# Adjusting The Hitch When Replacing The Tow Vehicle



## Bear25314 (Jul 12, 2011)

We have an Outback 298re, 2012. I have a Reese Daul Cam hitch. I was pulling it with a 2006 F150. I was well in my limits with the weights and all but I just didn't like how it felt pulling it on windy days or when it came time to passing someone. The power just wasn't really there.

I sold the F150 and purchased a F250 lariat , 2011 brand new. Love the new truck!

The new F250 sits an inch or two higher that my previous truck so I need to lower the ball on my hitch. I still can come down one notch on the "ladder" on the hitch to lower the ball. I however stopped at my local RV dealer here in Houston to see if they could do this for me since I don't have the correct ratchet for the two bolts that would have to be removed and then reattached. Of course I was willing to pay for this. At the dealership, the tech told me that I would have to bring the trailer in along with the truck and hitch connected because they would have to make "other adjustments" along with lowering the ball. They said it would cost about $250.

Now, is it just me or does this sound a little fishy? I mean, the only thing different is lowering the ball 1 inch. The hitch is still the same and so is the trailer so what else am I missing here? hmmmm


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## LaydBack (Aug 22, 2010)

Bear25314 said:


> We have an Outback 298re, 2012. I have a Reese Daul Cam hitch. I was pulling it with a 2006 F150. I was well in my limits with the weights and all but I just didn't like how it felt pulling it on windy days or when it came time to passing someone. The power just wasn't really there.
> 
> I sold the F150 and purchased a F250 lariat , 2011 brand new. Love the new truck!
> 
> ...


Buy yourself a torque wrench, a 1 1/8" socket and wrench for less than half of that, spend a little time on here, and learn your hitch and how to do it yourself. Trust me, it'll be far more rewarding, not to mention that they'll probably do exactly that, move the ball down 1 hole on the shank, and take your $250. I bought a brand new trailer, hitch, etc., and the dealer never set it up right. I had to get on here and get the info and do it myself. I've got a pretty extensive thread on here involving the whole ordeal, and it'd probably be a good starting point, as well as quite enlightening for you to take the time to read through and reference. My Thread


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## john7349 (Jan 13, 2008)

$250 is about $200 too much....
You really need to have the trailer available for the adjustments. You will have to re-adjust the bars for proper weight distribution with the new truck. Like srwsr said, buy the tools if you feel you want to do this yourself.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I agree with the do-it-yourself approach. If the dealer is going to properly adjust the weight distribution, as well as lower the ball, his price is probably what you'd expect to pay. The big question is, "Will he properly set up the hitch?"
If you have the tools, you can fine tune it until you're happy. The new truck has heavier suspension, so the settings will be different. The rear axle can handle a larger portion of the weight than your old 1/2 ton.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I'd agree with everyone above. I've readjusted the WDH in my trailers more than I care to admit to. The reality is that I've never had a dealer do as good of a job as I can (after a try to two) and you'll want the torque wrench to tighten lug nuts anyway. Therefore all you need is the socket and a large adjustable wrench to hold the other side. Also, when you do the adjustments, you'll be adjusting the tilt of the head and the length of the cams (which will also need the large adjustable wrench). Make sure the trailer is loaded to travel weight or else you'll be repeating it later, and take it for a test drive afterward. Sometimes you can get the perfect drop but a terrible ride. Super Duty's are happier when they are carrying a decent amount of weight....


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Buy the tools to do it yourself, you will be happier in the end.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

Nathan said:


> I'd agree with everyone above. I've readjusted the WDH in my trailers more than I care to admit to. The reality is that I've never had a dealer do as good of a job as I can (after a try to two) and you'll want the torque wrench to tighten lug nuts anyway. Therefore all you need is the socket and a large adjustable wrench to hold the other side. Also, when you do the adjustments, you'll be adjusting the tilt of the head and the length of the cams (which will also need the large adjustable wrench). Make sure the trailer is loaded to travel weight or else you'll be repeating it later, and take it for a test drive afterward. Sometimes you can get the perfect drop but a terrible ride. Super Duty's are happier when they are carrying a decent amount of weight....


x2. and I'll also add I've helped many folks fix the "setup from the dealer" that was WAY off. Personally, I've never seen a WD hitch set up properly from a dealer, I'm sure some may have been set up properly, but I've never seen one. All the ones I've helped adjust didn't have near enough bar tension to move weight like they should have for proper adjustment. The DC is a great setup IMHO, but does take some work to get properly adjusted. And the 298 has lots of tongue weight. Going from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton means your likely to have to change the settings to get weight transferred correctly.


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## desperado (Aug 21, 2011)

I am in the exact same situation. i contacted our dealer and they thought it would take about a half an hour to adjust and they charge $90.00 per hour.

looking forward to the spring.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

desperado said:


> I am in the exact same situation. i contacted our dealer and they thought it would take about a half an hour to adjust and they charge $90.00 per hour.
> 
> looking forward to the spring.


IMHO the dealers response hits the "nail on the head" for part of the problem with getting good results from a dealer. They don't want to charge much, but in my experience, and IMHO, doing a carefull, thorough job of setting up something like a Reese Dual cam is an hours job possibly more if the technician is well versed and knowlegable of what needs to be done. I have all the air tools needed and big wrenches etc. and when I've helped folks adjust theirs I figure 2+ hours first time. I can readjust mine in an hour or so, since I've done it before and know the measurements. A regular WD hitch is still about 1.5 hours for me on a new trailer.


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## Bear25314 (Jul 12, 2011)

KTMRacer said:


> I am in the exact same situation. i contacted our dealer and they thought it would take about a half an hour to adjust and they charge $90.00 per hour.
> 
> looking forward to the spring.


IMHO the dealers response hits the "nail on the head" for part of the problem with getting good results from a dealer. They don't want to charge much, but in my experience, and IMHO, doing a carefull, thorough job of setting up something like a Reese Dual cam is an hours job possibly more if the technician is well versed and knowlegable of what needs to be done. I have all the air tools needed and big wrenches etc. and when I've helped folks adjust theirs I figure 2+ hours first time. I can readjust mine in an hour or so, since I've done it before and know the measurements. A regular WD hitch is still about 1.5 hours for me on a new trailer.
[/quote]

Thanks for all the responses from you all. I am a bit confused though about the "adjustments" that have been talked about on here. When I pulled it with my f150 I had no problems. No sway what so ever and no hobby horse ride. It felt great, just not real impressed with the power of the truck so I upgraded to the 250. I know that there is a difference with the springs and that the height of the new truck is about 1.5 inches higher. Other than lowering the hitch, what other "adjustments on the setup so I need to do? I never had a problem how it was installed at the dealership and I'm still using the same hitch, just different truck so there is not difference from the hitch back. Am I missing something? Thanks again for all the input yall...


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

Bear25314 said:


> I am in the exact same situation. i contacted our dealer and they thought it would take about a half an hour to adjust and they charge $90.00 per hour.
> 
> looking forward to the spring.


IMHO the dealers response hits the "nail on the head" for part of the problem with getting good results from a dealer. They don't want to charge much, but in my experience, and IMHO, doing a carefull, thorough job of setting up something like a Reese Dual cam is an hours job possibly more if the technician is well versed and knowlegable of what needs to be done. I have all the air tools needed and big wrenches etc. and when I've helped folks adjust theirs I figure 2+ hours first time. I can readjust mine in an hour or so, since I've done it before and know the measurements. A regular WD hitch is still about 1.5 hours for me on a new trailer.
[/quote]

Thanks for all the responses from you all. I am a bit confused though about the "adjustments" that have been talked about on here. When I pulled it with my f150 I had no problems. No sway what so ever and no hobby horse ride. It felt great, just not real impressed with the power of the truck so I upgraded to the 250. I know that there is a difference with the springs and that the height of the new truck is about 1.5 inches higher. Other than lowering the hitch, what other "adjustments on the setup so I need to do? I never had a problem how it was installed at the dealership and I'm still using the same hitch, just different truck so there is not difference from the hitch back. Am I missing something? Thanks again for all the input yall...
[/quote]

since your new truck has heavier springs and different wheelbase and probably different distance from the rear axle to the hitch than the old one, the amount of force on the WD spring will need to be adjusted to move the weight back to the front of the truck. It's all a physics problem and the wheelbase, springs, reciever location all are variables in the equation that determines the amount of weight shifted and to where. Your right, there is no change from the hitch back but lots of variables that may (likely) have changed from the hitch forward. Both play into proper hitch adjustment. It's unlikely that the existing setup will match what's needed on the new setup. Then, since the bar angle or links used changed, the Dual cam extension length will need to be adjusted to keep the round part of the cam in the saddle on the spring bars. There is a good writeup on rv.net explaining operation of a WD hitch. A review of the posting will give you a better understanding of how changing the tow vehicle likely changes a WD setup


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