WDH: Which has priority....front end getting back to original height or weight??

[OregonPerson]

I have a 2016 Ford F-150 SCREW 4x4 5.5 Bed with 3.5 Ecoboost and Max Tow. The owners manual says that I should adjust my WDH to gain back 1/4 of my front end height difference between the pre-loaded height and the height with trailer attached but no weight distribution. I have also read many threads saying that I should try to get my front axle load weight back to what it was prior to attaching trailer. The trailer ends up level or with a slightly lower front.

In my case my TV front axle load seems to end up about 150 lbs lighter than prior to attaching my trailer with the WDH engaged but with the TV front end height ending up within 3/4 inch higher than without trailer being attached. With a trailer weighing 5300 lbs with a tongue weight of 700 lbs the steering feels light and the TV feels a little floaty when I don't apply any pressure to the gas pedal. It seems to track fine with some pressure being applied to the gas pedal.

Should I try to gain back all of the weight and original height or not??

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by OregonPerson

snip....Should I try to gain back all of the weight and original height or not??

IMO returning the TV's front suspension as close to it's "unhitched weight" as possible would be the ideal condition (that's always my target)...., but don't exceed. Returning the TV's front suspension as close to it's "unhitched height" will get you in the ballpark.

Your final WDH adjustment ideally should also result in a level TT, or slightly nose down attitude.

CAT scale how-to: https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...v-tt-3871.html

Unrelated side note: For grins I experimented with my particular TV/TT (prior Eagle) combination and found that returning 50% of my front suspension "height" didn't equal 50% "weight" return (it was much less). I often wonder why manufactures (Ford, etc.) that reference 25%, 50%, etc., returned height don't mention a "weight" relationship when referencing "height" return.

Bob

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by OregonPerson

snip...

In my case my TV front axle load seems to end up about 150 lbs lighter than prior to attaching my trailer with the WDH engaged but with the TV front end height ending up within 3/4 inch higher than without trailer being attached. With a trailer weighing 5300 lbs with a tongue weight of 700 lbs the steering feels light and the TV feels a little floaty when I don't apply any pressure to the gas pedal. It seems to track fine with some pressure being applied to the gas pedal.

Should I try to gain back all of the weight and original height or not??

Not good! Whichever WD hitch you have, it should be transferring MORE weight to the front axle. The distance measurements and weights might be debatable, but a WD hitch's purpose is to transfer weight TO the front axle. With more weight transferred, it should help the light steering, floaty effect.

I suggest you start by trying adjusting your WD hitch to drop your front end by 1/4" and seeing how that works for you.

[FeatherFam]

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

IMO returning the TV's front suspension as close to it's "unhitched weight" as possible would be the ideal condition (that's always my target)...., but don't exceed. Returning the TV's front suspension as close to it's "unhitched height" will get you in the ballpark.

Your final WDH adjustment ideally should also result in a level TT, or slightly nose down attitude.

CAT scale how-to: https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...v-tt-3871.html

Unrelated side note: For grins I experimented with my particular TV/TT (prior Eagle) combination and found that returning 50% of my front suspension "height" didn't equal 50% "weight" return (it was much less). I often wonder why manufactures (Ford, etc.) that reference 25%, 50%, etc., returned height don't mention a "weight" relationship when referencing "height" return.

Bob

I believe this is the right approach (actual weight not height measurements). This is the approach I use as well. I have no idea why hitch and auto manufacturers do not use it.

[Demiles]

Vehicle manufacturers use it because most people don’t have reasonable access to a scale to check it by weight. The FALR % by measuring at the front wheel well gets you in the ballpark. To the OP at this point take note of how it’s setup now, decrease tension on the WD in small increments to see if it gets better. By accelerating your shifting weight backwards so you might have too much distributed forward. If not go back to the noted reference and go the other direction. Transferring to much weight can have a similar effect as too little. A light weight shorter wheelbase vehicle is going to have a narrow sweet spot compared to a longer wheelbase heavier TV.

[Marcm157]

There is a definite delicate balance between weight transfer and wheel well measurement. As others have said "within 1/2 inch" will get you close. I always thought close was good enough until I actually took the time to get to a scale. I was exactly 1/2 the difference of unhitched however I was way off weight wise. The cat scales helped me get dialed in near perfectly and once I did my tow experience went from eh, OK to damn near perfect...

[M&A]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

There is a definite delicate balance between weight transfer and wheel well measurement. As others have said "within 1/2 inch" will get you close. I always thought close was good enough until I actually took the time to get to a scale. I was exactly 1/2 the difference of unhitched however I was way off weight wise. The cat scales helped me get dialed in near perfectly and once I did my tow experience went from eh, OK to damn near perfect...

Just curious, once dialed-in weight wise, what were the measurements?

[Marcm157]

I was back to the pre-loaded height in the front but I still had to tweak the hitch head angle on my equalizer which surprisingly didn't change my front end height but did add more weight back to my front axle.

[Demiles]

Just a FYI, as said measuring the front wheel well will get you in the ballpark. What rarely gets mentioned is that you’re also distributing weight back to the trailer axles. How much depends on hitch to axle centerline distance and how much force is applied by the WD hitch so each TV/TT will be different. People get hung up on getting the TV back to level that they lighten up the rear on the truck too much. So you need to pay attention to what’s going on at the rear of the truck, I use the rear leaf springs a reference. In the picture below note the heavy leaf at the bottom of the spring pack. If I unload that spring with the WD hitch, I’ve gone too far and things start to get weird. This method also worked well on my 2006 2500 Silverado as well which had progressive leaf springs. It will leave the truck down a bit further than most people like but it is what it is. My 06 Silverado sat down 1 3/4in. and the XD down just over 2 in. with the same trailer but both were rock solid with no sway.

[ALJO]

Gosh I love my Air-Lift 1000. But adjustments to WDH have to be done without air in them. Use the Cat scales for weight references and invest in a TW scale.
Once your WDH is tuned in don't adjust it anymore. On the cheaper Pro series line, I'm on the 4th link with near max. TW and on the 3rd link without fresh water in the tank (which is forward of the axles).