low hanging hitch
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,321
Likes: 2
From: MI
low hanging hitch
looking for answers for a friend with a 2003 E-150 5.4 with limited slip is a conversion van. he tows his boat with it and sometimes rubbs the hitch on the ground when lauching the boat(17' Four Winns outboard). Has anyone put a set of helper airbags to temp. lift the rear end. or use them to level the rear end when pulling a travel trailer?
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
First make sure that he's not using a 4" drop reciever. That will do it 9 times out of 10. Just use a standard one. The boat trailer isn't heavy enough (unless it's a huge boat) to drop the back end that far. Our 2004's hitch is 12 3/4 inches from the ground to the top of the hole. HTH.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,245
Likes: 16
From: Vancouver Wash USA
Originally Posted by crash687
looking for answers for a friend with a 2003 E-150 5.4 with limited slip is a conversion van. he tows his boat with it and sometimes rubbs the hitch on the ground when lauching the boat(17' Four Winns outboard). Has anyone put a set of helper airbags to temp. lift the rear end. or use them to level the rear end when pulling a travel trailer?
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,321
Likes: 2
From: MI
Originally Posted by 286merc
Sounds like excessive tongue weight. I can tow a 2 axle car trailer with a car on it which comes in about 5K total and it barely moves the rear down.
New User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Receiver is too low
I have a 1995 E150 with 100k+ miles and I tow a 23' 6000 lb boat on a big tandem axle trailer. My receiver does not drag and I use some very steep ramps. His boat is small enough that it should barely be noticed in terms of the van's body height.
It sounds to me like the receiver is mounted too low. However, you really don't want it to be high... the lower the toungue, the less sway you get at highway speed. And you really don't want to use air shocks to compensate. They're too mushy and don't give good anti-sway stability. I think I'd first look at the receiver mounting geometry and find a way to improve it. If that is not an option, then a taller or stiffer rear spring arrangement is probably the solution... but not too much!
Keep an eye out at parking lots (particularly at boat ramps) to see if you can see what hitches on other Ford vans look like. Maybe there' something peculiar about yours that is causing the problem. A tape measure might be handy as well.
Cheers
Curt
It sounds to me like the receiver is mounted too low. However, you really don't want it to be high... the lower the toungue, the less sway you get at highway speed. And you really don't want to use air shocks to compensate. They're too mushy and don't give good anti-sway stability. I think I'd first look at the receiver mounting geometry and find a way to improve it. If that is not an option, then a taller or stiffer rear spring arrangement is probably the solution... but not too much!
Keep an eye out at parking lots (particularly at boat ramps) to see if you can see what hitches on other Ford vans look like. Maybe there' something peculiar about yours that is causing the problem. A tape measure might be handy as well.
Cheers
Curt
Trending Topics
New User
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
by the way
By the way, I went out and measured my hitch... it sits 13 1/4" from the ground to the center of the receiver tube. The hitch I use for the boat comes straight out from there.
Cheers
Curt
Cheers
Curt
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
Thread Starter
|
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,321
Likes: 2
From: MI
Originally Posted by curtrussell
By the way, I went out and measured my hitch... it sits 13 1/4" from the ground to the center of the receiver tube. The hitch I use for the boat comes straight out from there.
Cheers
Curt
Cheers
Curt
New User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Crash687
looking for answers for a friend with a 2003 E-150 5.4 with limited slip is a conversion van. he tows his boat with it and sometimes rubbs the hitch on the ground when lauching the boat(17' Four Winns outboard). Has anyone put a set of helper airbags to temp. lift the rear end. or use them to level the rear end when pulling a travel trailer?
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,245
Likes: 16
From: Vancouver Wash USA
Originally Posted by Crash687
looking for answers for a friend with a 2003 E-150 5.4 with limited slip is a conversion van. he tows his boat with it and sometimes rubbs the hitch on the ground when lauching the boat(17' Four Winns outboard). Has anyone put a set of helper airbags to temp. lift the rear end. or use them to level the rear end when pulling a travel trailer?
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.
thinking of using a set of Airlift bags.