8" lift weight distro hitch?

I have a 2002 F250 with an 8" lift, and am pulling a 32' TT. The truck doesnt do much squatting but it could use some help. I have not looked into bags for such a large lift, and I already have a WD hitch from the previous TT. Does anyone have any experience with a drop shank for the WD hitch? I have seen some as long as 11". Im just not sure if it would be worth effort to install on the new camper. Also if WD wont work with the lift, is there a way to attach a sway controller to the drop hitch i have? The hitch is an Anderson Rapid Hitch I believe. A guy at the camper place said there may be a plate that would mount between the ball and the hitch that would have the sway bar ball to the side.

Any help is appreciated!

I wouldn't use a drop shank off the wd hitch, that just doesn't seem safe.

I would use something like the OUO Drop Hitch

This is what I was looking at. It's made by Reese so figured it would be compatible.

http://www.reese-hitches.com/products/Weight_Distributing_Class_III___IV_Adjustable_Shank,3344

Bags on an 8 inch lift are better than on a stocker IMHO

I can now get to my u bolt nuts now without removing the airbag plate

ZMann where did you get the brakets? I have bags, compressors, tank. Everything except brakets, from building mini trucks.

those are the regular brackets I cut and welded flat plate and gussets

you can't see the welds for the plate so it looks factory
the pucks on top are the new Daystar pockets that let you unbolt the bottom of the bag and it free floats off road but centers in the pocket when it lands

I have a drop weight hitch... Running a 4" lift but its set up for up to an 8" lift... Matter of fact I need to cut the damn thing off one of these days.

Should not be an issue, and will tow better then just adding more capacity to the rear end. The WD hitch is transfering weight to the front axle, bags are just lifting the back back up.

but bags work when a WD will not

like any load in the bed or a 5 er and most boat trailers with surge brakes aren't interned for WD hitches due to the sliding actuator

so they are nice to have also

I have a drop bar for a WD that I got from a buddy. It is at its limit though with my 6" lift and 37's. With enough looking you should be able to find a drop that gets it I an acceptable area. The one I have is solid steel and did fine towing a 28' camper a few hundred miles.

A weight distributing hitch LOOKS like it does the same thing as air bags, but the WD hitch actually puts load onto the front axle and the air bag just lifts the rear back up. The hitch is the better setup.
-Aaron

Edit: Forgot to mention. My buddy said he got that drop bar from a Campin World if you have one close to check with.

Zmann said:

but bags work when a WD will not

like any load in the bed or a 5 er and most boat trailers with surge brakes aren't interned for WD hitches due to the sliding actuator

so they are nice to have also

Click to expand...

Bags are fine, I have thought about adding a set...

But as far as RV towing, the WD hitch can not be beat.

Here is 24,000# with 3" add a leafs and factory overloads...



And a bit less but you can see how much the WD hitch helps!

I would recommend bags as well, we have several rather large lifted trucks that we tow with allot, bags really help, considering lift springs don't have helpers/overloads bags are a must


Sent from my fortress of awesome

I too would look into bags.

I dont get it... a WD hitch is CLEARLY the right thing to do with a RV. Its just the right way to go in every respect...

Bags are great when you dont have that option, but a WD hitch is leaps and bounds better then a set of bags.

Someone explain to me why bags are better?

my 28' enclosed car trailer has 1000# on the tongue (work bench, tool box, tongue box w/ 2 batts, etc). Even with the WD, the SD sags a tad more than the OBS did --I think the OBS had a bit more overload rate. It makes the front end a bit more 'darty' and its doesnt feel as stable as the OBS did. Ive got tire pressure room so Im doing that, but also considering bags a little more now.

Think about it this way....eliminate the springs and air bags for a minute for the fake of discussion and make it solid mount to the frame. Now take a ridiculous heavy load and place it on the hitch...eventually with enough weight it will lift the front tires off the ground. If you took the exact same load and put a WD hitch on it it would actually put more weight on the front tires. Bags merely raise the back of the truck. In the situation above it would be the equivalent of raising the bed of the truck up a few inches but still keeping the solid mount. I suspect there is a minimal difference in weight on the front tires based on "sag", but it will be negligible.

I'm not the greatest trying to explain it, but here is another example to illustrate my point that I bet anyone that has been around the two has noticed. Hook up a heavy trailer to the truck the back end sags down and the front will rise. Hook up the WD hitch and the back will come up and the nose will go back down. Take the WD stuff back off and inflate the air bags to raise the rear back up....The front doesn't go down like it does with the WD hitch at least not in my experiences. They DO serve a purpose, but given a choice of one or the other, I think the hitch is the better option.
-Aaron

LOL... There is a bad word in there...

To the Op, look into a Curt weight distributing hitch. I would not add anything to your Rapid Hitch it didnt have originally.

I have a 8" to 10" spring lift on an 02. I Tow a 33' toy hauler. I have a 10" or so drop shank works great.

I have a Reese weight distribution that I was planning on getting the shank.