Is my Trailer Riding Flat Enough

Trailpixie

I just got a new tow vehicle and swapped out my old drop hitch. I am trying to decide whether the slant is too much or whether I should have a new drop hitch made with the proper friction sway bar tab welded on.

Should I…

MuttonChops

In this case a Picture is Not Worth a Thousand Words.

Measure your rig and make an informed choice.
Basic rule-of-thumb; if standard drop/rise tow bars do not match your required drop/rise for level rig.
Then select the one that places the Trailer Coupler Lower not Higher as lower helps control trailer sway when compared to being higher than ideal.

Reference picture, measure trailer when level and not attached to tow vehicle [TV]
Measure TV when level and ideally loaded with it's normal camping stuff, knowing or estimating TV rear sag can be helpful as well.

Trailpixie

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/222742#Comment_222742

so are you suggesting, "Commune with hobbits?"

Grumpy_G

Go with this drop hitch. It is fine.

Looks good to me, if anything the tongue might come down a bit with the 4runner and the T@b loaded. If the trailer is not noticeably nose high or low I would not worry about it.

Trailpixie

I added airbags and got a 4-inch drop hitch. I might be able to lose a slight bit in the air bags, but right now now the vehicle is empty. When it's loaded it will probably level out by dropping an inch or so more.

Horigan

Looks good to me. I'm jelly you can install air bags in the 4Runner. Our Highlander can't accommodate them.

Trailpixie

1,500 miles from Washington DC through Niagara Falls to Killarney Provincial Park, South Baymouth, Tobermory, Bruce Peninsula, and back home. 20PSI in the rear airbags. Everything held together perfectly. The hybrid engine was powerful. The suspension was good with about 400-425 pounds of tongue weight. (I wanted to get the tongue weight down, but to no avail.) Traveled dry.

GBL_citruscountyfl

The only way to get your tongue weight down is to fill the fresh water tank. I run about 550 lbs tongue weight on my 400, and can reduce it to the mid 300's when I run half a tank of water.

Trailpixie

I need to experiment with how fresh water affects tongue weight on the 360. I put a bunch of my gear on the backs of the beds. It probably had a negligible affect, but every pound matters.

I'd like to find a way to put two rotopax gas can mounts on the far back outside of the camper. I'd really like an extra 6 gallons of gas, and that would be a way to take a little weight off the tongue.