Rear end sag

[spitfisher]

Originally Posted by bundy

Hi all,
I currently tow a 4200lb. boat with a 2007 Honda Pilot and get a lot of sag on the rear end when I hook it up. How is the Ridgeline as far as dealing with tongue weight?

Could your boat be to far forward on the trailer? experiment by moving it back. You would be surprised what and inch or two will do.

[TeamRidgeline]

I was OK towing 4500 lb until recently installing a Lear topper. This along with a full trunk of tools etc. and additional weight in the bed now has me in the same situation. Anyone know of a rear airbag assist kit for the RL?

Also, make sure you have your receiver height set right for the trailer. Having the ball sit too high relative to the tongue on a multi-axle trailer will cause excessive rear end load sagging.

[beerkat]

Originally Posted by TeamRidgeline

I was OK towing 4500 lb until recently installing a Lear topper. This along with a full trunk of tools etc. and additional weight in the bed now has me in the same situation. Anyone know of a rear airbag assist kit for the RL?

I too would like some kind of self leveling rear suspension. I tow my car at least once a month plus having the bed loaded.

Originally Posted by TeamRidgeline

Having the ball sit too high relative to the tongue on a multi-axle trailer will cause excessive rear end load sagging.

I have never heard this before.

[BillyBob58]

Originally Posted by TeamRidgeline

I was OK towing 4500 lb until recently installing a Lear topper. This along with a full trunk of tools etc. and additional weight in the bed now has me in the same situation. Anyone know of a rear airbag assist kit for the RL?

Also, make sure you have your receiver height set right for the trailer. Having the ball sit too high relative to the tongue on a multi-axle trailer will cause excessive rear end load sagging.

So, what is the correct ball height relative to the trailer tongue, in order not to cause "excessive rear end load sagging."?

Should the truck hitch ball height be the same as the trailer tongue ball receiver ( receptacle?) before hooking up? Or, considering the known sag in advance, in order for the trailer to be level when towing, should the ball be an inch or two higher than the trailer tongue receiver? Or something else maybe?

[Webwader]

Should the truck hitch ball height be the same as the trailer tongue ball receiver ( receptacle?) before hooking up? Or, considering the known sag in advance, in order for the trailer to be level when towing, should the ball be an inch or two higher than the trailer tongue receiver? Or something else maybe?

The ball height should be set so that the trailer is level when towing. The amount is going to be dependent on the tongue weight of the trailer.
Having the tongue too high on a multi-axle trailer decreases the load on the front axle(s). Part of this load gets transferred to the tongue. The rest of it is tranferred to the rear axle where it can potentially overload the axle. Having the tongue height too low can overload the front axle. On a single-axle trailer, a too-high ball height can contribute to trailer sway.

[BillyBob58]

Thanks, Webwader.