dougrainer
Carrolton, Texas
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Use this type bubble level for refer leveling. Put it on the freezer floor. If the bubble is outside the center circle, your refer is out of level for correct operation. UNLEVEL operation IN TRANSIT, is OK as the movement negates out of level problems. BUT, people forget those time they stop for a few hours or overnight and leave the Trailer connected out of level. If that happens, you just shut the refer OFF. Then restart when traveling again. Doug
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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Yes, the question is about towing level, not parking on the spot.
Towing level means more to the tow vehicle than to the trailer
Though ideally both are level
This means the frame of the Truck is parallel to the ground
AND the frame of the trailer as well.
This may require a rise or drop adapter on the hitch. But in this case level = Best control when stopping.
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Boomerweps
Hills of PA
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neu wrote:BB_TX wrote:You don't say what you are towing with, or what you are towing. My question: is the trailer tongue weight too much for your tow vehicle making the tow vehicle rear sag too much. You pictures don't show enough to tell.
The car is sagging, but not too much.
I have an Audi Q5, and I understand that it is not the ideal car for towing a trailer, but the tongue weight at the time of the question was within the acceptable limits: 405 pounds out of a maximum of 440 pounds.
I do not plan to exceed the upper limit. In the worst case, I plan to carry the propane tank in the car's trunk or put something heavy behind the rear axle. I have not yet weighed the entire trailer to accurately answer this question.
20# propane tank weighs 17# empty, plus 16# normal propane fill on exchanges, nets you another 33# on your tongue weight for a total of 438#. So you can tow with your propane tank installed, securely mounted. For longer camping, a 30# tank only adds 2 more pounds empty, plus 10 more pounds propane. You’d need to pull a few items from the trailer front storage to do so to be in specs. You might want to consider a LiFePo4 replacement battery. Normal batteries weight about 60-65#, LiFePo4 weighs 25# for a 100AH unit.
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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dougrainer wrote:From Audi
Can you put a hitch on an Audi Q5?
For those who intend to maximize the utility of their Q5s, the Audi Accessories Trailer Hitch is a must-have accessory. Designed specifically for use on 2009-2017 Q5s and rated at 4,400 lbs. towing capacity, this Class 3 receiver is perfect for towing most recreational items.
That said, your hitch is 2 inches square which means it is a class 3 hitch which is what you need. A class 1 which you see on a lot of smaller vehicles has 1.24 inch square insert, which is only rated at 2k lbs towing. Bad news is this. It seems most brand name class 3 hitches for your Audi have this disclaimer. Check with YOUR hitch maker to verify. Doug
Receiver opening: 2" x 2"
Rating: Class III
Maximum gross trailer weight: 5,000 lbs
Maximum tongue weight: 750 lbs
Not rated for use with weight distribution systems
Which makes me question using the drop/riser ball (at least an extreme one like the OP will need). The OP has already maxed out a riser and needs more.
The problem with WDH and unibody attachment is the torque that's applied. The solid steel frame of a truck can handle that torque. A unibody station wagon just has the hitch bolted thru a few layers of sheet metal. The OP will need an extreme riser to get the trailer level. Under emergency braking, it will apply a torque similar and possibly more extreme than what a WDH does.
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midnightsadie
ohio
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keep the chains up so they never touch the road.
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neu
Toronto
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valhalla360 wrote:dougrainer wrote:From Audi
Can you put a hitch on an Audi Q5?
For those who intend to maximize the utility of their Q5s, the Audi Accessories Trailer Hitch is a must-have accessory. Designed specifically for use on 2009-2017 Q5s and rated at 4,400 lbs. towing capacity, this Class 3 receiver is perfect for towing most recreational items.
That said, your hitch is 2 inches square which means it is a class 3 hitch which is what you need. A class 1 which you see on a lot of smaller vehicles has 1.24 inch square insert, which is only rated at 2k lbs towing. Bad news is this. It seems most brand name class 3 hitches for your Audi have this disclaimer. Check with YOUR hitch maker to verify. Doug
Receiver opening: 2" x 2"
Rating: Class III
Maximum gross trailer weight: 5,000 lbs
Maximum tongue weight: 750 lbs
Not rated for use with weight distribution systems
Which makes me question using the drop/riser ball (at least an extreme one like the OP will need). The OP has already maxed out a riser and needs more.
The problem with WDH and unibody attachment is the torque that's applied. The solid steel frame of a truck can handle that torque. A unibody station wagon just has the hitch bolted thru a few layers of sheet metal. The OP will need an extreme riser to get the trailer level. Under emergency braking, it will apply a torque similar and possibly more extreme than what a WDH does.
I don't quite understand how physics changes for the torque that is applied to my body depending on the height of the regular trailer hitch that I use. The only thing that seems to be affected more from my perspective is the hitch itself at the welding points due to the "lever".
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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neu wrote:I don't't quite understand how physics changes for the torque that is applied to my body depending on the height of the regular trailer hitch that I use. The only thing that seems to be affected more from my perspective is the hitch itself at the welding points due to the "lever".
With a standard ball, it's in line with the square tube. As a result the acceleration forces are straight in or out of the tube. They don't generate any torque on the hitch.
The ball may sit 6inches behind the tube, so your 440lb max hitch weight will result in 220ft-lb of torque due to the dead weight.
A couple inches of riser likely won't be a big deal but if you need a foot of rise, in a panic stop or just hitting a potholeat atspeed, there could be a couple thousand pounds of force pushing forward or back on that 1 foot arm. That would result on something on the order of 2000 ft-lb of torque on the hitch...ten times as much as the dead weight applies.
No guarantees but that may be enough to tear the hitch out of the car body...had a friend with a unibody hitch that did just that.
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msmith1.wa
Tacoma, WA
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Moving the battery to the rear was mentioned. If you do this it needs to be connected to the electrical system so that the brake a way can function in case the trailer separates from the yow vehicle.
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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@neu yes a little bit nose down is no problem especially on a single axle trailer.
Idk if I’d call it preferable and aesthetically, level “looks” better.
Those little trailers are pretty tall when paired up with a short vehicle. Not concerning per se but just how it is.
Idk if you ever mentioned how well it tows. That is the real test. Your loads and weights are reasonable albeit close to rated weights. If it tows straight and steady I would go camping and not be bothered with counting cans of beans.
Sure a big ole truck would manhandle that camper handily but just pretend you’re towing a big load (for that vehicle) and drive accordingly.
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neu
Toronto
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valhalla360 wrote:neu wrote:I don't't quite understand how physics changes for the torque that is applied to my body depending on the height of the regular trailer hitch that I use. The only thing that seems to be affected more from my perspective is the hitch itself at the welding points due to the "lever".
With a standard ball, it's in line with the square tube. As a result the acceleration forces are straight in or out of the tube. They don't generate any torque on the hitch.
The ball may sit 6inches behind the tube, so your 440lb max hitch weight will result in 220ft-lb of torque due to the dead weight.
A couple inches of riser likely won't be a big deal but if you need a foot of rise, in a panic stop or just hitting a potholeat atspeed, there could be a couple thousand pounds of force pushing forward or back on that 1 foot arm. That would result on something on the order of 2000 ft-lb of torque on the hitch...ten times as much as the dead weight applies.
No guarantees but that may be enough to tear the hitch out of the car body...had a friend with a unibody hitch that did just that.
Yes, you're right, now I understand the logic.
Now you've given me a new reason to worry. I think in my case, I'll raise it by 7 inches to level the trailer, but now I won't be able to stop thinking about the potential problem.
It would make sense for car manufacturers to take into account such "impactful" loads, especially if they have a hitch as low as mine. But how can I be sure now...
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