Trying to figure out my towing issue starts with knowing the original ride height. It is a 1985 deisel duelly. I am the new owner and I dont know where to start or what all to do about the trailer being higher then the hitch. I can think of several solutions to raise the truck, but I wanted to first find out if we can all agree first if the truck is at the right ride height before I go making changes to the tow package and trailer hitch(s).
I decided to load up the truck one day, this is the result: http://home.comcast.net/~rebelbrowser/104_0424.jpg
I didnt notice it squat nor did I have any driving problems. It seemed to handle all that weight just fine. But the trailer is hooking up too low for a level ride and making loading and offloading it next to impossible..
I posted about this in another section before I found towing, trailers, ectect.
I am hoping for more of a response this time !
This truck has 5 leafs. I think a class 3 towing bar bolted to the frame.
I have been planning to cut and reweld the bar on the class 3 towing bar so it is right under the bumper, grind off the trailer's boat hitch and replace it with a pintel hook rated for 12,000lbs onto the bottom of the trailer's frame.
or
raise the truck all they way around. would replacing the springs alone do it, or do I need to add blocks... wouldnt I need add blocks to the front coil springs as well...
I hope you can see by now, I dont know what I am doing.

 

OK, I just looked at that picture again, allrite, so it may have had a slight squat from the load in the bed, but know this, with no load on truck and trailer, the trailer still has a V.

 

#1 what is the height difference between the hitch and the trailer.
There is a manufacturer that makes an adjustable Aluminum Ball mount that will adust up or down abou 4 inches depending on which way you insert it into the receiver and it's rated at 10,000 lbs. We've used them to pull construction equipment with no problems.
#2 Pintle hooks are a rough tow.
They have a lot of slop and just bounce a lot

I would go with the adjustable first and don't go with the pintle at all.

 

I have a adjustable ball mount placed upside down in the reciever. It ends up very tall. The problem is I dont think it was designed for use that way and so I see it bending at what is now the top of the plate. (not good) So, my goal is to turn it around and bolt the ball as close to center of the hitch( or square hole) as possible. Then cut the excess plate off.
About the height difference, its been a difficult thing to be sure of as I dont know if my truck is lower because the springs are "beat". As it sits now, I'd say about 4-6 inches in favor of the trailer but the truck seems level on it's own to me and carries a load just fine.
Does "Dry" mean not loaded ?
What is a TT travel trailer exactly ?

More likely, I will add a leaf and blocks as well as raise the front before I consider any mods to the other. So, how do I raise the front exactly ? Can you provide some links to some parts ? On the other hand, if I need to purchase different shocks too, maybe I should leave the truck alone and modify the other parts.
If I replace the hitch on the trailer( I too dont want the pintel effect ), can I expect to find one that lets me mount it to the bottom of the trailer's frame ? What is the scientific name for that type besides "boat hitch"?
Can you please provide some links to some parts to consider ?

 

Can I ditch the shackel looking thing and re-attatch the leaf to the lower bolt ?
I also want to mention a hobble (up and down action) I have recently been getting at around 35mph.
Sorry but I ended up with two different threads with the same issues.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=487606

 

No! Don't ditch the shackle. As the spring is compressed and released with the bumps it gets longer and shorter and the shackle compensates for this.

 

O, I see, that makes sense. So ah, can I get the tongue weight ratio formula thing from one of you guys now then ?
My bumper has become the main issue about the height of my towing it seems.
It was mentioned that I have a drop down bumper and a reciever that may be compensating for this. Good call Sycostang67 https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=487606 ! Where can I get the load numbers for it (the bumper) as I dont see any stickers on it any where. For giggles tonite, we put the ball on the bumper and I drove it home in the dark with nothing on the trailer to see if it would stop hopping up and down, but it didnt. If this big A$$ bumper doesnt rate, why have it ? I would like to replace it with a "stock" bumper, ditch the class 3 drop down hitch and install a class 5 hitch. Where to find one cheap/used ? If I do have to keep this reciever, couldnt we cut and reweld the cross bar member higher ? I have access to a good mig welder to do a good weld job.

A good close guesstimate is that I have a trailer rated for 4 tons that weighs say 1 ton, then I plan to load my 2 ton backhoe on it. What should the tongue weight be ?
Curious what I would ever haul that weighs 6 tons...
BTW, I am embarrassed to show that picture. Somebody please give me some good cheap advice and quick !

 

I would use the setup the way you have in the pic BUT, fab a brace to run from the bumper to the bolts at the hitch. You can use the ball mount hole in the bumper to bolt through and get longer bolts for the hitch. I see no problem doing it that way. You could put a gusset in as an added safety measure.

 

Here, I got a pic to better explain the hitch/bumper issue. Your bumper looks relatively standard, but you have a hitch for use on a truck with a drop bumper. My truck has a large drop bumper, but my hitch was intended to be used on a truck with a bumper like yours. I had to cut my bumper to fit the hitch on.

You see the hole I had to cut through the bottom of my bumper. You hitch is too low for your bumper, but my hitch is too high for mine. You need to find a hitch like mine to put on your truck, that will automatically raise the trailer connection point.

Is there any play between your current reciever and the slide in hitch you use. Having it upside down like that, that high, I would imagine could wobble side to side causing the movement you were getting at 35mph. Just something else for you to look at.

 

No,No, the wobble is a hobble and its up and down. Nah, I didnt get rid of the hobble by connecting the trailer to the bumper and rideing with it empty.
I am going to say the hop, started when I took the wood off and went to the steel store for a new deck, and may have gotten worse on my way home with that material strapped to the deck for transit, and continues to this day even after I tried the bumper tag. Well, since we dont know what the bumper is rated for yet, I will have to put the ball back on the tow bar and insert it into the reciever that connects too low and tow somthing to stop the hobble. Heeh
Recap :
1. what is the average speed of a swallow ?
2. what is the tongue weight formula ? (find out max tongue weight for my truck, I am guessing 3/4 ton truck, 3/4 ton tongue weight)
3. what is my big A$$ bumper rated for.
4. how best to raise the connection ?
a. spend $500 (I dont have)
b. reweld the darn thing where you want it and use the money for a set of rear springs ( just to quite the skeptics)
5. who's idea was the "no touching" policy we have in grade schoolls today ?

Stang man, No I dont exactly see the hole, I will tell you how tall my bumper is as compared to yours. I bet your right I have seen the sick thick A$$ bumper you may have vs mine. They are still that cool diamond shape chrome a ma bob thing at the rear that some may think can be used inplace of a class 3 hitch. But seems like to me its only for looks. So do We both have 2 class 3 hitches ?
If I was to do some welding to my reciever, and added some features, does it move it up the classes towards being a class 5 ?
(note to self, my 3/4 ton truck should be made to safely make a full pull by the next moon rising )
I contacted the seller after 2+yrs now and asked him about all this, he will get back to me later today. Maybe he willwork out a reciever trade with me.
It seems I learned there are 2 different drop down bumpers and recievers and I have one of each

 

HEY ! I am seeing that these 8" and 10" drop are V-5 tested, which means they are at least V-5 rated http://www.reflexxion.com/ref/rf17.html

The number 2 pic here shows a level truck and the trailer angled at about the same as when it is not loaded, although that is a hefty 4700lb deisel Mecedes on its last road trip. Sort of. The first pic shows the 8" bumper and some photo enhancements to protect the three small inocents,my wife, and two dogs. Plus, I wouldnt want anyone with a nicer truck stealing my identity.
Does V-5 mean 800lbs tongue and 8000lb towing ?
Can I asume my bumper is V-5 rated.
What is V-5 as compared to class III,IV,V ?
With software, I fixed the duct tape and covered the plate numbers. I should have fixed the dent on the top of the tailgate. The ALL FOR me on the back is REAL !
seriously, if the bumper rates the same as the reciever I have on this truck, does anyone want the reciever ?

 

Actually, pic number 2 looks mostly level. Its hooked to the receiver with a drop down tow bar upside down and the ball on the lowest bolt holes. Which makes them the highest holes now I guess. The steel used for the deck stretched between 1 foot on center supports from this load. Its 3lb mesh. What will it do with a full 8000lb load, fail ? I am trying not to think about that right now... Mostly I want to know if I can use the bumper to tow my 3700 tractor.

 

I tried it tonite. It seems to be happy doing it. I might need to purchase a different ball for it. I made a 1/4" spacer temporarily. The tractor loaded more easily too.
When the law is saying they now want 5 chains holding backhoes, 1 being for the backhoe bucket, do I need 4 seperate chains or does 2 long chains holding the back and front constitute the other 4 ? 5 points or 5 actual chains ?

 

I was gonna reply yesterday, but my mouse died. I was gonna say, the aftermarket drop bumpers (like yours) are pretty strong. I had one on a 95 F-150, and I was pulling trailers much bigger than yours with no problems. While I think a hitch would be better. I would check the hardware securing the bumper to your frame, you may even consider welding the bumper to your frame for extra strength. Something else to do would be to get one of those reciever hitches that bolts to your bumper. It's basically the square reciever tube with a flat plate welded to it so you can bolt it to the bottom of your bumper. That way you would still have the availability of an adjustable type hitch. They usually cost about $30. Can you find any info on your bumper that might help you figure out what it is rated at? It would be better to know for sure, than to just hope you got lucky.

 

This link was invisable up there above the picture. http://www.reflexxion.com/ref/rf17.html This looks close to my bumper, and they say it is V-5 tested. ???
I agree with my guessing as it does suck. When I look at the receiver and the bumper, it seems to me that the bumper might have more to give then the receiver. There is more structure. I will check the torque on the bolts today. I left the trailer with tractor on it hanging off the bumper last nite, its still there. Am considering an add a leaf now, just to stiffen the ride. I mean the truck site level, but I may want to see the truck have the advantage. The trailer looks more at the right angle now.
I will get pics of it in here today.