Tired of hitch height issue

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Comments

  • ChanW
    ChanW Member Posts: 3,168
    edited August 2020
    Possibility that your Tab's suspension is out of whack?

    Don't I recall that the 'swing arm suspension' the Tab uses is adjustable for height?  (Maybe that was the Dutchmen Tab)

    Maybe you should compare axle height with other CSS models, and with a non-CSS Tab.

    (You're not using 'low profile' Sleazy Rider tires, right? 😁😎) 

    Chan - near Buffalo NY
    2014 S Maxx
    2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah!

    ll9normvqdmg.jpeg


    A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya

  • 2Cougs
    2Cougs Member Posts: 935
    @AirBoss - Oh, we've been hitched for going on 39 years   :) No Apple Cup heavy sighs is better than the tears you would have shed :whistle:  (Had to get a Dawg dig in...)

    @Marceline - We currently have a 6" drop.  With a 4" drop we would often drag tail going from flat to incline up a hill.  Tire was on tongue and tow vehicle was loaded just as it is in the pictures above.
    2016 T@B CS-S silver with white trim and WSU themed
    Pulled by a silver 2017 Chevy Silverado
    Leaves on T@bventures from Spokane, WA


  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,430
    You might try to find a 5-inch drop hitch, as a comprobetween the. 4 and 6-inch drop units.  
    Cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
  • TabberJohn
    TabberJohn Member Posts: 588
    edited August 2020
    Least expensive 5" drop ball mount for 2" receiver I could locate is this:
    Also available at Northern Tool and etrailer.com.
    No experience with a "rockerball" but it sounds interesting. Reviews on Amazon look reasonable. 
    The only negative one I found mentions the trailer brakes differently due to the rocker action (tug/pull flex). There is also periodic maintenance to lubricate the polyurethane core via a zerk fitting on the bottom of the ball bolt.
    In any case based on your photos I think this would solve your wheel install issue.
    The question is whether a 1" rise difference will bring back any bottoming out. :s

    2015 T@B Max S (White/Silver) -> 2014 Ford Escape 2.0L (turbo, AWD, factory tow)
  • Marceline
    Marceline Member Posts: 1,777
    edited August 2020
    2Cougs said:

    @Marceline - We currently have a 6" drop.  With a 4" drop we would often drag tail going from flat to incline up a hill.  Tire was on tongue and tow vehicle was loaded just as it is in the pictures above.
    This is just very strange. From the photo you posted with the tape measure, it looks like the height from the ground to the top of your ball is only 13" or 14." Since all the tow vehicles are different, this is the number that's relevant when comparing your setup to other owners' setups. I have always read that the correct ball height for non-Boondock T@Bs is 16" (https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/440/hitch-height-of-t-b) and this is the number that I've been using. The ball height on my receiver is actually 17" because my vehicle sags a little when it's fully loaded, bringing it down to 16."

    With the 16" ball height and a clamshell, the only time I've had the tail touch bottom is when I still had the spare tire back there and I went from a driveway with no curb cut onto a street. That was the first day I owned the T@B. I moved the spare up front and it's never happened again. Today I went to where my trailer was stored and out of curiosity I crawled around under the trailer to see if there were any signs of the tail touching the ground and there's absolutely nothing. I've probably put 10,000+ miles on my trailer.

    So it seems really really odd that you need to have your ball set so incredibly low in order to avoid having the tail touch the ground.  Are your tires a different size? Did you maybe not have the stabilizers fully retracted?Is your axle different?  Is there something wrong with your axle? Do you have a super steep driveway? I really think that there is something "off" and it would be better to figure that out before cutting the jack post. 

    San Francisco Bay Area | 2013 CS-S us@gi | 2015 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner Double Cab

  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,430
    edited August 2020
    @TabberJohn, that 5-inch shock drop mount looks interesting, I like the anti-rattle pin connection. I have a bike rack,that uses a similar setup, with a lock over the end of the pin/bolt.  You can get just the ball mount part foe $50, https://www.amazon.com/CURT-40047-RockerBall-Cushion-Diameter/dp/B07YXJ73KY
    and this would add about 1.5 inches to the mounted ball height on the OP’s 6-inch drop draw bar,, this might jut solve his problem.
    Cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
  • TabberJohn
    TabberJohn Member Posts: 588
    edited August 2020
    @Denny16 - Aha! Hadn't thought about that.
    Then this would probably work too: https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch-Ball/Brophy/CB28Z.html
    @2Cougs -- There's your $35 fix. :) A 2" ball with a 1" riser.
    2015 T@B Max S (White/Silver) -> 2014 Ford Escape 2.0L (turbo, AWD, factory tow)
  • gspdx
    gspdx Member Posts: 208
    Might want to consider the jack-e-up.   Could help
    https://www.amazon.com/Jack-E-Up-5048-Black-Universal/dp/B01EVTKAJG/ref=asc_df_B01EVTKAJG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312061936460&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13244210555636528116&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027760&hvtargid=pla-570131682138&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=63195598478&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312061936460&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13244210555636528116&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027760&hvtargid=pla-570131682138


    2019 T@B 400 BDL
    2018 Ford F-150 2.7L Ecoboost with tow package
    PNW
  • Homebodyatheart
    Homebodyatheart Member Posts: 2,518
    @2Cougs I’ve got a simple work around for you! I finally got a 4” drop yesterday. When I got home I had the same problems you have, and it looked like exactly like Mr 2Cougs pic. I raised the jack stand until it was off the ball and hitch. I removed the hitch, turned it upside down and reinserted it in the TV, lowered the tongue onto it, raised the jack stand, put the wheel on with room to spare, continued my usual routine. Hope it helps!  :)
    2017 T@B 320 Max S silver and cherry red, L@dybug ("Bug" aka my esc@pe pod), TV 2015 Toyota Highlander aka Big Red
  • BrianZ
    BrianZ Member Posts: 1,770
    Clever solution, @Homebodyatheart; although, for those of us who keep a hitch tightener & drawbar lock installed, it would take longer than the 2x4's.
    -Brian in Chester, Virginia
    TV: 2005 Toyota Sienna LE (3.3L V6)
    RV: 2018 T@B 320S, >100 mods 
  • TabberJohn
    TabberJohn Member Posts: 588
    edited August 2020
    Note etrailer's 2" ball with 1" riser means anyone can dial in their hitch height by 1" increments.
    0, 2, 4, 6, 8" drops can be 1" rise, or 1, 3, 5, 7" drops. 
    I wish I had known about that option before I switched out our 6" drop for a 4.
    $35 is kinda pricey for just a ball though. I got a Curt Fusion Mount for less than that but the ball is permanently mounted.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PL63Z6
    2015 T@B Max S (White/Silver) -> 2014 Ford Escape 2.0L (turbo, AWD, factory tow)

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