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  1. #11
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerryH View Post
    Unfortunately there are very few dealers that understand anything about correctly sizing and setting up a WDH. Seems crazy to even say that but it is an unfortunate truth. Good on you for doing what's necessary to figure this out on your own.

    All the manufacturers publish dry weights only. The should have been a build sheet in your owner's packet that gives to all the dry weights for your particular trailer.

    You really need 3 trips thru the Cat scale to learn what you need to know. One trip with the truck and trailer ready to camp with the WDH engaged. One trip with truck and trailer with the WDH hitch disengaged. And one final trip with just the truck. Once you have that information you can verify that you have the correct bars for your trailer. You will also be able to see exactly how much weight has been transferred back to the front axle of your truck by the hitch so you know if you have it set correctly or not. The most important thing you will learn is if you are within the rated capacities of your truck.

    I much prefer the Weigh Safe True Tow to the Blue Ox but both should work once setup correctly. The Weigh Safe is fully adjustable on the fly and has a phone app that will tell you exactly how much distributed weight you need to pull well once you enter the measurements and weights of your truck and trailer into the settings.

    Here's a video form our channel showing how the WS works and how it's setup on our very heavy Momentum 31G. The video also shows how different loading conditions affect the tongue weight.

    Thank you...

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_2670tp View Post
    I thought about investing is another WDH but opted for type E tires for the 150 instead. Not a replacement but it came with standard load tires.

    21 f150 xlt 3.5 turbos. Your are correct not all 150s are the same. Mine goes like this.

    Curb Wt5221
    GVWR7050
    GCVWR19400
    Payload1829
    Towing Capacity 13900

    So I feel good about what I have though I read and have heard other opinions on F150s or the standard response ' should have got a diesel".
    What cab/wheelbase do you have? A lot of folks mention the difference in wheelbase between F150 and Super Duty. However a F150 Super Crew with 6.5' bed has a 157" wheelbase. A Super Duty crew cab with short bed has a 160" wheelbase. It's not all that different depending on cab and bed length.

    That said, you've got an awful lot of trailer if you have a short bed F150. I'd offer same advice as another post...invest in a ProPride.

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    James and Dawn
    2019 F150 SCREW 3.5EB 6.5' - Haloview MC7109; Cooper AT3 LTX; Sumo Springs; ProPride WDH

    2021 Imagine 2400BH - GY Endurance 225/75-15; MORryde CRE3000, HD shackles and wet bolts, X-factor crossmembers

  3. #13
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    As someone who drives a F-150 short bed with a 30 ft trailer, no WD hitch is going to overcome the fact that you're driving a light short wheelbase truck with a long trailer...

    I use the Reese dual cam with 10,000 lb bars, and you simply have to know what degree of sway to expect with that large of a box behind you.

    I've made a conscious choice to drive the truck I need 48 weeks out of the Year versus the truck I'd like to have the four weeks that I'm towing a trailer.

    When I'm towing, I keep my speed down, and I anticipate trucks or other trailers passing me. That works for me, and I'm sure it works for others who also don't have the money to go buy a super duty long bed for the couple weeks a year they need it. Especially with diesel prices where they currently are.

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  4. #14
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    At one point, we ALL go thru this analysis; some of us do it the very most expensive way. I had an F150 and lost my trust when towing our 2600rb down a very steep switchback road in Virginia. The engine RPM's were screaming trying to hold back all that weight. Yes, we later learned we had the 2017 model where the inner bearing seals leaked. Basically I did not have trailer brakes. I tried so hard to make my F150 into a safe tow experience only to find the trailer brakes failed and left the F150 to handle all the trailer weight. No more. That experience and the insane cross winds on a another trip caused more white knuckle driving than I cared for. I traded for a SuperDuty truck and now I forget what white knuckle driving is all about.

    Now about WDH. If bars are too small, truck will porpoise. If bars are too big (or too tight) then ride is too stiff. You will only find your sweet spot once your basement is loaded up for a trip, truck has the camping load in the bed, pets are onboard etc. Only then can you set the bars for best comfort. If I had to guess, the dealer chose the bars that would give you a softer ride, but these might not be ideal when loaded up.

    Quote Originally Posted by SC_2670tp View Post
    New to the camping world this year, we bought an Imagine 2670 MK for our camper. Of course we bought the horse before the cart but confident in the Ford F150s capacities in it's configuration. When we bought the camper we included a WDH Blue Ox Sway Pro. Honestly I was sold on sway and not so much on weight distribution. So... After a trip of white knuckle driving (very windy) I've spent a number of hours on research on sway, weights, cargo and such and developed a spread sheet to amass my tow/camper info. Even took a trip to a CAT scale and that was interesting but I didn't have the hitch weight I wanted so I bought a hitch/tongue scale from etrailer. Now backing up a bit... the book hitch weight on a 2670 is 690 lbs and UVM is 6845 lbs (with ***s which GD does not describe). Our sticker UVM is 7302 lbs somewhat heavier and with cargo etc one would rightfully assume the hitch weight is heavier as well. My hitch weight was 925 lbs. Considering cargo, gas battery etc it seemed reasonable and about 12% of my calculated GVWR.

    Back to the purchase of the camper, there was nothing in our paper work that described the WDH we bought but easy enough to research and I discovered I was sold spring bars w/ the bars rated for 750 lbs. Hmmm, I called Blue Ox and talked to a knowledgeable woman who said "yep you have the wrong equipment, you need the 1000 lbs bars." I called the dealer and they switched out the bars for me no problem. They could not however tell me why they picked those bars over the stouter ones. I would have thought math and knowledge would have dictated their decision. Next trip out (this week) I'll see how they ride.

    No question here but happy for comments. At the end of the day for me, research, data and discovery gives me peace of mind.
    2022 GD 2970RL (soon to be "released")
    2019 F350 Platinum, Shorter bed, Diesel, SRW, 3.55 rear, 55gal tank!
    2016 F150 Platinum (traded in for F350 fall 2019)
    2016 GD 2600rb (Sold)





  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by uwskier View Post
    There's a used ProPride for sale on this site. I'd urge you to give serious consideration to spending the $ to make that yours. From one half ton owner to another, it's the only thing that's going to reduce your white knuckle experience, but even with that, it won't be zero if you get into high winds. That's a lot of trailer for a half ton wheelbase to manage. I just returned from a 900 mile round trip through mountains and high winds with my setup, which is shorter and lighter than yours. Even with the ProPride, LR-E tires, Roadmaster Active Suspension, and being under my payload limit, in those winds, I was sawing at the wheel like a NASCAR driver who needed new rubber 10 laps ago. I was never on the verge of losing control thanks to the ProPride, but it was several hundred miles of "active" driving. I likely would have had to stop and wait out the wind (it blew for 3 days) if not for the $$$ hitch.
    uwskier, would you mind commenting on whether you think the Roadmaster has made a difference for your set up? And how was the installation?

    EDIT: Belay that uwskier, I just found your post from March. Nice write up.
    Last edited by Tapper; 06-11-2022 at 10:00 PM.
    Rick & Lisa
    2023 Imagine XLS 21BHE
    2017 F-150 XLT 5.0L 4x4 Supercrew FX4 7000# GVWR and Trailer Tow packages 5.5ft box 3.55 gears, Roadmaster Active Suspension
    [SIGPIC]

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_2670tp View Post
    New to the camping world this year, we bought an Imagine 2670 MK for our camper. Of course we bought the horse before the cart but confident in the Ford F150s capacities in it's configuration. When we bought the camper we included a WDH Blue Ox Sway Pro. Honestly I was sold on sway and not so much on weight distribution. So... After a trip of white knuckle driving (very windy) I've spent a number of hours on research on sway, weights, cargo and such and developed a spread sheet to amass my tow/camper info. Even took a trip to a CAT scale and that was interesting but I didn't have the hitch weight I wanted so I bought a hitch/tongue scale from etrailer. Now backing up a bit... the book hitch weight on a 2670 is 690 lbs and UVM is 6845 lbs (with ***s which GD does not describe). Our sticker UVM is 7302 lbs somewhat heavier and with cargo etc one would rightfully assume the hitch weight is heavier as well. My hitch weight was 925 lbs. Considering cargo, gas battery etc it seemed reasonable and about 12% of my calculated GVWR.

    Back to the purchase of the camper, there was nothing in our paper work that described the WDH we bought but easy enough to research and I discovered I was sold spring bars w/ the bars rated for 750 lbs. Hmmm, I called Blue Ox and talked to a knowledgeable woman who said "yep you have the wrong equipment, you need the 1000 lbs bars." I called the dealer and they switched out the bars for me no problem. They could not however tell me why they picked those bars over the stouter ones. I would have thought math and knowledge would have dictated their decision. Next trip out (this week) I'll see how they ride.

    No question here but happy for comments. At the end of the day for me, research, data and discovery gives me peace of mind.
    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will never get a half ton pickup to tow your rig comfortably. You have a great 150 to tow something in the 26-28ft range at less than 7000 lbs. I tried towing a 32ft 9000 lb trailer with a Ram 1500 and it was terrifying.

    I too had the Blue Ox and it didnt work that well even when I moved to an F250.

    No matter what hitch you get, set it to get your front fender well back to where the truck was unhitched. E.g measure the front wheel well distance to the ground with the truck unhitched. Then hitch up and set your Blue Ox chains to bring the front wheel well back as close to the first measurement as possible. Mine was 9 links from the top, if I remember correctly. BTW 13% of GVWR on that trailer is about 1100 lbs. You may not have enough bar at 1000 lbs.

    I would advise to not throw a bunch of money on band-aids like air bags, new tires, etc. They will not help one bit on your sway problem.

    You are in Super Duty territory with that trailer IMO. F250 gas, or F350 diesel. F250 diesel has a payload reduction due to the heavier diesel engine. F350 is not much more than F250 and much more payload capable if going diesel.

    The Propride hitches are excellent, but very expensive. One of these might help, but how much remains to be seen at $3000 or so.

    Towingplanner.com is an excellent resource for how to weigh your rig on the CAT scales.

    Good luck and stay safe out there.

  7. #17
    Setting Up Camp
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boogiejack75 View Post
    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will never get a half ton pickup to tow your rig comfortably. You have a great 150 to tow something in the 26-28ft range at less than 7000 lbs. I tried towing a 32ft 9000 lb trailer with a Ram 1500 and it was terrifying.

    I too had the Blue Ox and it didnt work that well even when I moved to an F250.

    No matter what hitch you get, set it to get your front fender well back to where the truck was unhitched. E.g measure the front wheel well distance to the ground with the truck unhitched. Then hitch up and set your Blue Ox chains to bring the front wheel well back as close to the first measurement as possible. Mine was 9 links from the top, if I remember correctly. BTW 13% of GVWR on that trailer is about 1100 lbs. You may not have enough bar at 1000 lbs.

    I would advise to not throw a bunch of money on band-aids like air bags, new tires, etc. They will not help one bit on your sway problem.

    You are in Super Duty territory with that trailer IMO. F250 gas, or F350 diesel. F250 diesel has a payload reduction due to the heavier diesel engine. F350 is not much more than F250 and much more payload capable if going diesel.

    The Propride hitches are excellent, but very expensive. One of these might help, but how much remains to be seen at $3000 or so.

    Towingplanner.com is an excellent resource for how to weigh your rig on the CAT scales.

    Good luck and stay safe out there.
    So we went on trip not too far out and I'll say this much. I set up the hitch on 9 links and 1000lb bars and the front fender was the same as unhitched. (the dealer had it on 8 and told us to use that). Not sure how much the tires helped but the ride was much better even my wife could feel the difference. The worst part of the ride was the road itself either in disrepair or construction zones. On generally smooth roads the ride was good up and down hills. We experienced a bit of push from truck and busses but nothing like before. Yeah I get it about the truck(s) choices. Im looking into that but... As it is having to take out a loan for fuel

  8. #18
    Long Hauler huntindog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_2670tp View Post
    So we went on trip not too far out and I'll say this much. I set up the hitch on 9 links and 1000lb bars and the front fender was the same as unhitched. (the dealer had it on 8 and told us to use that). Not sure how much the tires helped but the ride was much better even my wife could feel the difference. The worst part of the ride was the road itself either in disrepair or construction zones. On generally smooth roads the ride was good up and down hills. We experienced a bit of push from truck and busses but nothing like before. Yeah I get it about the truck(s) choices. Im looking into that but... As it is having to take out a loan for fuel
    As an FYI, The tension should be set by adding or subtracting washers in the hitch head. each washer equals about one chain link. One spec to keep in mind, is you need at LEAST 6 chain links uner tension. This is to allow proper hitch movement when turning. Once you
    have it setup, you can add or subtract a link or two to account for loading differences, keeping in mind the minimum links under tension. The downside to setting it up with the max links under tension is that it reduces ground clearance. From what you wrote, you may be fine at this point. ( though I prefer 7 links under tension) I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions about the right way to setup a WDH.
    2021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
    Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
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  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by SC_2670tp View Post
    So we went on trip not too far out and I'll say this much. I set up the hitch on 9 links and 1000lb bars and the front fender was the same as unhitched. (the dealer had it on 8 and told us to use that). Not sure how much the tires helped but the ride was much better even my wife could feel the difference. The worst part of the ride was the road itself either in disrepair or construction zones. On generally smooth roads the ride was good up and down hills. We experienced a bit of push from truck and busses but nothing like before. Yeah I get it about the truck(s) choices. Im looking into that but... As it is having to take out a loan for fuel
    Great!!
    Maybe you will be OK with your current setup.

    Your Ford is a much more capable truck than the Ram I had.

    I got a tremendous amount of "suck" off of 18 wheelers. Terrifying!

    If you have problems going forward, maybe consider the Propride. It will be night and day over the Ox.

    My brother in law has a similar 150 to yours. He pulls a 28 ft Airstream with the Propride. He loves it.

    I helped him install the Propride and was very impressed with the build quality. They include a bunch of extra hardware that you could use down the road.

    That 150 is capable of pulling your trailer. Stopping and sway will be your enemy. You may be OK giving your re-adjustment.

    Happy Trails to you.

  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper Mjlebsa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by uwskier View Post
    There's a used ProPride for sale on this site. I'd urge you to give serious consideration to spending the $ to make that yours. From one half ton owner to another, it's the only thing that's going to reduce your white knuckle experience, but even with that, it won't be zero if you get into high winds. That's a lot of trailer for a half ton wheelbase to manage. I just returned from a 900 mile round trip through mountains and high winds with my setup, which is shorter and lighter than yours. Even with the ProPride, LR-E tires, Roadmaster Active Suspension, and being under my payload limit, in those winds, I was sawing at the wheel like a NASCAR driver who needed new rubber 10 laps ago. I was never on the verge of losing control thanks to the ProPride, but it was several hundred miles of "active" driving. I likely would have had to stop and wait out the wind (it blew for 3 days) if not for the $$$ hitch.
    Agree. I have the pro pride & it’s the best purchase I could have made!


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