Whoa. Did not know such a device existed. First impression, this is a pretty irresponsible product, so use it with great care and a giant grain of salt.
I always make sure I sink the rear of truck a couple inches from the rest position. I have hauled a lot in my life. Measure hitch height when trailer is empty. I just look, but you probably should measure until you get a feel for it. Nothing like hauling a wrong load. I have had plenty of those too.
Yes, I agree except it is more than 2" on most pickup trucks and most loads. Depends on load of course ! In my experience with a typical 4WD pickup (springs-wise) and a GVWR load [trailer and what's on it combined] of around 8 to 10K lbs you want about 5 or 6" of drop in the back of the truck. The more total towed weight the more tongue weight you need. There are guidelines for % of the load that tongue weight should be (undoubtedly mentioned somewhere in the 109 posts above) but I never look at it that way. Like you I eyeball it and adjust to suit.
Agreed, the manufacturer actually puts most trucks a about 2-3in high in the rear and they should be about level when loaded.
Nope. Not physically possible. You need tongue weight (obviously) and springs do go down as weight is added by definition of what a spring is. Wheel alignment is unrelated . If you have some auxiliary load leveling system that overcomes the normal drop, that is tangential to this discussion but understood.
Not true. I am not at all overloaded and my springs are in great shape. A five to 6" drop of course is exactly proportional to the weight placed on the rear of the truck. 2-3" is NOT enough for medium range , say 8000 lb GVWR , load hauling (not enough tongue weight.) I'm talking using a half ton 4WD pickup. F-150. A 5" drop in the rear of a pickup is not all that much. NO, that does not point the headlights up in the air as one suggested. Does not really change the overall angle of the frame of the truck very much. Most of the talkers are not measuring, they are using their impression eyeballs (just as I often do myself.)
With a 5th wheel towing arrangement you are in a totally different circumstance. The exact same load on an identical trailer (but one with a hitch ball tow arrangement for a receiver hitch instead of a 5th wheel pad) WOULD lower your rear bumper by a lot more than 2-3 inches.
I don't have a 5th wheel... I only bumper tow. My '03 2500HD has ~3200 lbs payload capacity, so 1000 lbs of tongue weight doesn't slam it down very far. With all due respect please don't assume you know more than someone else's experience without understanding their towing setup whatsoever.
My apologies -- I mistook you for the #111 post guy who shows a photo of the 5th wheel he is using. Don't assume what I assume, with all due respect...
I agree. My 19 2500 GMC Tows my 10k TT perfectly with apx 2" rake taken out with tongue weight making the truck level. My buddy leveled his F250 and when he tows, the front is higher than the rear due to toungue weight. This is why I won't level my truck and I'm not adding airbags just for appearances. I'm no engineer but it seems that the 2" drop comes on pretty fast then rapidly stiffens up...My 1500's acted the same way although under lighter toungue loads obviously.
If you're getting 5-6in of drop and are within your load limit then you might want to look into getting better springs or helpers. As for headlights, I can tell you from experience (former VA state safety inspector) if your headlights are aimed correctly when unloaded then they are too high when the rear drops 6in.
