Standard travel trailer hitch height

[AlaskaDmax]

Greetings!

I hooked up the travel trailer tonight for the first time and WOW!!! It looked like the dang thing was doing a wheely down the road!!!

Ok, maybe not that bad, but I can't drive it like this.

So the questions are...

1) Do all travel trailers have the same hitch height?

2) If yes, then what is it?

3) What drop are you guys with travel trailers using with the standard OEM hitch?

I thought I would ask here before I have to go hitch up again, find a flat parking lot, unhitch, level, measure, hitch up again, come home, unhitch again....you get the point...too much for my high-tech, lazy arse!

BTW...the camper is a 2000 Jayco Qwest 240A, 25 comfortable feet long.

I thank you and my lazy bones thank you too :D

[White Knight]

Alaska D
I had a 1995 GMC 1/2 ton 4X4 before I got my 2500 HD D/A. The hitch receiver is 2 inches higher on the D/A than on my 1995. I had to purchase a new adapter from Reese to drop my ball height 2 inches. The adaptor is the part that slips into your receiver on the truck and the part that holds the hitch ball is bolted to the adaptor. There does not seem to be a standard ball height on travel trailers.

The adaptor I had on my 1995 was a cast or forged part with a series of holes for bolting on the part that holds the hitch ball. The new adaptor has more holes to give a greater drop. It is a welded part. Both were Reese OEM parts.

Hope this helps.

[tbrowne]

Tongue weights can vary widely from trailer to trailer. Your trailer manual should give you the dry tongue weight on your unit. The drop height depends on a number of factors including the tongue weight. Try asking your question on the Open Roads Forum. You'll probably get the more answers there. It's a good site for RV news.

http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/CFB/1.cfm

[AlaskaDmax]

Thanks, checked out RV net and it looks like I am just going to have to do it the old fashioned hard way...dang it! :D

My prodigy came in just before lunch so it looks like I get to change the oil, change the trans filter, install the prodigy, and adjust the hitch tonight after work...so much for being lazy!

I hope the prodigy goes in trouble free, there were quite a few gripes over on the rv net.

Later and thanks again!

[dave p]

first of all you can not use the reciver that came with the truck for towing a travel trailer, its not heavy enough. you need to purchase an adjustable head trailer hitch, reese or equlizer brand. be sure your torsion bars are tight enough and take your unit to a scales that is closed. scales are level and you can tell if your unit is level. with the torsion bars good and tight your unit should be level or slightly dropped at the tounge , an inch or 2. i prefer the equlizer brand hitch, its cheaper and better than a reese. dave p

[tbrowne]

Dave P

The receiver hitch on the 2500HD is rated to tow a 12,000 pound trailer. There isn't any way a 25 foot jayco will approach that weight.

[dave p]

tbrowne, i stand corrected, when did they upgrade the recivers, they used to be to light? am glad to hear they have a higher rating now. dave p

[Tim B]

The stock hitch seems to have a healthy rating - 7,500 # weight-carrying and 12,000 # with a weight distributing set-up.

Tim B.

[AlaskaDmax]

The max weight my trailer can weigh is like 6400 pounds or near there any way...the receiver is rated for 12K and my hitch is rated for 10K...I do not think that it will be a problem. I did get the thing set up tonight though. I left it at about 1" high unladen...because I did not have all of the family crap and fire wood loaded, whick I believe will drop it the inch.

I also got hte prodigy installed...took longer than I thought it would. I took the time to solder all of the wires and put heat shrink on them too. I mounted the prodigy to the right side almost up against the console and I also used the cradle instead of the bracket. I mounted it to the metal dash frame by drilling two holes...so that way I will not ever have holes in the plastic...

I will try to get pics posted soon...came out pretty nice.

[motovet]

The stock receiver may be rated at 12,000# but it is junk for sure. My trailer is a bit heavier at 10,000# and 1,000# hitch weight and the stock receiver bent and started to break at the weld before I replaced it. Same thing happened on my 00'. The Jayco will probably not ruin the receiver, but anyone towing any sizeable trailers beware of the soft and cheesy set up that Chevy has decided to use because it LOOKS better.

[ 05-09-2002: Message edited by: motovet ]</p>

[AlaskaDmax]

Took some PICS last night, they are posted. See sig for link.

[ThePend]

Try this. Measure the height of the ball when the truck is empty. Measure the height of the trailer tongue when level. Then hook up the trailer to the truck then measure the height of the ball. That tells you the amount of sag in the rear of the truck. Its not complicated but I think Im explaining it that way.

Example: (not actual numbers)

Truck hitch height at the ball= 28"
Hitch height with trailer hooked up= 25"

Height of level trailer tongue= 20"
Drop hitch amount= 4-5"

Sounds simple to me.

My 2 cents

[AlaskaDmax]

Exactly what I did.

I just left a little for the extra weight of camping stuff in the bed of the truck.

I originally posted this question so I wouldn't have to do all of the hitching and unhitching and finding a level place to do it....

:D :D