Tab 400;boondock hitch ball height

Ace

2021 400 boondock on order, what is the correct ball height (bottom of ball) of the hitch?

Denny16

With the trailer level, the top of the ball on your TV needs to be at 20” which the trailer connected to be level, the draw bar ball height will depending on the TV and its ability to hold 350-400 lbs of tongue weight without dropping down.  I am setting my truck” receiver ball to 22-inches for our TaB 400 Boondock.  Ball height is measured to the top of the TV ball, not the bottom.  This will allow for the 2-inch drop with the trailer connected.  That said, if you have a large 1/2 -ton full size truck, than 20-inches should work, as the 350-400 lbs tongue weight will may not lower the truck height.
cheers

Ace

thanks thanks, TV is a Audi Q7, did not think about the drop.

Denny16

OK, I think the Audi is going to drop at least 2-inches, maybe more?
cheers

ChrisFix

@Ace
Does your Q7 have auto-leveling by any chance? If so, you won't have any drop to account for.

Denny16

Grand thought @ChrisFix, I didn’t think about the auto leveling feature found on newer SUVs.
cheers

dlb

If you have the air suspension you may also have the off road setting.  That gives you a 2” lift.  So you normal road height for drive and sport suspension mode will be auto leveled with the air suspension and the off road setting lifts the entire body an additional 2”.  My 2020 SQ5 is set up that way.

Denny16

That sounds like a nice setup for occasional off road trails or backwoods camping sites.
cheers

Tundra57

My 2010 Toyota Tundra has ball height at 21.5" 2019 Tab 400 boondock level is approx 20". I have 15lbs of pressure in my airbags and all is level.

cfranklin

Having similar planning issues that Ace and Denny16 are commenting on. I have a 2014 Audi Q7 TDI with air / self-leveling suspension. The top of the receiver sits at 18" with the TV in 'Auto' or 'Normal' suspension position. Decided to go with a hitch with 2" rise -- we'll see how that works out. We don't take delivery until late September so I'm going to continue to try and validate my assumptions particularly as I'll be in off-road / boondock mode much of the time. Any input is appreciated.

Denny16

The 2-inch rise should work just fine.  

Cheers

dlb

When you hitch up have someone start your Q7 and watch the suspension load level.  It might rise a few inches. My SQ5 will.

cfranklin

Thanks dlb. I put it into 'tow' mode and it came up about an inch. I'm going to wait until I pick up the trailer and fine tune from there. Also will want to see the impact of putting the car into 'off-road' mode. I'm gathering that the electric brake pin on the 7 way isn't hot on my Q7 and will need a brake controller. I like the idea of the remote / bt unit (Curt Echo) -- did you need to install a brake controller on your SQ5?

dlb

I don’t have a Tab yet, so still learning my set up. The plan is to get a 2021 400 this fall or early spring.  The kayaks currently get towed on a trailer that I use the SQ5 for. I do have the ‘factory’ hitch install.  The dealer suggested I visit them once I know the trailer I will purchase so that everything will be checked out prior to towing the trailer.  IIRC the main concern of theirs was having the correct brake controller installed.  I am also intrigued by the ECHO unit.

rhyno

The reference to the top of the ball height measurement mentioned earlier in this thread is really confusing me. All guidance I can find online looks like the screenshot below where you take the top of the TV receiver height minus the bottom of the coupler height to determine the drop. How does the math work using the top of the ball height as a reference point? What is the height to the bottom of the coupler on a 400 boondock?

johnfconway

dlb said:

 The kayaks currently get towed on a trailer that I use the SQ5 for.

Will you go to roof rack for kayaks? We were pleasantly surprised that Thule still made a rack that would fit Nissan Frontier King Cab roof with enough spread for 17' Placid Boatworks Canoe. Thought paddling was going to be tent camping only. Pairing T@B at night with paddling (or hiking) by day is hard to beat!

dlb

When towing the Tab, yes.  Otherwise on the trailer, a Malone Microsport XT.  

rhyno

@Denny16 -  Could you let me know what level of rise I would need for my hitch setup? I feel like I am over complicating this but the recommended top of ball height vs the actual drop or rise needed for the hitch itself is throwing me for a loop.

Is the difference between the top of the receiver and the ball mount surface (rather than the top of ball) the hitch's actual drop or rise? Depending on the answer to this, what hitch do I need to get in order to arrive at a 22" unloaded top of ball height given the following information?

-The top of my receiver is at 19".
-The top of ball height you mentioned earlier needs to be at 20" for level towing of a 400 boondock.
-I want to add 2" to the unloaded top of hitch height to compensate for sag on my TV - so a 22" unloaded top of ball height is the goal.

Denny16

@rhyno, do you have a ball hitch currently for your TV, no necessarily the one you need for the TaB.  Just use an existing receiver ball hitch, say one with a standard 2-inch drop.  Put it only your TV, and measure (on level ground) the height to the top of the ball, you could also use a straight hitch, no rise or fall.
Then if the straight hitch puts the ball at 20-inches (for example), you will need a. 2-inch rise to get 22-inches.  

This is how I worked this out.  Not all rise/drop hitches are exactly what they are marked either.  If you do not have a ball hitch, go to a trailer supply shop that carries them and try out one of their setups to get a starting point.  This is how I worked out that I needed a 2-inch rise for my JT.  Also a 2-inch drop ball mount, reversed is a 1-inch rise. 

The height of the 2-inch ball is about 2.5 to 2.75 inches high.  A straight receiver ball mint would put the base of the ball at the same height as the top of yout receiver, 19-inches, add the 2.5 p-inches for the ball height, would put you at around 21.5 to 22 inches, depending on the ball base height..  So you could use a straight mount and add a ball with a 1-inch spacer on its base, or get a 1-inch rise receiver bracket to mount the 2-inch ball on, if a stock ball drops the height too much to stay level with the trailer connected.

My JT worked out needing a 2-inch rise, to get me to around 21.5 inches with a 17-inch high receiver.  My TV only drops about 1-inch with the TaB400 connected up.
cheers

rhyno

@Denny16 - Thank you. I don't have a hitch to try yet but can borrow one from a neighbor to figure out my initial set up and go from there.

GrandmasKid

On our '21 Toyota Tacoma I've got the top of the hitch ball at 21.5" with the 400 Boondock unhitched. I've got the heavy duty 1,000 lb Sumo springs on the truck. We pick up the T@B in ten days. Does anyone know if the Tacoma will sag 1.5" with the Sumo springs on so that our new T@B will ride level? If I didn't configure it right I guess I'll find out how helpful the dealer is. Thanks.

HuCamp

@GrandmasKid I have a 2020 Tacoma (TRD Offroad 4wd) with the 500 lbs Sumo Springs. When I load my '21 T@b 400, it squats about 1/2" only. I expect yours will squat even less with the 1,000 lbs springs. It rides pretty level.

GrandmasKid

HuCamp said:

@GrandmasKid I have a 2020 Tacoma (TRD Offroad 4wd) with the 500 lbs Sumo Springs. When I load my '21 T@b 400, it squats about 1/2" only. I expect yours will squat even less with the 1,000 lbs springs. It rides pretty level

 Thanks. I got the heavier Sumosprings because we want to go on some very long trips (Georgia to Alaska and hopefully back) and will be hauling close to our max payload of 1155 lbs. If our Tacoma doesn't squat enough I may need to buy an adjustable height hitch. I appreciate you taking the time to input your experience.