitch isn't set up correctly. Absent a heavy payload in the bed, you shouldn't need airbags if the the hitch is set up right.
I'm pulling a 32 ft trailer. The only mods to my Titan are LT tires and a Roadmaster Active Suspension. It has towed very well in the 2K miles I've towed so far.
FWIW something is still not right with the hitch in the OP's set up. That or the weight balance of the trailer is obscenely tongue heavy and should be corrected. Sounds the Equal-i-zer is a 1,200/12,000lb model. Those bars should be able to level the truck if the tongue weight is under 1200lbs. From the dry weight stated I am guessing the max GVWR of the trailer is probably around 8000lbs like mine. I run a Reese Dual Cam with 1000lb bars and the truck was near level, no where near the bump stops, even before the RAS.
21 - 29 of 29 Posts
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