New camper - Sag issue

[powerboatr]

only way to KNOW 100% what the trailer weighs is to go weigh it
I use our local feed store..they dont charge unless you need a print.
i have used them many times to weigh the bus and associated crap we take along.

go set the trailer on the scale not hooked to the expy.
get this as your total weight
then move it so the tongue in on the ground and the wheels are on the scale

then take that weight and subtract from the first weight. that will give you the axles weights .
then back up and have only the hitch jack on the scale and the wheels off the scale, this will give you the tongue weight.
then you know real world what the hitch weight is and can set your wdh accordingly.

ASLO while at scales, get a total weight of the expy with all four wheels on scale.
then a weight with just the rear wheels on scale, this will give you front axle weight and rear axle weight

then set up trailer to be level when correctly hitch to the expy.
finally go back to scale and place front wheels on scale. get the weight
then pull just expy on scale to get new weight of expy hooked up.
then pull entire rig on scale. get this weight and finally pull forward to just have trailer wheels on scale. to get now the hitched up axle weight
if everything is correct, your front axle weight will be higher, your rear might be same or just a bit higher and the trailer axles should also be higher, as the wdh transfers weight to the front axle and the trailer axles if set correctly and still keeps rear axle within rawr
if you can....after all these weights...unhook the wdh bars and let the expy sag. then go back and weigh the front axle and the rear axle. this will tell you right away how much weight is being transferred
i know this is time consuming, but its really the only way to know exactly real world weights.

then you can load both safely knowing how much weight is at each point .
your trailer axle weights will gain a few hundred pounds if the hitch is set correctly.

this is not an end all solution, only brief to what reese and husky have in their documentation

 

[TX_Trails]

I have the HD tow which is part of the reason I went with the limited. 1 battery. It would be a rare day that I hauled fresh water. I'd rather not guinea pig myself with the hitch setup since I've never messed with it before It would be nice to have someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[Frank R]

That's a great TT. I have the exact same model, only it's a 2019. We picked it up late last year. I am using a Reese Strait-Line dual cam WDH. Towed it twice with my old Tahoe and it towed beautifully. The new axle setup on those makes it track much better on the highway, but does take some getting used to when backing it into tight spaces - it does not cut quite as sharply as other similarly-sized TTs I have owned.

I look forward to seeing how it does behind the new (to me) Expedition. While in a U-Pull-It junkyard looking for a console solution (I have a SSV), I found a brand new Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller with wiring harness (SCORE!!!), so I'm psyched to get rid of the junk one I had been using. If only Spring would arrive here in NEPA.

Best of luck with your new rig - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do ours.

 

[Fasttimes]

Hello everyone. New to the site but I am loving it! I just got back from taking my family camping in our 2017 Expy EL Limited. I'm towing about a 6,000 pound trailer and having zero problems with that part so far - haven't really had to deal with any hills yet. My issue is the sag I'm experiencing. The hitch weight on camper is 625 pounds and the tongue weight on the expy is 650. I know I'm cutting it close there but I'm pretty far under on my tow weight. I've been looking at solution like sumo springs and air bags but though I'd ask here to see if anyone else has had this problem and what they've done about it. I am not digging the rear squat at all! BTW, I am using a WDH Husky Centerline. Thanks!!

View attachment 28930

TX, I've been going through the same issues with my set up as well. It's definitely a pain in the rear no pun intended. My set up is pretty similar, similar sized camper, same sag. I have the equalizer hitch and it's similar to the Husky in style and I'm pulling with a 2010 Expy with HD-tow package.

First I tried setting up on my own, then I paid Lazy Dayz dealership in Tampa to do it and it still wasn't great. With 120k miles on the truck I thought it might be time to swap the struts/shocks thinking that might be a major contributor, but I did that and it still has sag. You have to play with the various areas you can adjust. In my case there is the hitch height, some washers that adjust the ball hitch angle, and finally the WDH arm height on the trailer. After putting in the new shocks and struts the truck sat much higher, so I had to re-adjust the ball height. Now I'm at the point of adjusting the arm settings. Moving the arm settings up will transfer considerably more weight on to the truck front axle. Just make sure that you measure the gap in the front wheel well before hooking up trailer and after hooking up with WDH engaged and that there is no instance where too much weight is being transferred onto that front axle and the gap in the wheel well has gotten small. .

I still have more adjusting to do to get it right. My guess for you is to raise those WDH arm settings higher and you should see weight transferred onto that front and less sag. It definitely is something where you need to spend a whole day with some help making adjustments and hitting the highway to see how they respond.

I truly wish I could find a proper after market suspension leveling kit. Haven't found one yet to fit my 2010.

 

[JerEazy]

Yah - you just need to set up that hitch correctly.

Husky TS is a good hitch - my Father In-Law has one. I’ve debating getting on.

Check some YouTube videos and you’ll be good to go man.

You’ll get some sway regardless based on the length of the trailer. That 29 is probably 32 or more tip to tip. The placard that says tongue weight doesn’t include anything (batteries, propane etc).

The set-up is not a set it and forget it. I’ve got the E2 hitch and I’ve been adding and removing washers and adjusting brackets etc.

Send me a message if you want a step-by-step. And don’t be afraid to reach out to the support teams at Husky. They’re great

 

[jimz]

https://diskdoctor.us/camper/uploaded/How to Adjust the Weight Distributing Hitch.pdf

The initial setup is critical. Park both camper and tow vehicle on level ground but not connected. Measure ground to inside trailer ball socket. Measure ground to top of ball and make that one inch higher than trailer. Tighten everything in place. Then, when connecting both units use the bars to pull units level. Do that by adjusting how close to the trailer frame the bar ends are forced by adjusting links. The tilt of the ball mount may also be tilted to adjust links needed to allow for turning of the combination unit. This should bring both trailer and tow vehicle closer to level.

 

[coolzzy]

That trailer definitely weighs more than 6k pounds and more than likely has a tongue weight in the 800 pound range. I have a tracer air 250 ultralight with dry weight of 5k pounds and GVWR of 6200. When I tow with fresh tank full I have a 900+ pound tongue weight and am at or over GVWR for the trailer. I also have a husky centerline TS hitch and installed it and adjusted it myself when I bought the expedition (17 with HD tow). I have 1/2 to 1" sag in the back and zero rise in the front once the bars are set. The bars are extremely tight to achieve this sort of weight distribution and without a power tongue jack it would be very difficult to hitch up. With an extension foot on the jack I have to raise the tongue nearly to max jack extension (when coupled to the truck) to get the bars locked on to the saddles on the trailer.

 

[chuck s]

Based on my '07 and '17 trucks the Ford Expedition receiver has a lot of vertical slop. This allows the whole trailer hitch to tilt up ever so slightly (decreasing weight transfer) in the receiver and require more washers to push the angle back down. (Equalizer 10,000/1,000 WDH). The dealer where we bought the trailer set it up but it was really just good enough to get it home. There was never enough weight transfer until I completely removed and reinstalled the hitch. Not just this trailer and truck but on a previous completely different truck, trailer, and hitch.

Recommend setting this yourself by methodically following the instructions. Few setups I've seen actually transfer enough weight.

The process will slowly and incrementally tune the hitch to the truck and the trailer. Plan on at least a couple of hours if you're lucky.

Example: The process will require several major adjustments. As soon as you get the weight transfer correct the hitch will be too high (or two low) and you'll need to move the hitch head down (or up). Several bolts to move it. Then the weight transfer will be wrong so you gotta adjust that. Then the ball will be at the wrong height. Each adjustment will get ya closer to the right setting. If you know someone with the same trailer, hitch, and truck use their settings as a starting point.

Do you think the minimum wage "mechanic" at the trailer dealer can do this better than you? If it happens quickly it's probably wrong.

-- Chuck

 

[CaptOchs]

Congrats on the camper. I have a 2003 Expedition. My last Keystone 27BH camper was about the same size. Last year I bought a Keystone 270LE 33ft/7000# camper and upgraded to Reese Dual Cam WD. My tongue weight is around 825#. At first the sway was so bad it was like I didn't have any WD set up. I took it back to the RV place and they adjusted it again. It's rock solid now. In fact, it handles better than my 28ft/5500# camper ever did. They charged me $90, but that's cheap compared to losing control and wrecking on the highway.

My advice would be to let the RV dealer adjust the hitch. When it comes to your family's safety, it's not something to try and adjust by yourself. I'm a do-it-yourself person, but I decided to leave this one to the experts.

Some other advice:

• If you WD has chain & stirrups, take a zip tie and mark the chain link that connects to the stirrup so next time you know which one to use.
• Watch your tire pressure on both truck and trailer. I run around 45 PSI in the truck's rear axle per RV's dealer's recommendation.
• There's a "Keystone RV Trailers Owners Group" Facebook group where people share good info about their campers or where to camp. It's a closed group, but anyone can request to join.

 

[Brian Willey]

I use Sumo Springs on my XL and they help. My TT is about the same weight loaded and I also have a generator on the tongue, the sag is minimal.

As some of the others have noted, it does appear that your WDH could be doing more work than it is doing.