Originally posted by TTA89
The leveling bars.. Whats that do? Hows that work?
A "class IV" hitch is basically a class III hitch (a 2" receiver) with a hitch with provisions for load leveling bars.
Load leveling bars mount on the sides of the ball and are attached to the side of the trailer with chains. For a trailer to be class IV compatible it needs to have chain mounting provisions on the sides of the tounge.
The load levelers effectively transfer weight off the rear wheels of the tow vehicle to the front, reducing the rear squat. The drawback of this is traction is also reduced at the rear wheels of the truck, for acceleration and braking.
How do electric brakes work?
If you order a truck with a trailer towing package, the electric brake controller ($50-100 from auto parts store) plugs in easily under the dash to the factory wires. (In a GM car, it took me less than 10 minutes to install an aftermarket controller) If the truck doesn't have a TT package it make take a few hours to install.
The controller regulates the amount of braking force applied to the trailer. It varies by load. so it needs to be adjusted if the trailer is full or empty, otherwise lockup or long stops will occur.
Modern brake controllers can vary the force in both a regular and panic stop condition. so much so, you can forget the trailer is back there.