Hitch height and trailer level

[redbarron55]

Many questions on the height of the hitch have been asked and many answered given and Now I have an observation.
On our last trip I had installed two pairs of screw stabilizers I bought from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These worked well and really helped control the wiggle and shake when camping.
On the way back to Florida we stopped for a quick stop overnight still hooked up and I got to thinking about the setup.
The trailer needs to be slightly nose down so that you can level the trailer with one of the back jacks and just snug the other one.
Then I lift the front with my Ultimate jack and land the two jacks I installed in the front and trim the level there too.
This makes for a quick setup and tear down, level camper and solid feel.
So the hitch needs to be set up for the trailer, slightly nose forward and easily set up and leveled.
SO there is the answer.

[Jon in AZ]

I assume you like the hitch slightly nose down so you can get a stable, level set-up without unhitching? Of course that only works if the spot where you’re stopping is level.

With my Scamp 13 I don’t like to go below level because there’s little enough tongue jack clearance as it is.

[Raspy]

On mine, the bed runs north/south and is in the front. The trailer is towed slightly nose down. So when stopping at a rest stop, or just overnight at a truck stop, I try to stop on a slight uphill grade, or drive the truck rear wheels up onto a set of 2X6s to achieve trailer level. At that point I don't try to make is stable. Just leave it connected and know we'll be leaving before too long. It's part of being stealth. No jacks, or evidence that I might be moving in.

[Jon in AZ]

Not all overnight stops are in parking lots. When my family used to crisscross the continent in the 70’s, we would often leave the trailer hitched in a campground to make an early start the next morning. It was a tent trailer, and the front bed just cleared the back of the station wagon.

[redbarron55]

Slightly nose down is a little better towing and it allows space to deploy the jacks that now just screw down from the frame to tension and level the back.
Jacking the front to level fore and aft tensions the rear jacks and lowering the two front takes care of a quick, stable platform.
Of course there are limits to the amount of unlevel spaces you can account for with the jacks, but the theory is suited for quick setup, proper towing and solid feel camping over night.
Really even when not just stopping over night the only real difference is that I don't have to raise the nose to clear the ball first.
I find that the Ultimate jack rated at humongus weight to be perfect for my needs and offers good clearance when raised. It will easily raise the trailer tongue and the rear of my pretty heavy VW Touareg to install the WDH arms of the Reese Mini 350.
These stabilizers are screw type legs that drop down from the brackets I welded together, sideways on the rear and fore and aft on the front so that they "wobble" in different directions to improve stability. Altogether a big improvement over the old Attwoods I removed.
In this picture you can see the front jacks deployed.

The side view shows the position of the jacks in front and to the rear, slightly behind the rear access door for the water service hose.

To aid in rapid deployment I use a cordless drill with a 3/4" socket to spin the screw and that makes it quick and painless (unless you are not braced for the high torque at the end!)

[Jon in AZ]

Hmm... If the level trailer cleared my ball to hitch and unhitch, then lowering the coupler onto the ball would drop the nose 2” for the ball plus 1-3/4” squat in the rear suspension. That’s almost 4” below level, a tongue-dragging set-up that would require almost 10” of drop on my stinger for our 13’ Scamp with the factory “low-rider” suspension.

I use two ball mounts. One has around 6” of drop for a perfectly level tow, and I use it for long distance, high speed highway towing. The other has about 4” of drop and puts the nose a couple of inches high. I use it for local trips that take me off-highway, and it gives a little better tongue clearance on bumps and wash-outs. Honestly, despite all the insistence that a single axle trailer must be level or nose down, I can’t tell any difference in handling or stability between the two.

[redbarron55]

"Honestly, despite all the insistence that a single axle trailer must be level or nose down, I can’t tell any difference in handling or stability between the two."

I have to agree with a single axle trailer, the only real reason for the slightly down for me is really stated above and the "look".
I tow with either my Touareg or Town & Country and have setups for each that put the ball where I want it. It ends up that the ball top ends up at about 19 inches for my trailer.

[Raspy]

JD, I agree. Mine is slightly nose down out of necessity. I'd rather have it level, but any higher and I can't get the tailgate all the way open without it hitting the tongue. The top of my tongue is 36" off the ground.

Well, actually it's the trailer tongue that is 36" off the ground. My tongue is closer to 68" off the ground.