What is the best way to level truck when towing?

[jjeff]

I really like timberen I think they are called SES, I had those after having airbags and they are way better, you dont need to add air or balance them out, you dont feel them when you are not loaded. and they are less expensive. a no brainer in my opinion.

I run sumo springs front and back, and Bilsteins on my Chevy 4500 class C MH definitely helped with ride height, swaying, and excessive bouncing. If they had reasonably priced air bags for it installing without drilling in the frame probably would have went that route without a combiner valve instead.

 

[Egon]

Air bags allow you to keep the truck level so the steering components are all set properly.

 

[nyone]

On the OPs truck you shouldnt really need a WD hitch. All those tongue weights should be under the max capacity I believe. You also dont need a WD hitch for 500lb tongue weight on a 2500 series truck.

A WD hitch and rear spring rate devises like bags or timbres do different things.

 

[Omega Woods]

I am a recent convert to weight distributing hitches. Except for the cost, there is no downside to using one. Brilliant piece of engineering.

 

[CobyRupert]

I am a recent convert to weight distributing hitches. Except for the cost, there is no downside to using one. Brilliant piece of engineering.

One downsides of taking weight off the rear axle of the towing vehicle Is less rear traction. For a 4wd vehicle, this may not matter when trying to go, or you may never be in a situation where it matters.
For braking, more weight on the front axle has pro/cons. You may stop quicker with more front braking, but less weight on the rear mean it’s more likely to jackknife…unless the trailer braking is more effective (and not skidding, etc..) than the lightened rear wheel braking of the tow vehicle.

 

[deezler]

If you actually read your owners manual, almost any pickup truck other than brand new HD's will REQUIRE a weight distributing hitch when towing above 5000 lbs on the hitch. Even my old 2500HD did. Did I sometimes tow heavy without one? Sure, but legally it was required. WDH's are great.

For my new F150, I have my eye on a set of these bad boys. No legal increase in payload or towing, obviously, but much more competent load handling, under all conditions. Almost seem too good to be true....

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[IXLR8]

To answer an earlier comment, yes my truck has the tow package with the class V receiver.

I must say you folks have given me more options that I ever knew existed. Lots of options to think about. The boat trailer is very consistently loaded, with the tongue weight always being the same. Box trailer and flat bed trailer, not so much. I know in an ideal world how much I should be loading the tongue, but that is not always possible. I need to research a good deal more to see what is best for me before I make a decision. Thank you for all your comments so far.

 

[Bearsixty7]

One downsides of taking weight off the rear axle of the towing vehicle Is less rear traction. For a 4wd vehicle, this may not matter when trying to go, or you may never be in a situation where it matters.
For braking, more weight on the front axle has pro/cons. You may stop quicker with more front braking, but less weight on the rear mean it’s more likely to jackknife…unless the trailer braking is more effective (and not skidding, etc..) than the lightened rear wheel braking of the tow vehicle.

I take it you never used a WD hitch?

The WD transfer will never be more weight on the front axle than the rear axle of the tow vehicle!

The WD is just used to transfer SOME of the hitch weight to the front versus all of the weight being on the rear axle and therefore making the front axle load lighter.

 

[dodge man]

Since you have a Class V hitch I wouldn’t add anything to your truck. Just make sure it really is a Class V, they take a bigger shank but many have an adapter. It’s confusing because most class IV hitches have a V on them, which has something to do with the steel in them. A picture of mine which has a V5 on it but is not a class V.

 

[CobyRupert]

I take it you never used a WD hitch?

The WD transfer will never be more weight on the front axle than the rear axle of the tow vehicle!

The WD is just used to transfer SOME of the hitch weight to the front versus all of the weight being on the rear axle and therefore making the front axle load lighter.

Who said front axle weight will be more than rear?
That’s a function of the specific tow vehicle combined with the trailer’s weight and how distributed.

Like I said, there’s LESS rear traction with a WD hitch because there’s less rear axle weight than with a non-WD hitch. LESS weight on rear axle, and more on the front axle increases chances of jackknifing. …thus increasing dependency on trailer brakes operating perfectly.

 

[Omega Woods]

One downsides of taking weight off the rear axle of the towing vehicle Is less rear traction. For a 4wd vehicle, this may not matter when trying to go, or you may never be in a situation where it matters.
For braking, more weight on the front axle has pro/cons. You may stop quicker with more front braking, but less weight on the rear mean it’s more likely to jackknife…unless the trailer braking is more effective (and not skidding, etc..) than the lightened rear wheel braking of the tow vehicle.

Good points. I amend my statement. In my opinion, the benefits of weight distribution outweigh the drawbacks for most towing applications.

 

[sandman2234]

Wow, wasn't it mentioned that the aluminum trailer manufacturer would void the warranty if a weight distributing hitch was used? Any yet everyone seems to still be suggesting them? With aluminum being what it is, with the tongue kept in a bind, (which is how a WDH works) I can understand why NOT to use a WD hitch for this case.
I called GM when I wanted to pull a rather large camper behind a Chevy 1500, which was within it's towing specs, but it did make the truck squat quite a bit. They said I could install overload springs that would keep ride height level with no problem to the warranty as long as I didn't exceed rated towing capacity. Air bags will probably do the same thing, so I would consider doing that rather than any WD hitch.
David from jax

 

[Peter 315]

I like and use Timbren SES on my F350 on the rear..

 

[RjCorazza]

I believe people are recommending WD hitches with the understanding that the OP will not use the spring bars on the aluminum trailer.
I use the WD hitch without the spring bars when towing light, which is no different than a standard non WD setup.

 

[IXLR8]

My receiver is 2-1/2" square, I do have an insert for a 2" receiver. Tag on receiver shows a max 1500lbs tongue weight with a max of 13,000 towing weight. No mention of a weight distributing hitch.

 

[Bearsixty7]

My receiver is 2-1/2" square, I do have an insert for a 2" receiver. Tag on receiver shows a max 1500lbs tongue weight with a max of 13,000 towing weight. No mention of a weight distributing hitch.

Best check your manual. Some manufacturers use the same hitch on different trucks and the hitch rating may be for a heavier duty truck than yours. My F350 SRW has a 3" receiver that is also used on the F350 DRW and the F450 (I believe) so the hitch numbers are higher than the SRW F350's actual capacity (18K) .

 

[dodge man]

The sticker I showed above for my F150 for the hitch exceeds the tow rating of my truck by something like 1500 or 2000 pounds so yes, the sticker is just for the hitch, not the truck.

In theory I’d say a WDH could make the rear end to light but I’d think it would take some serious effort to make that happen. I personally have never used one.

 

[wolfpack2]

FYI, V-5 does not mean class 5 hitch. V-5 means the hitch complies with VESC-5 regulation from 1968.

 

[dodge man]

I always wondered what the V5 meant exactly.

 

[timswi]

I use a wd on my 9500# camper with a 2019 GMC 2500. I adjust the spring bars so that the 2" rake is removed leaving the truck level.
A friend wound his bars up so tight that the rake was still there. He was all over the road from doing that. Effectively removed too much tongue weight.