1st trailer hookup, how’s it look?

[johnvosh]

How’s it look? I think I’ll either need to get air bags or upgrade the shocks. It is sitting a bit different with the same setup as the previous Ranger with fx4 pkg. I’d rather not get a WDH if I can help it. It pulled good the short distance to work!

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[NM Mike]

You’ve got a little bit of squat, but I’ve seen worse. Can you redistribute any weight inside the trailer over or behind the trailer axle? Do you know what the tongue weight of your camper is, as it is currently loaded? I doubt that you are close to max towing capacity with your camper. Adding or moving weight behind the axle will reduce tongue weight and minimize the squat.
If your truck handled good as it is right now, take it for a test run at the speeds you plan to tow at. Preferably with some downhill and curves. If it still handles well, you’re probably good.
Just my two cents worth, but I’d rather have a weight distributing hitch over air bags, or any other suspension mods that will affect your ride when not towing.

 

[AugPal]

Looks fine to me. How much does it weigh?

 

[Jason B]

Looks OK, but those chains and wire look close to the ground. It would look fabulous if the trailer was color matched.

 

[Dave8311]

Even if you don't want a WDH, getting one with good sway control will work double duty with no suspension mods needed.

I would go with an Andersen with that setup.

 

[superj]

I would try moving some stuff inside the trailer to above or behind the axle, as noted above. That will bring you back to level but don't go over board and get to light in the nose.

Just adjust till your truck sits an inch or 1.5 lower than stock and it will pull perfectly.

 

[chasc]

I'm not sure what your aversion to having the WDH is, but count me in among those recommending it over suspension mods. I've towed a 20ft travel trailer for a few years, first with a 2021 Ranger and now with a 2024 Ranger. We got the BlueOx TrackPro when we bought the trailer, but I've skipped using the spring bars a few times (for convenience on short trips) and every time reminds me how much more confidence inspiring it is with the WDH.

I'd also recommend going to a CAT scale and weighing 3 times: Once with WDH (if you have it), once without WDH, and once with just the truck. What I found is that without WDH, even with an empty truck and empty trailer, not only did weight get added to the rear axle from the hitch but also weight shifted off the front axle to the rear axle. In total, the rear axle was only a few hundred lb shy of its GAWR, plus your steering/braking ability in the front is reduced. With the WDH engaged I have nearly identical weight on the front and rear axles and squat front and back is also the same. Add in the sway control from the WDH (which is definitely noticeable) and to me it's a very small price to pay for the additional hitching and unhitching time.

 

[Cjfordvt]

A WDH could help but be careful to not overload the front triangle of the trailer. Many lightweight trailers are not designed for the extra load a WDH puts on the front triangle. I second the suggestion to go to a CAT scale and get the data.

 

[Satex]

You need to get the trailer leveled. First make sure the tongue weight is right. Ideal is usually 10% - 15% of the loaded trailer weight.

After that, you have different options. If you don't need a WDH, just get a hitch ball carrier that puts the ball higher. I'd guess that you need another 1 or 2 inches in height.

You can also address the trailer hitch height by addressing the truck's suspension with Timbrens or Sumo springs, air bags, and extra leaf, etc.

As long as it handles well, the simplest and cheapest approach is to get an adjustable height hitch.

 

[Satex]

A WDH could help but be careful to not overload the front triangle of the trailer. Many lightweight trailers are not designed for the extra load a WDH puts on the front triangle. I second the suggestion to go to a CAT scale and get the data.

Good advice. My camper manufacturer recommends against a WDH with my trailer. It's a lightweight trailer but with a relatively heavy hitch weight. The Ranger handles the 500 lb hitch weight just fine ... I use an adjustable height hitch to get the trailer level. The rear of the truck has some sag, but handles the weight remarkably well.

 

[Havasu RR]

How’s it look? I think I’ll either need to get air bags or upgrade the shocks. It is sitting a bit different with the same setup as the previous Ranger with fx4 pkg. I’d rather not get a WDH if I can help it. It pulled good the short distance to work!

I always do load distribution bars. Helps greatly.

 

[LDHunter]

I've pulled some pretty big and sometimes way overloaded trailers but with a WDH it was always a breeze. Seriously consider one. Your Ranger will thank you for it. The anti-sway of a quality WDH is also a huge safety bonus.

All you have to do is just one time have a trailer start swaying when you're in a tight situation and if you don't end up jackknifed or in a serious wreck it will still be a quick lesson in the advantages of proper towing equipment.

My neighbor ended up jackknifed in the grassy median on I-10 and he nearly had a heart attack because of it. Fortunately there was no damage but it took a good Samaritan with a 4WD pickup to help him get straightened out and back on the road.

The very day he got back he got a WDH ordered and had a professional hitch place install it and teach him to use it. Problem solved.

 

[dljs1941]

I second (or third or fourth) investing in a WDH. Many campers don't realize that tongue weight adds to the total capacity of the truck. So if you think the tongue weight is 500 lbs that would be subtracted from the trucks total cargo capacity. Add a couple of people and a bunch of gear in the truck bed and you would be surprised at how quickly you can exceed the truck capacity. Can the truck handle it? Probably. But at highway speeds, strong wind, 18 wheelers passing you, I would err on the side of safety.

 

[stemplar]

That trailer looks small enough to be near the gray area of whether a wdh really helps or not. Either way, Weigh Safe makes great hitches (both wdh and non-wdh) with scales to tell you how much the tongue weighs. They’re both height adjustable which looks like it’ll help here, and the wdh has a companion app that takes the scale reading as input and tells you how to set it up correctly.

Either way, that’s a fun-looking trailer.

 

[Satex]

I second (or third or fourth) investing in a WDH. Many campers don't realize that tongue weight adds to the total capacity of the truck. So if you think the tongue weight is 500 lbs that would be subtracted from the trucks total cargo capacity. Add a couple of people and a bunch of gear in the truck bed and you would be surprised at how quickly you can exceed the truck capacity. Can the truck handle it? Probably. But at highway speeds, strong wind, 18 wheelers passing you, I would err on the side of safety.

Not that you said it, but a WDH doesn't change the fact that the tongue weight is included in the payload.

Also, so many are suggesting a WDH, and all else being equal it is usually a good idea. BUT that's a small camper and the frame may not allow it. The trailer manufacturer should provide guidance.

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