Hitch height

[lifermc]

Hello,
Have bought a Bigfoot 21 foot rear bed and waiting for delivery end of this month. Have two questions regading the hitch. What is the height of the ball when the trailer is level and my trailer hitch says good to 500 pounds, that said Bigfoot webpage says average weight is 440 pounds so I assume I should be ok? Thanks.

David
Socal

[Donna D.]

ummmm. According to Frederick's http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html a 21' Bigfoot has a tongue weight of 1160... see item 111.

[Jared J]

I can't help with hitch height. Unless somebody with a pretty new one posts, I would recommend asking the manufacturer, it has likely varied over the years, and some may have additional height added, etc.

You should be good on the hitch, if it is 440 pounds. Again, I would ask them for info on your specific version, not an average. Also keep in mind that when you start loading it up to use it, you will probably be over your hitch capacity.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by lifermc

Hello,
Have bought a Bigfoot 21 foot rear bed and waiting for delivery end of this month. Have two questions regading the hitch. What is the height of the ball when the trailer is level and my trailer hitch says good to 500 pounds, that said Bigfoot webpage says average weight is 440 pounds so I assume I should be ok? Thanks.

David
Socal

David as others suggest as Bigfoot what the top of the ball height is on average. Its going to vary from trailer to trailer depending a lot on how the trailer is stowed as to what height is going to level it though.

Re the 440 pound average weight ..... note the specs on their site doesnt say if that is dry weight or not but it may well be. You may want to double check with them on that as well.

[rabbit]

David, assuming the bottom side of the coupler is continuous with the bottom line of the frame, the trailer is level when the distance from ground to coupler equals the distance from ground to frame in near proximity to the axle (on more or less level ground).

The ball hgt. which will level the trailer is dependent on tongue weight and additionally dependent on the sag under load of the tow vehicle suspension. It's easy to add 2" to the frame height to determine top of ball but the actual hgt. of ball above ground (without the trailer) is usually determined empirically (by hitching up) rather than by prediction.

It may be that hitch installation specialists keep records on their installations and have a very good idea what ball hgt. and consequent drawbar spec. serve to level a particular trailer model behind a frequently-seen model of tow vehicle. The only other source of an educated guess would be another owner whose tug and tow closely resemble your proposed rig.

jack

[cpaharley2008]

The BF spec's does show 440# which is dry and without options. Adding options and with propane (2x30) plus battery would make the tw higher than your 500# limit. My hitch also says 500# but it also says with a w/d it is higher. You maybe able to get a w/d set up or get a stronger hitch installed, you do not tell us what your tow vehicle is.

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

ummmm. According to Frederick's http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...rld-43010.html a 21' Bigfoot has a tongue weight of 1160... see item 111.

Wow, those Bigfeets are ALL some kinda heavy!

[lifermc]

Well I can see I omitted info. My truck is over kill as a 1 ton dually with a class IV hitch attached to the frame and paid for so will keep. Truck 2 wheel drive and not lifted, the part of my ball hitch has a 5 inch drop on it but shows max tongue weight of 500 pounds. BF website states 440 pounds so there in is my question. I believe I should be fine but interested in the boards opinions if the tongue weight is fine and if my trailer should be level with the 5 inch drop and max 500 pound limit. Thanks.

David
Socal

[cpaharley2008]

First thing you do is get one of these Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scales
and then one of these Adjustable Ball Mount Ball Mounts | etrailer.com
with a 1000 lb ball. Then you will be set.

[Carol H]

Bigfoot would really be the best people to ask in regards to what weight specs you need on your draw bar and ball and to get a rough idea as to what height from the ground to the top of the ball will give you a level tow.

Your tow and class of hitch will be just fine for the trailer but the draw bar and the ball you have now *may not be* so you may have to purchase a higher rated draw bar & ball.

As suggested the 440lbs tongue weight that Bigfoot is stating may well be only its dry weight. Which depending on the manufacture may not include the weight of the battery or any propane tanks or any other optional equipment on the trailer and it pretty good bet it does not include the propane tanks being full. All of those items will increase your tongue weight greatly. Personally would be surprised if loaded up for camping if your trailers tongue weight was to stay under 500lbs.

Most trailer manufactures (even little Scamp) is able to tell you how many inches from the ground to the top of the tow ball you should have in order to get a reasonable level trailer tow. Obviously they will not be able to tell you bang on what it will be as it will depend greatly on what and where you stow your person items and if you tow with or without water in your tanks or not. So adding a few bubble levels to your list of must haves will help you determine that once you have a chance to load the trailer up. I know when I picked up my trailer the first time I picked up a draw bar that had the ball sitting at the height that the trailer manufacture suggest was needed to tow the trailer level, as I tend to pack my trailer on the light side I ended up replacing the original drop bar with one with a little more drop in order to get a more level tow.

[cpaharley2008]

Tell me about that, I must have 3-4 draw bars or stingers of varying height with at least that many balls from different trailer heights over past 5 years some with 2" balls other with the 2 5/16 sized ball.

[rabbit]

I have a WHD which I found I did not need, two stingers (one of which works with another trailer) and a Curtiss 2" ball with a 1" extended shank for that final bit of fine tuning. That's what empirically determined vs. predicted means.

jack

[Carol H]

LOL I would be surprised if anyone who owns a trailer doesnt own at least a couple of different draw bars accumulated while attempting to find the perfect tow level for them. Suspect that's why the adjustable bars have become pretty popular in my family - due to the various trailers the vehicles are expected to tow - could be a boat, rv or utility trailer on any given day.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by lifermc

Well I can see I omitted info. My truck is over kill as a 1 ton dually with a class IV hitch attached to the frame and paid for so will keep. Truck 2 wheel drive and not lifted, the part of my ball hitch has a 5 inch drop on it but shows max tongue weight of 500 pounds. BF website states 440 pounds so there in is my question. I believe I should be fine but interested in the boards opinions if the tongue weight is fine and if my trailer should be level with the 5 inch drop and max 500 pound limit. Thanks.

David
Socal

The weakest link rule says the limiter here is your ballmount, which is limited to 500 pounds of weight. Even if the tongue came in at 440 pounds, I'd be uneasy with such a small margin of safety...and as others have said it's likely to be a hundred pounds or more heavier with the trailer fully equipped.

I think you need a stouter ballmount anyway, and recommend Carol's suggestion re. an adjustable one. We, too, bought one for our truck and love its flexibility. And in your case, the problem of pre-establishing ball height would be solved PROVIDED your truck isn't so tall that the maximum drop of such a hitch proved insufficient.

A phone call to Bigfoot would give you the height info you need...

Good luck, and congratulations on the new trailer!

Francesca

[Brian B-P]

I agree with almost everyone else, who are saying that by the time the trailer is loaded the tongue weight will almost certainly be much more than 440 pounds, and too high for that ballmount.

Where I will disagree is regarding an adjustable ball mount. I would spend the few minutes extra to get the right drop of fixed-height mount (probably some forged Class 4 model), and make the hitch simpler - fewer parts to get loose, or extend the ball position undesirably rearward. Of course, with that much truck the distance from rear axle to ball isn't critical, and an adjustable mount might be handy for towing someone else's trailer (such as a rental) someday.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rabbit

... assuming the bottom side of the coupler is continuous with the bottom line of the frame, the trailer is level when the distance from ground to coupler equals the distance from ground to frame in near proximity to the axle (on more or less level ground).

Yes, I agree that you can see the correct coupler height by looking at the trailer (no official spec required), but I understand that David does not have the trailer yet. Also, the top of the inside of the coupler (the top of the ball), could also be level with the top of the frame, or lower than the bottom, or somewhere else, depending on the tongue and coupler designs.

In the only photo on the BigfootRV.com site (in the 2500 series trailer Photo Gallery) which I found that shows the B21 coupler, it appears that the top of coupler/ball height is about level with the top of the frame, which in turn appears to be at the top of the wheel, which would be about 22" above the ground. That's tall for our trailers, but not unusual for trailers of the B21's size and chassis construction.

[lifermc]

Thanks folks, I'm getting good info here. The trailer should arrive at the dealership the end of this month. One more question if you please, might the board recommend any make and model of hitch I may want to check out? I towed years ago but have been hauling a slide in camper so need info. Hey, that's why I joined the board. ;-) Thanks.

David
Socal

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by lifermc

Thanks folks, I'm getting good info here. The trailer should arrive at the dealership the end of this month. One more question if you please, might the board recommend any make and model of hitch I may want to check out? I towed years ago but have been hauling a slide in camper so need info. Hey, that's why I joined the board. ;-) Thanks.

David
Socal

I'd go to etrailer, look up hitches that fit your TV and compare ratings and comments.

Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by lifermc

Thanks folks, I'm getting good info here. The trailer should arrive at the dealership the end of this month. One more question if you please, might the board recommend any make and model of hitch I may want to check out? I towed years ago but have been hauling a slide in camper so need info. Hey, that's why I joined the board. ;-) Thanks.

David
Socal

"Hitch" can be used to refer to a lot of different parts of the hitch system which connects the truck to the trailer. In this case, it's not the coupler we're talking about - that's a part of the new trailer and wouldn't need replacement. Usually it's the receiver, which is the frame mounted to the truck, but again in this case David already has suitable equipment.

Are we talking about the ball mount? Unless you're getting something unusual -such as aluminum or extremely high capacity - or adjustable, they're pretty generic.

That just leaves a weight distribution system, which includes a ball mount in replacement of a normal mount. Is that what you're asking about, David?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

First thing you do is get one of these Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scales
and then one of these Adjustable Ball Mount Ball Mounts | etrailer.com
with a 1000 lb ball. Then you will be set.

The Sherline scale (or equivalent) is a great idea. It is the safe and convenient way to weigh heavy trailer tongues.

Was "1000 lb ball" intended to mean a ball with 1000 lb tongue weight rating? Balls generally are not rated that way, only by total trailer weight. Perhaps this was intended to be "10,000 lb (gross trailer weight rating) ball"?