Windy day towing

[Grumpaw]

There's another item/info that depends on the drop of the shank that your using. Depending on the drop of the shank, the head may not be low enough.....due to the height of the rear of the Ranger, the head may have to be lowered to properly match up with the set up instructions for the E2.
My Blue Ox Sway Pro came with a 7 hole drop shank, and I found that I needed a longer drop, and had to get a 10 hole shank to lower the head for proper set up.
Again, not knowing the exact model of your E2 hitch, I'm just throwing out another variable you might have to consider.

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[Big Blue]

There's another item/info that depends on the drop of the shank that your using. Depending on the drop of the shank, the head may not be low enough.....due to the height of the rear of the Ranger, the head may have to be lowered to properly match up with the set up instructions for the E2.
My Blue Ox Sway Pro came with a 7 hole drop shank, and I found that I needed a longer drop, and had to get a 10 hole shank to lower the head for proper set up.
Again, not knowing the exact model of your E2 hitch, I'm just throwing out another variable you might have to consider.

Had to do the same with my Husky Centerline to get my trailer level.

I know it seems like a lot of little details to think about. Once you get it set up right towing will be much more enjoyable and safer.

 

[drvred]

I have a 6 hole I believe, I have it in the 2nd from bottom.
1 time I stop it seems nose high, the next a little low.
I may have mis stated the fellows instructions the other day. He said to have the ball about 1/2 " higher than coupler unhitched.
I set it up once before, I will double check it this weekend
Also I took a spacer out of the tilt, I may have to replace it.
BTW, I have a round bar E2, which requires the L brackets to hang pretty low. I was told to flip the frame brackets to reduce L bracket deflection.

 

[ctechbob]

I too had to get an extended shank for my E2.

First pic is the standard shank on the lowest level (The ground isn't exactly level in this pic, but you can see that the trailer is nose up). The second pic is the extended shank. Trailer is ever so slightly nose down.

You're always going to feel the wind to a certain extent. I think a lot of people confuse that with 'sway' Sway is the tail wagging the dog, which my setup absolutely doesn't do. It pulls straight and true and when disturbed, immediately goes back to tracking straight. I still feel the wind, but it never unsettles the setup. Just pushes it one way or the other and as soon as it quits, the motion quits. Mostly noticed when being passed or passing big trucks.

I'm also at 4 washers in the head with 800# round bars.

Bilstein rear shocks and blue Sumo Springs are the only 'towing' mods to the truck other than the brake controller.

 

[ctechbob]

Re-reading your posts, I'd bet money that you're going to need the drop shank. The Ranger hitches are just flat-out high and require them most of the time. Sucks, but it will be $80 well spent to get the trailer level, especially with a single-wheel unit. Those tend to be a little more wiggly than the tandem axle models. Before you go spending money on the CAT scales and tearing into your setup, sit the truck and trailer on level ground and make sure that you can get it at least level if not slightly nose-down with your shank. If you can't, order the drop shank, there's little sense in going further into the setup until you get that problem corrected.

 

[drvred]

 

[Big Blue]

Sorry to be critical but the angle of this shot does not show well the level of the trailer. It may be fine but the picture distortion still makes it look a little nose high if that is what your trying to show. Picture needs to be full on square to the truck trailer similar to what @ctechbob showed above.

 

[drvred]

Sorry to be critical but the angle of this shot does not show well the level of the trailer. It may be fine but the picture distortion still makes it look a little nose high if that is what your trying to show. Picture needs to be full on square to the truck trailer similar to what @ctechbob showed above.

Yeah I know but it's the only one I have on my phone,
I drive a tractor trailer and am on the road.
Been thinking about it some more, and it seemed like when the truck would jerk, it was more like coming from the front end, instead of how a passing truck would pull you towards it.
Is this a sign of too much weight moved to the front?

 

[Grumpaw]

It sounds like it...that you have too much transfer to the front. If your truck is "jerking" when being passed, its the air pressure acting against the trailer....if trailer front is too high it will "jerk" the truck"s front end.
It just sounds like you need to re-arrange your hitch so that the trailer front is a bit lower than the back, or level.......don't be afraid to add some more weight to the the back of your Ranger...your trailer is basically a lightweight compared to what some of us are towing. Sometimes with a lightweight trailer, adding a bit more weight to the rear of the truck will help.
It's a common mistake to run with not enough weight on the rear, especially with a lighter, single axle trailer

 

[drvred]

That makes sense, I probably didn't have 100 lbs in the bed of the truck.

 

[Grumpaw]

That makes sense, I probably didn't have 100 lbs in the bed of the truck.

Not so much in the bed of the truck, but a bit more tongue weight "bearing down" on the rear/hitch. Remember, if your tongue weight is 400 lbs, that's just like carrying 400 lbs of weight in your bed.
Ranger can easily handle 750 lbs tongue weight, and your WolfPup is nowhere near that. Along with your 600 lb rated bars, there actually might not be enough "weight" on the hitch.
Adding, still might need to look at a longer shank to drop the hitch head if needed.
Setting a WD hitch up correctly can be a bit of a pain, sometimes trial and error, even when following the WD manufacturer's instructions. There are just so many variables that "one size does not fit all"....
But, once you get it set up right, it becomes just plug n play with no adjustments needed.

 

[drvred]

Not so much in the bed of the truck, but a bit more tongue weight "bearing down" on the rear/hitch. Remember, if your tongue weight is 400 lbs, that's just like carrying 400 lbs of weight in your bed.
Ranger can easily handle 750 lbs tongue weight, and your WolfPup is nowhere near that. Along with your 600 lb rated bars, there actually might not be enough "weight" on the hitch.
Adding, still might need to look at a longer shank to drop the hitch head if needed.
Setting a WD hitch up correctly can be a bit of a pain, sometimes trial and error, even when following the WD manufacturer's instructions. There are just so many variables that "one size does not fit all"....
But, once you get it set up right, it becomes just plug n play with no adjustments needed.

In February, we took a trip to New Bern, u took the spare and rack off the back, and put the spare in the bed.
Half down I had to put the spare inside the rear of the camper, it felt like the truck was bottoming out.
Bought a Sherline, and it showed 650 TW .
So I put it back the way it was, and removed a few things and got 450.
Next short trip was great, this last trip was sketchy from the start

 

[drvred]

This is dropping the head 1 bolt hole on shank.
My empty measurement on front fender was 35.25.
No bars is 36, with bars 35.5.
That comparable to what the measurements were before.
Do I need to take more weight off the steer?I don't have my solo stove or 39 lb grill in the truck bed.

 

[Grumpaw]

Rick, somewhere on your WolfPup there should be a sticker like I have posted...it will give you the weight of the trailer with any options like ac, awning, ect, and a full propane tank/s, but minus the battery. This weight is taken as the trailer leaves the factory.
Also, I looked at the floor plan for your rig, and kitchen and bath are both at the rear, which leads me to believe the gray and black tanks are located to the rear, behind the axle.....so, if you travel at all with any thing in those tanks, it will throw your hitch weights off, putting more weight at the rear of the trailer.
Just carrying 10 gallons of liquid in either the black or gray tanks adds over 80 lbs to the back of the trailer, in effect, taking that much weight off the front.
Yes, your spare weighs a bit, maybe 45 lbs or so, hanging on the rear, but then add around 40-45 lbs to the front of the frame by adding the battery.
Again, there are so many variables to consider....weight of items in storage compartments, under bed storage, food, clothes, ect ect ect.
There is also a way to measure your tongue weight at home using a simple bathroom scale and some 2x4 lumber....just google up "getting trailer tongue weight at home" and a bunch of sites come up...and remarkably it very accurate.
I just saw your photo and it looks like the set up is good....just a bit low at the front of the trailer which, if it were mine, wouldn't bother me at all....sometimes level can also be bad as it can still mean more weight is at the rear of the trailer.
Better to be a bit low like you have pictured.
Putting your stove/grill in the bed shouldn't matter...I carry around 300 lbs of gear, cargo box, swing case, air compressor, ect, and not a problem.

 

[drvred]

Dry weight sticker says 3410

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