Reese WD question

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by medbill

2007 - 195SR

Bill

Measure your A frame width while you are at it. And what GVWR is that TT?

The T195SR does not show up in the 2006 or 2007 brochures. I was in Ray& Lynn's camper at the Buttonwood and it was a beautiful camper. That slide changes everything.

I also remember the main frame of the camper being like 8" maybe 10 to allow the slide system to work. Being a slide camper and a low rider makes a different then usual combo. Double check that 15 1/2" ball height.

Sunline use to post the ball height on the camper PDF layouts of the floor plan. But then somwhere like 2006 ish they stopped on all campers. Actually that little piece of info is good info to have if you are buying a new to you camper. I miss that and most brands do not list it either.

John

Ps Lower Hudson Valley.... Any where near Rip Van Winkle Bridge by Catskill? Or you further south? Kingston?

[medbill]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Bill

Measure your A frame width while you are at it. And what GVWR is that TT?

I also remember the main frame of the camper being like 8" maybe 10 to allow the slide system to work. Being a slide camper and a low rider makes a different then usual combo. Double check that 15 1/2" ball height.

Ps Lower Hudson Valley.... Any where near Rip Van Winkle Bridge by Catskill? Or you further south? Kingston?

When you ask measure the A Frame do you mean where it meets the camper at its widest part or from the ground up? I think the GVWR is around 7500lbs give or take a few hundred, dry is around 4300lbs. I triple checked that ball measurement and with the camper dead nuts level it was 15 1/4" using a level against the tape ruler. I'll go measure the main frame as well. Be back in a few.

Lower Hudson Valley in my case means way lower more like the Hudson Highlands new Newburgh.

[medbill]

With the main frame measurements being the same front to back even thought I don't get a perfect level measurement anywhere in or on the camper it is 16" to the top of the TT Coupler 13 1/2" bottom of coupler.

The a-frame at its widest point where it mounts to the mainframe is 44".

The main frame is obviously not level side to side in my driveway as one side measures 12 5/8" and the other side 11 1/8" spot on front and back.

I can't thank you enough for all the help. Gotta go mow before the thundershowers start.

Thanks!

Billy

[JohnB]

A frame meaning:

How wide (tall) is the side of the A Frame and what is it made out of?

5" wide channel iron, 6 inch channel iron?

Also what tire sizes are on the TT? are they original?

Boy that is a low rider.

Stay dry...

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by medbill

Ok measurements checked and rechecked.

I was actually off on the height of the shank base, its really 20" to the bottom of the shank.

15 1/4" to top of leveled TT coupler using a level and ruler like you did, 13" to the bottom.

23" to top of ball on hitch with unloaded TV.

Billy

Bill

I missed this pic post. You where posting at lunch while I was. Be back later. with some math.

The pics look like a 4" channel iron frame.

Going camping for 5 nights starting at 07:00AM Thursday Got to go pack...

John

[JohnB]

Billy

OK see if this helps. Using your raw numbers and filing in some missing pieces. You check behind me to make sure I used your numbers right

Assumptions to make level TT after hitched and WD adjusted:

Truck will squat 1” in rear after WD is set . May be slightly more (1/2”) and that’s OK

The round bar hitch head is slightly different then the trunnion head. I use 5 1/2 bottom of head to ball mounting surface. This is very close if not right on. Trunnion head is 6 1/2”

With these assumptions you need 9 1/8 in of shank drop. You can’t but it that exact but that is the math.

Ball tilt will alter the numbers slightly but the shank drop should still be in range.

Blue is Medbill field data, Black is John measured/calulated field data, orange is calculated for the setup

So here it is.


Your shank looks like it is 14 1/2 inches long in the pic. I “guesstimated” 14 5/8” needed. It should work


Here is what I would do.

Unbolt existing hitch head off old shank.
Stick loose ball mount in the coupler and latch in. Prop it up level
Back truck up close
Hold new shank next to hitch head and check that when the truck would squat 1” down the shank looks like it will work.

CHECK the bolt hole centers from old shank to new shank that the head will fit it.

That shank should work for you now but will be limited in higher adjustment as it does not have many extra holes in it. It is made for a fabricated round bar hitch head that is shorter then the all cast, so the fab’ed one will have more adjustment then the cast. For future new TV, that shank could be drilled to have more holes or use your old shank if it will work

Hope this helps. I learned some new things from you. I never would of imagined Sunline would of made a TT with such a low ball height…. If you are running stock tires on the TT, then that is what Sunline made. I wonder what the normal T1950 is for ball height with no slide???

Good luck

John

I’m out camping for 5 night starting Thursday AM. CG suppose to have wireless but don’t know. Will check in as I can.

[medbill]

Hi John,

Man that was a lot of work you did! I owe you one brother.

I am down for the count today, old neck injury is back with a vengeance so I won't be messing around with the hitch but hopefully tomorrow I can get at it because we're supposed to go camping this weekend ourselves.

Thanks again for everything and I'll try out everything you said and I'll post pics as well of the completed job. In regards to the hitch head I didn't think to see if the holes would line up, I ASSumed they would be universal for all shanks. You've taught me a great deal.

The tires are the stock Mission tires on the stock wheels. I don't have the sizes but when I go to my chiropractor today before I come back in I'll jot that info down.

Great thread and I'm sure will be useful to others as well.

Have a great and safe camping trip!

Billy

[JohnB]

MedBill

How did the shank adjusting go? Did she pull better? Less grinding of the V bars in the back....

Just checking in how it's going.

John

[medbill]

Hi John,

Well we didn't go camping because my neck was just hurting too bad. We are shooting for next weekend. The good news is I hooked everything up and here check out the pics, not a whole heck of a lot of clearance from the bottom of the shank to the ground! Might have to cut some of that off I think but then again the bottom of the jack isn't that much higher. The camper was perfectly level all hooked up and ready to go.

What do ya think?





Truck with WD hooked up...

[JohnB]

Hi Bill

Well you are gaining. The good news is you have the TT leveled out and the truck is looking better but I can’t tell on your fender heights if the front end is back to unhitched height. But it does look better for sure

But this I do see which can cause you a problem in turns.

This pic


Your snap up chains are on 3 links under tension. While driving straight this is not so much a problem, but when you turn the chains pull forward or push backwards as the hitch turns. When that push/pull occurs the chain will crash into the sides of the snap up brackets and will bind in the snap up as the chain angle is too steep.

Here see these pic’s




Now how to get out of that. Drop the chains to 5 links in tension. This will give you the turn clearance. Then tilt the hitch head back towards the TT to gain back that lost weight transfer. Since you have the round bar head, you only have 2 tilt adjustments behind tow ball straight up. That is a limitation to the round bar setup. But you are so far the other way now you might make it. Your WD bars then will be more parallel with the TT frame and the ground when the TT is level.

I do however see an issue on your low riding TT with the round bar setup. It’s low. The trunnion bar setup would be up higher as the WD bars come out of the middle of the hitch head verses the bottom. Or the Equal-I-zer is an option. Don’t know if you have to go that far to a new hitch yet but just an observation. Right now adjustment will go a long way.

The 5” ground clear. Go slow and don’t bounce it. I had 6” ground clear on my DC on the T2499 and it was OK and I only bounced it twice. My fault. You are talking a different TV in other posts, that TV may need the extra you are going to cut off. Once you have a long term setup and TV, then trim as needed

Sorry to hear about your neck. Bummer. I know I have lower back issues that flair up every now and then but the Chiro keeps me stretched straight and lower back exercises help.

Hope this helps

John

PS Purplesuebug here on the forum has a F250 and a T195SR. I did not know what type of hitch he has but may shed some light on this low rider and a high up truck reciever.

[medbill]

Once again John THANK YOU! I hope we can make it to the Adirondack meet and greet so I can thank you in person. Working on getting this truck which will haul our TT around with ease.

I'll make the suggested changes and thanks so much for the instructions!

[JohnB]

Bill

Thanks for the thanks. Glad it helps. We all learn from each other and I too learnd on this one from your experiances on how low that T195SR is which I would not of thought it that low.

This pic which you said the TT is level seems to show about a 15 3/4" ish ball height. When we where figuring shank length we used a 15 1/4" height to get to level. Which explains why you have that little bit of excess shank hanging down. That is not a big deal or difference but expalins how my math was off by about 1/2 "

No matter how you slice it, 15 1/4 or 15 3/4" that is a low ball height on such a large TT. Learn something new here every day on SOC.



That Dodge, oh yeh that is a globlal shift.... and you will for sure need that new longer shank. Hope it works out for you and hope to see you a the ADK M & G.

John

[medbill]

Thanks once again John, got the hitch all set up for the new truck and shes riding nice and level now. I also have about 7" of clearance at the bottom of the shank. The new Dodge tows the 195sr like its a small aluminum rowboat!

Will post some pics after this trip. Took her out for a test run tonight with the new to me truck and the brake controller thats already installed. I don't know if it will be worth it for me to switch over my prodigy but we'll see how it works out.

Thanks again for all your help!

Billy