I towed a 24-foot travel trailer several years with my '99 F-250 Powerstroke. The trailer (bought used) came with a WD hitch. Always, I'd set the tension on both sides (both bars) the same number of chain links. So if I had each side set to, lets say, the 6th link, each side would be equally tensioned. I sold the '99 and now have a 2019 F-250 6.2 4X4. Because the back end is so much higher now on the newer truck, I bought a drop hitch to account for the extra height. Now when I set both sides at the same number of chain links, one side is tensioned like it should be while the other side has barely any tension, if any at all. I can't make sense of this. I checked several times, on level ground, the last time I towed and the result is the same. I could just add/subtract links on one side or the other so they're both tensioned the same, but I just can't figure out what changed. Picture is of a similar setup. I don't recall the brand that I actually have.

 

Straight and level? I have the same setup and only notice that if it my vehicle is slightly cocked to one side.

 

Yes for both. Checked it at the storage place, at a gas station and at a camp site. Even with all the hookups/unhookups in my '99 on a trip towing the trailer from Alaska to NC, I never had this issues.

 

Check to make sure the bars are both seated into the head fully. Otherwise, lay the bars on one another, make sure nothing is bent or the links haven`t stretched one one side.

 

Good suggestion. Will do soon. I'll also try switching bars to see if that makes a difference.

 

There are posts about the newer trucks leaning to the left (driver side). Which side has and doesn't have tension on the WDH?

 

I just now took some measurements (truck in the garage on level surface). Odd that on the front end, the driver's side sits 1/4 inch lower than the passenger's side. Don't know if that would make a difference. On the back end, distances from the floor to the ends of the bumper are the same. But I have a few bags of mulch in the bed so maybe their distribution affects how level things are or aren't in the back. I'll try to get to the trailer today to hook things up and try a few things.

 

So, I laid one bar on top of the other and they appear to be exactly the same, Same for the chains. I measured a few things with the trailer and truck both level (within about 1/4" or so). With both bars fully seated, and not yet tensioned, the distance from the chain end of the bar up to the trailer frame is 6.25" on the driver's side and 7.75" on the passenger's side. Then with each bar under tension (both at 6th link), both bars are 2" from the trailer frame. So the bar on the passenger's side travels 5.75" and the driver's side travels 4.25". So it makes sense that the passenger's side is under more tension than the driver's side. There's a bit of slop in the receiver (using a reducer). I'll see if maybe that's the issue.

 

Using a reducer sleeve is likely going to result in the pin hole for the shank (the hole in the receiver that keeps the shank from pulling out) getting worn. There are a lot of threads about this. The slop when using the sleeve lets the pin move around. I had that happen to my truck. Switching to a 3" shank solved that problem.

 

Great suggestions here. I see Asheville, NC. Lived in Weaverville 9 years before moving 7 years ago. Miss the mountains and some of my all-time favorite eating joints up there to this day!

 

You bought a new drop hitch and now your perfectly matched spring bars are uneven. Sounds to me like it may be the spring bar sockets on the new hitch head are out of whack, can you take some measurement there or at least eyeball them to see if they appear even or offset?

 

The only new part I bought was the drop hitch (the L-shaped part). I transferred the old hitch head to the new drop hitch. I did look at the sockets and they both looked fine and the same.

 

OK, so the bar ends have a difference of 1.5" to the trailer frame, do they have the same offset from the bar end to the ground on a flat and level surface? If the bars are mirror images of each other the difference has to be coming from either the drawbar assembly, the truck and or receiver hitch or the trailer frame. With that much of a difference (6.25" vs 7.75") something sure seems out of kilter.
Any pictures of your setup?

 

A laser level might come in handy here. The trailer could be leaning also.

 

Sounds like the shank could be rotating in the hitch when you tighten the bars.

try tightening the other side first and see if the bars show the first bar being higher than the second.