I wanna double check my blue ox wdh setup
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I wanna double check my blue ox wdh setup
any quick way to do this to make sure the dealer installed everything within the correct measurements recommended by blue ox. After it was installed at the dealer I measured the chain brackets and they were 29” from the coupler as recommended by blue ox now I’m wondering how do I know how many links to use for proper flex and weight distribution and I want to make sure the ball is at the right height. I had a friend have his ball installed upside down as opposed to facing up now granted he has an f250 and once the ball was repositioned it changed his towing experience and control. When the bars were hooked up so I could tow the trailer home we settled on 7 links and the measurement from ground to bottom of each wheel well was 38” exactly so it appeared level but that’s with an empty camper, we tried 8 links but there was noticeable flex in the bars and quite a bit of tension when undoing the chains like they were under to much pressure but maybe that’s the way this hitch works best, I’m not sure that’s why I ask. Thanks for any advice.
*updated 4/18 on last post.
*updated 4/18 on last post.
Last edited by Olotti76; 04-18-2018 at 01:46 PM.
#2
Without a scale, its a guess. You want to return as much weight back to the front axle as possible. Unhook the trailer and let the truck settle. Bounce the front a few times, then measure the front fender height. Hook the trailer back up, tension the bars and see if the front returns to the unloaded height or close to it. If not increase the tension one link at a time. FYI you will need to crank the truck and trailer up together with the jack and you will still have to muscle the cams, if you don't then you wont have enough tension, and yes the bars do flex a bit.
To know for sure .take the rig to the scales, with the truck and trailer fully loaded, and weigh with and without the bars hooked, and note the difference.
Go to this thread and there is a link in the second sentence to a work sheet. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/number...9/#post5446734
To know for sure .take the rig to the scales, with the truck and trailer fully loaded, and weigh with and without the bars hooked, and note the difference.
Go to this thread and there is a link in the second sentence to a work sheet. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/number...9/#post5446734
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Without a scale, its a guess. You want to return as much weight back to the front axle as possible. Unhook the trailer and let the truck settle. Bounce the front a few times, then measure the front fender height. Hook the trailer back up, tension the bars and see if the front returns to the unloaded height or close to it. If not increase the tension one link at a time. FYI you will need to crank the truck and trailer up together with the jack and you will still have to muscle the cams, if you don't then you wont have enough tension, and yes the bars do flex a bit.
To know for sure .take the rig to the scales, with the truck and trailer fully loaded, and weigh with and without the bars hooked, and note the difference.
Go to this thread and there is a link in the second sentence to a work sheet. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/number...9/#post5446734
To know for sure .take the rig to the scales, with the truck and trailer fully loaded, and weigh with and without the bars hooked, and note the difference.
Go to this thread and there is a link in the second sentence to a work sheet. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/number...9/#post5446734
#4
Thats correct. Front wheel well/fender height. Measure to the center of the opening at the lip. Since you say it is at 38 all around, sounds pretty close. You also have the correct info on the ball height, so tht just leave the bar tension and that you can adjust as you load everything up.
How did it handle bringing it home?
How did it handle bringing it home?
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thats correct. Front wheel well/fender height. Measure to the center of the opening at the lip. Since you say it is at 38 all around, sounds pretty close. You also have the correct info on the ball height, so tht just leave the bar tension and that you can adjust as you load everything up.
How did it handle bringing it home?
How did it handle bringing it home?
#7
The bucking could be not enough tongue weight. I noticed the bars have no curve to them, so when you get on an undulating road some tension will be applied to the spring bars and that will cause what you felt. Once you get it loaded up and ready to travel, you should be fine. Somewhere I have pics of the bars on mine, they have a pretty good curve to them and they are 1500 pound bars. I'll go look for that post and link it here.
EDIT: Heres the link to the post with my setup. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/equili...9/#post5474329
EDIT: Heres the link to the post with my setup. https://www.f150forum.com/f82/equili...9/#post5474329
Last edited by acdii; 04-11-2018 at 09:54 PM.
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#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
The bucking could be not enough tongue weight. I noticed the bars have no curve to them, so when you get on an undulating road some tension will be applied to the spring bars and that will cause what you felt. Once you get it loaded up and ready to travel, you should be fine. Somewhere I have pics of the bars on mine, they have a pretty good curve to them and they are 1500 pound bars. I'll go look for that post and link it here.
#9
Click the link I posted, there is a pic of the bars with the jack extended as much as possible.
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
i saw that thanks for sending it and all the advice this has helped a lot. I’m thinking with the tt loaded I’ll prob have to go to 8 links, when my truck was hooked up the first time with 8 links it had the curve in the bars just like yours. I’m not terribly concerned with the tt dry but with it loaded I def wanna get the wdh set right. So what if I load the trailer prob estimating it’ll be around 6700lbs, I go to 8 links and the front wheel well measurements don’t jibe? Raise the camper up and go up another link and vice verse if the front and back wheel well measurements to match.