Newbie progress after 2 weeks AND QUESTIONS

[Bruce from Kansas]

But that "new" Hitch is so much Heavier! Especially for a West Nile weakened guy.

 

[maestro123]

just be sure it's only 1/8 inch off side to side or top to bottom. or it wont be then perfect at it's finest dude! just check with mr. know it all he can tell ya exactly what to do every single time you need anything for anything . why you think over 3500 posts? he be the 1st to tell you what to do. then what to do wrong! yes he knows it all and more lmao! i cant stand douche bags like that!

 

[Doug Allen]

Whoa- I just spent 30 minutes composing an update, but wanted to check back a page to reread some of your comments (thanks for the good info) and when I returned to the last page my composition had disappeared! I'll try again tomorrow.
The trailer is hooked up to my Nissan Frontier. Tomorrow's the big day!

 

[Doug Allen]

Let's try again! UPDATE- Finished putting up curtain rods and the newly cleaned original curtains. The previous handiman owner had replaced all the inside walls because there was some water damage on the front corners, and he wanted all the walls to match. Evidence of the leaks is still barely visible from inside the upper cabinets. All in all, she looks pretty good inside with no evidence of leaks except those mentioned. After my washing, scraping, and painting, the outside looks better, but a country mile from professional work! The previous owners used caulking abundantly which is better than a lot of leaks, but it looks poor. Good news on the Swedish made Dometic fridge. The model number is listed on the Dometic web site as a 240V model, but it's a 120V model and got cold on mains AC yesterday. The sellers of the RV didn't know it worked on AC. I don't think they ever drove it more than a few miles to check road worthiness, and a previous registration found in a drawer is 2012, the last time I think it was actually used for camping. The seller drove it the 4 miles to my house at the maximum speed limit pulling with their F-150 and no WDH. I was in the passenger seat.
The TV antenna still doesn't rise after much lubrication, and the hand crank is not strong enough to stay on the shaft. I'll disassemble it, and also replace the old high band VHF antenna with a better UHF model, an area where I have some expertise. I also need to see if I can get the water pump to work, and learn to use propane.

Today I insured the rig with my insurance company- an expensive $500 yearly for $500 deductible and $$$ lability. I also paid $69 for the Roadside Assistance since my insurance company doesn't offer a good towing plan.
I've been studying the weight distribution hitches, and the some of the hardware for one is mounted on the trailer tongue, but the rods and chains have been lost. Are they available separately? What make and model are forum members using or are you pulling without a WDH?

The Nissan Frontier is hooked up to the rig ready to pull tomorrow after I go through my checklist and try to lower the top on the uneven ground (I hope!). My destination is just one mile away, the high school large level paring lot where I can eyeball and measure the the level of RV and truck. The RV is not carrying any water, the bunk bed, or the two gas bottles, so the hitch weight may actually be too low, below 10% of the spec trailer dry weight of of 2940 according to my original 1999 manual.
At the high school I'll practice turning and backing and adjust my trailer brakes. If ll goes well, I'll then travel some country roads possibly to a friend's house in NC, 11 miles away. The big test will come when I return home, needing to back-in over 100' on my curvy, hilly, gravel driveway to where the rig now sits. I won't raise the rig, but do a thorough inspection of the roof and try to seal any leaks I find. And next week, if all goes well tomorrow, I'll do an overnight at an RV camp somewhere- with a trip to ME, northern NY, and possibly Quebec and Labrador planned in August.
Onward...

 

[Doug Allen]

Is this medium duty equalizer hitch a good one for my 21' Hi-Lo and Nissan Frontier-
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Curt/17300.html#prod-acc-onlyreviews

I already have a Reese 2" ball. Will I be able to use that?

On the Nissan Frontier Forum, a poster writes- "I would suggest getting one that's rated for 0-600 lbs. of tongue weight. This will give you a smoother, less jarring ride. A 0-1000+ lb. version will work, but your ride will suffer somewhat due to the unnecessarily stiff tension bars."

 

[Bruce from Kansas]

Is this medium duty equalizer hitch a good one for my 21' Hi-Lo and Nissan Frontier-
. . . [/url]

I already have a Reese 2" ball. Will I be able to use that?

. . . rated for 0-600 lbs. of tongue weight. This will give you a smoother, less jarring ride. A 0-1000+ lb. version will work, but your ride will suffer somewhat due to the unnecessarily stiff tension bars."

It'll work, BUT it has NO Anti-Sway built-in! So, from experience without one, I would recommend also purchasing an Anti-Sway Bar too.

As a more expensive alternative, you could choose a higher quality system here: https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store/equal-i-zer-hitches. The Anti-Sway is built in. They all spec 2-5/6" Balls, but you can get the Balls separately. If your TV Hitch is only for a 2" Ball, they are Both 1-1/4" Shanks, so it would still work.

If I'm not mistaken, my old 1976B [2" Ball] came with their original style WDH similar to the one you're looking at. Because of Too much TV weight in the Rear one time, I nearly lost it in a Jack-Knife from Swaying. So I added an Anti-Sway Bar and never had a problem again.

As for the Ride with Stiffer Bars, I believe the Equal-i-zer WDH that came with my 2600THB [2-5/8" Ball] are Heavier than what I need [haven't pulled it on the road yet myself], but it sure pulled nice with them for over a hundred miles.

 

[JackandJanet]

Is this medium duty equalizer hitch a good one for my 21' Hi-Lo and Nissan Frontier-
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Curt/17300.html#prod-acc-onlyreviews

I already have a Reese 2" ball. Will I be able to use that?

On the Nissan Frontier Forum, a poster writes- "I would suggest getting one that's rated for 0-600 lbs. of tongue weight. This will give you a smoother, less jarring ride. A 0-1000+ lb. version will work, but your ride will suffer somewhat due to the unnecessarily stiff tension bars."

Doug, that's not an Equal-I-Zer, it's a Curt. Equal-I-Zer is a brand name, Bruce is correct that you would need anti-sway too.

I'm not convinced that your tongue weight will be below 600# on a 21 ft Hi-Lo. My tongue weight can get up to above 500# with water in the fresh tank. I think you should get a hitch with an 800# tongue weight rating.

You DO want a hitch that doesn't exceed your tongue weight by TOO much, but it should not be UNDER the tongue weight either. The 1000# rated hitch would be too stiff for a comfortable ride, but it would work.

- Jack

 

[RichR]

There was a switch in ball sizes.

Somewhere along the later years the Hi-Lo ball sizes went from 2" to 2 5/16". I'm thinking early 2000's and maybe that's only true for Towlite. Some trailers have the ball size stamped into the hitch, some don't. The way to be sure is try a 2 5/16" ball on the trailer, if it goes in and locks down you have the right ball. If the trailer takes a 2" ball the 2 5/16" will not go in or lock down. You DO NOT want to put a 2 15/16" trailer on a 2" ball, that can create some interesting results that you would want to experience.

 

[Bruce from Kansas]

Built-In Anti-Sway Bars

Doug - Another thing worth considering, is that with the Automatic Sway Control of the Heavier systems, you don't have to Stop, and release the Chains & Anti-Sway Bar BEFORE Backing up or parking the RV.

 

[RichR]

Doug - Another thing worth considering, is that with the Automatic Sway Control of the Heavier systems, you don't have to Stop, and release the Chains & Anti-Sway Bar BEFORE Backing up or parking the RV.

I have never understood why the sway bar has to be disconnected before backing up. Can you explain that?

 

[Bruce from Kansas]

I have never understood why the sway bar has to be disconnected before backing up. Can you explain that?

It interferes with the Turning Radius somewhat restricting it, and can Damage/Stretch some of the parts, such as breaking the chains, brackets, etc., or the Anti-Sway Bar [on Sharp Turns especially]. Can be pretty noisy too!

For anyone who cares, I finally figured out what my original WDH is on my 2176B. It's Stamped "Valley 4042". As near as I can determine, Valley was possibly taken over by "Curt", but don't know for sure. All I know is that it is/was easier to transition between different TVs because all I have/had to do is Turn the WDH over and reverse the Bars for the differences in height. With this new Equal-I-Zer, I would have to do a compete set up of the WDH for the different hitch height.

 

[JackandJanet]

Bruce, I never knew that about WDH's with chains! Thanks for educating me!

The Equal-I-Zer can be pretty noisy too, but they now offer plastic inserts you put on the L-brackets that really work to quiet things down. If you don't have them, I recommend them.

- Jack

 

[Doug Allen]

Jack, so sorry. Thought equalizer hitch (not Equalizer) and WDH were names for same thing. I plan to go to the scales 5 miles away off I 26 and find out weights. I don't see any 800 lb Equalizer hitches, only 600 lb and 1000 lb. Am I missing something? And my tongue weight better be below 600 lbs because that's the max my Frontier can pull. My 1999 manual says dry tongue weight is 375 lbs.
Rich, my 1999 Tow Lite has a 2" ball. Yes, it's stamped on the hitch.
Bruce, I'll study the WDHs with sway bars. Probably in my future. Thanks.

Today, I successfully lowered trailer despite being on uneven ground and pulled rig to high school one mile away where I practiced turning and backing for 30 minutes and took some measurements. The 5000 lb Nissan shank that came as part of the tow package has an approximate 2" rise or drop. I put the ball on the rise side so the ball is well above the shank. Doing this, the front of the 21' Tow Lite was about 1 higher than the back and the truck front was also almost 1" higher than the back. Will someone tell me what that means? I'm thinking of tomorrow of reinserting the shank in the receiver with the ball below (actually almost even with) the shank and measuring the Tow Lite and the truck with that configuration.
After practicing at the high school, I drove to a friends house in NC, 11 miles away, and back home, 27 miles total for the day. The RV pulled very easily (no WDH), and I hit 55 MPH and 3000 RPM during the trip which included some 7% grades. When returning home, I had difficulty backing 100+ feet into my curvy and uneven driveway to the space where the RV will live. It took 10 minutes and freaked my wife out!. Also, I'm not a happy camper. I found that the platform, driver's side, that holds the gas bottles (not carried today) and the Frontier fender on that side were both dented. I had no idea that that could happen when backing up.
Tomorrow's another day. Onward.

 

[Bruce from Kansas]

"only 600 lb and 1000 lb. Am I missing something? And my tongue weight better be below 600 lbs because that's the max my Frontier can pull. My 1999 manual says dry tongue weight is 375 lbs.
Rich, my 1999 Tow Lite has a 2" ball. Yes, it's stamped on the hitch.
Bruce, I'll study the WDHs with sway bars. Probably in my future."

Doug, the Equal-I-Zer on my 2500TFB is a 1000 TW to 10,000 GVWH, and the Manuel says 550 & 5,500 respectively. Even "Curt" has them.

Per the Ball, as I stated above, IF the trailer Hitch is just for a 2" Ball, the Shanks are both 1-1/4", so the 2" will work on the WDHs. Just don't by one with the wrong Ball.

 

[JackandJanet]

Doug, a 1000#/10000# hitch would work fine, it would just give you a stiffer ride. There is at least ONE other brand of WDH that uses the same spring bar setup as Equal-I-Zer, but I don't recall the name. I'm sure if you did an internet search for Weight Distributing Hitches, you'd find it. Possibly, they have an 800#/8000# one.

You can adjust the ball height as needed to get the right elevation with the trailer tongue level. As long as the hitch receiver doesn't interfere with the shank, you're fine.

If you took the trailer to a CAT scale and did some weighings, you'd know if a 600# hitch would work. DO expect the trailer and the hitch weight to be higher than what was listed in the Hi-Lo brochure.

Yes, you will be able to tow your trailer without a WDH, but it's not good for your truck and is not really safe.

It's possible you dented things while backing because you jack knifed the trailer. That is VERY easy to do. As I said earlier, the hardest part in backing is learning when to stop introducing more turn. It really helps to have a spotter back there to tell you when you've got the trailer pointed right so you can stop inputting a turn.

It's a learning process! I've had my trailer 10 years and am STILL learning how to control it.

- Jack

 

[piperjim]

Doug:

Have you considered attending some kind of RV training? Escapees (a group of mostly full-time RV'ers) puts on an "RV Boot Camp". Info at: https://www.escapees.com/knowledge/boot-camp

Here's a quick description of the class topics:

"This training program provides solid fundamentals for road safety, technical proficiency, and confidence for all RVers.

The program includes training in

RV maintenance and operation
Towing safety
Tire and weight safety
Basic RV systems
Fire and life safety
RV driving
Personal safety for RVers

Your Boot Camp tuition includes:

More than 20 hours of formal training on essential RV topics
Your personal copy (one per couple) of "The RVer's Ultimate Survival Guide" (CD version), check out this 256 page definitive book on RV safety at www.rvsafetyinfo.com
Course handouts where appropriate
Special elective courses for new RVers
Focus groups on motorhome towing and towable RVs
Breakfasts on day two and three
Dinner on day two
Social gatherings, including an innovative full-timers discussion panel and Q&A session
Numerous opportunities to talk one-on-one with the instructors

Also Available at most events:

RV weighing by Escapees SmartWeigh (normal weighing fees apply)
Fire and Life safety products (at additional cost)
In-your-RV Driver training (www.rvschool.com)"

Attending might save your marriage, damage to your camper or TV, or more.

 

[RichR]

Am I missing something? And my tongue weight better be below 600 lbs because that's the max my Frontier can pull.

Is the 600 lbs for tongue weight with or without WDH? There is a difference, most often the tongue weight can be higher with WDH. If you have a WDH you can make your tow vehicle sit level as it should be, and it will handle properly.

Go to https://www.etrailer.com/ for lots of information on trailer hitches. They sell most anything you need for towing. You can put your vehicle info and it will match items to it. There is a ton of videos covering hitches. Most every item has a video if you scroll down the the item's page.