psdx

This is not my first time towing a travel trailer but it is the first time behind an F150. The truck is a 2012 super crew short bed with the 5 L engine. It's equipped to tow 9300 pounds. The hitch itself is rated for 500 pounds of dead weight and 1050 pounds of tongue weight with a weight distributing hitch. The trailer I am connecting has a 920 pound tongue weight and I am using a blue ox swaypro hitch with 1000 pound bars. When installing the hitch I noticed that I could not get enough lift from the hitch bars to push the front end of the truck back down to where it was before it was hitched up. So I took it to the scales and weighed it. With the bars adjusted to the 11th link in the chain the front axle weight was 100 pounds lighter than when I weighed the truck by itself.

I believe I understand why. The drawbar on this hitch is pretty long. I measure 13 inches from where it meets the hitch on the truck out to the centerline of the ball. This seems long but I don't have anything else to compare it to you right now. When I connect the trailer and install the hitch bars I noticed that the head of the hitch tips quite a bit due to flex in the trucks trailer hitch ( I measured the height of the front and rear edges of the hitch box before and after hitching up the trailer, and it changed by 3/16 of an inch. The front of the hitch box was lower and the rear was higher, Giving a total change of 3/16 of an inch). I think this might be partially related to the length of the hitches drawbar. But it might also be related to a defective hitch on the truck. At any rate I believe this then changes the angle of the hitch head enough that the weight distributing bars are at the wrong angle therefore they are not providing enough lift. Blue Ox changed this hitch head to where it is no longer adjustable.

I have attached two pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about. My question is does this amount of flex seem typical, or is it excessive? I am no expert by any means but it does have me concerned. One of the options would be to look for a different hitch that has a shorter drawbar and an adjustable head. That should allow me to distribute the weight properly. The hitch flex might go away with a shorter drawbar or might not. I noticed from other posts on this site that I could replace the factory hitch with the hitch that came with the max trailer tow package. It looks like there are some additional gussets on each end of the hitch, and some bracing below the hitch box. I also took the truck to a fabrication shop, and they believe they could strengthen the existing hitch.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of flex in the hitch? Should I be concerned? Does the Blue Ox drawbar seem especially long compared to others? Thanks in advance for any insight.

Steve Osborne

Any adjustment for angle...my hitch is angled towards trailer ...not level like yours..
Not a great pic...but the rake of the truck and the slight angle back on the ball....

psdx

The difference in mine is the 3/16" change in the rear of the hitch box. I'm not so concerned about the angle of the hitch with no load - just the change from no load to load (hitch and bars connected).

acdii

What he is referring to is the head angle itself. If you notice the bars are 90* to the ball, and by tilting the head down, you also tilt the bars down, so that when you hook them up you have more tension on the bars to play with.

The bars act as levers, so when you pull up on the very end of the bar you are transferring weight to the front axle, and by your current setup you aren't getting enough leverage from your bars.

Mike Up

First off, your trailer looks to have a higher tongue weight than 920 lbs, so you're bars could be under sized.

My hitch looks like your, which I would expect. Once you hook up the bars, the bars are pulling your truck rear end, up. While unhooked, the hitch may have been level, it's now being pulled up at an angle by the bars.

I really see nothing odd in your pic, as it looks like mine. I have 3 1/2 links showing below the tongue hanger (unlike your 1 link) and my trailer loaded is between 6500 lbs and 7000 lbs. I have the front storage bins loaded along with the front bedroom storage areas.

I feel your tongue weight may be heavier than the 920 lbs you think it is.

psdx

Thanks for the responses so far. Just to clarify a couple of things, there is no adjustment for the head angle on this particular hitch. It is a fixed head - no adjustment. The weight carried by this bitch is 920 pounds. I know that because I weighed the truck inhitched and again with the trailer attached. The truck weight increased by 920 pounds.

The second picture illustrates the effect on the trucks ditch when the weight bars are trying to act as a lever and take weight off the rear axle.

Steve Osborne

From this blue ox pic....looks adjustable.....the adjuster bolt and washers/shims and sloted holes are reverse to my hitch..
Yours is different as well...
There has to be something with the setup to angle it...


Found this pic on blue ox site....the hitch head is mounted at the top ..angled head...maybe your head needs to be brought up one more hole....

jeffinthebag

I am no expert either but I do have the blue ox too. The older models had adjustable heads and the newer ones do not. You said you have the 1000lbs 3 dot bars for 920 lbs tongue weight. In my opinion I think you need the 4 dot bars for 1500lbs. Your current bars are not enough. Contact blue ox and send them the pictures for their correct answer. Or go down to the local blue ox dealer and ask them to try the heavier bars and see if a improvement is made.
In my research I found out before I bought, a lot of people experienced problems with the blue ox and once they up the bars it was fine. 920lbs on 1000 lbs bars is cutting it to close I think.
Good luck.

psdx

I wish it did. The new and improved hitch has a fixed head.

....quote from product page....No head angle adjustment needed… Never
Install hitch head at the proper height and you’re done. No serrated washers, no cams and no shim packs to fuss with.

I accept the fact that the SwayPro will not work for me unless I can reduce the flex in the trailer hitch on the truck. I'm just wondering if either people have this much flex when they add weight distribution bars. The difference between the front/rear of the hitch box (2" receiver tube on truck) changes by 3/16" when adding the weight distribution bars. That's seems like a lot of flex for a piece that's only about 6" long. The affect is very visible in my second picture.

mark waller

I have to agree with some of the statements and try the 1500 lb. bars since they do not make 1200lb. ones. I use a newer Blue Ox and do not get that much movement on the ball. It looks like too much flex.