Lifted, how much of a drop hitch..?

Like the title says I am picking up my trailer this weekend and wanted to get a drop hitch for the truck but I don't know how much I will need. Is there any sort of basic guideline I should try to follow..? Never had a TT before and looking forward to it but wanna get the truck all set up right the first time.. Truck is a 2013 Sport with 3" lift and 33s. Thanks in advance!

Justin

 

Gotcha. Thank you!

 

Be sure to:
1) load the trailer so as to have a 'typical tongue weight. The tongue weight will change the geometry of the TV/trailer configuration.
2) Have your truck loaded to a typical weight; ass-end primarily. AND if you are going to modify that rake with airbags, springs, SUMO springs, etc.

Remember. Just dropping your trailer hitch on the truck hitch will likely change the geometry.

 

gotcha. Now... just to get this trailer home from the guy I bought it from, can I just use my hitch I have now..? Because he lives about a half hour away and it doesn’t make any sense for me to drive up there to measure my truck against his trailer then have to go buy a hitch and then come back..?

 

Check out some adjustable height hitches. For reference, my Winnebago travel trailer required a 25" to top of ball. I dont have any lift and the top of my receiver was 18". With a 3" lift, you may not need as big of a drop as you think. It all depends on the trailer.

 

This is a popular one:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hi...9TDgowWT8iCzZR4zMLlMMYPu4vXa0Q5caApBHEALw_wcB

But also, look into weight distribution hitches. They are adjustable in height, and depending on the trailer you purchase, you may need/want one

 

You'll likely be fine. If the trailer is really far from level, I'd take it easy and maybe avoid freeway speeds to get it home. Then measure and buy the correct height hitch.

 

Agreed. Its not far, just drive careful. Plan to slow and stop ahead of time.
Word of ⚠️. Be sure to have at least a moderate amount of TW. Too little is dangerous in itself.

 

Ahhhhh I didn’t know weight distribution hitches were height adjustable.. he is including in with the trailer! Guess you learn something new everyday! Thanks!

 

A couple of things. Most lift springs are tuned softer than stock. So putting the tongue weight on may drop the rear more than stock. Load the rear of the bed with the approx tongue weight of prospective trailer. Use sand, rocks etc. See what measurements look like.

 

Ya I was thinking about that. I have the medium dakars, if it squats to much I will have to do an add a leaf, I am hoping it should be alright tho.. its saying hitch weight of my trailer will be 410lbs, and with the weight distributing hitch I am hoping I will be good.

 

I have OME 885 coils up front and the medium dakars in the back. I had them installed last year as I found the stock springs were, in general, pretty weak and more noticeable when towing (~340lbs tongue weight) with gear in the truck. I use a WDH which helped a lot with the stock springs but considerable ride quality improvement with the new springs when towing.

The WDH helps a lot, recommend you look into that (regardless of spring updates, air bags). It makes a difference transferring the weight to the front wheels, regardless of how strong you upgrade the rear end of the truck (airbags, AAL) and smooths out the ride considerably.

When I got the lift I had to readjust the hitch ball height. General rule is the hitch of the trailer should line up with the trailer (level). This way any sag you get lowers the front of the trailer which is better than the trailer riding nose high. If you use WDH or airbags, you can then level out the whole rig as you set it up correctly.

As someone pointed out, load your truck and trailer as it would normally be when going camping (weight equivalent of gear, and passengers, plus anything (including water) you have in the trailer. Start from there, make adjustments, check, test ride, and have a safe trip.

 

Excellent thank you very much for the input! hows the truck tow with the 6 speed?

 

Tows pretty good. I'm in British Columbia so lots of mountains to climb, and climb again. Truck handles it well. With the 6spd I get a bit better control of when to hold the gear or drop it sooner than I need to. Works well on descents too.

Challenges I've experienced: Had to stop (traffic) on a long steep highway grade and once we started moving I just couldn't get enough grunt to get to third gear, so held 2nd for a long haul; Also, reversing up a grade with the trailer (eg into a campsite) can test the clutch. I've found going to 4 Hi helps that issue a lot (lower gearing).

Overall the truck does well enough. I'm not there to win any races but then 100kph is the higher limit of hauling a trailer I'd want in the best of times anyways. Some of that is really about my own comfort level with the nutty drivers out there. When I can, I take the slower roads vs the speedy freeway.

 

Great, again thanks for the input. I already have the 2LO mod in the truck so ill be able to take full advantage of that while pulling into and out of spots with this thing.