More important on WDH. Hitch rating or trailer rating?

[thebrakeman]

1. That is very strange, and I suspect is not intended by GM. I still would not recommend you tow that trailer without a WDH.


2. I used to have a separate friction sway controller. What I found is that they recommend removing before back, in order to prevent bottoming out the sliding bar within the main housing. If you watch your limits on either side, however, and prevent jackknifing that extreme, it's OK to leave it installed. But some people prefer to remove it once they get to the park, just to be sure.

[timfromma]

My sway bar looks like this. It attaches between the trailer frame and the hitch. If while backing in, the trailer jacknifes too hard, it can bottom out and bend the bar which is why you remove them prior to reversing.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

1. I have never heard of a 3/4 or 1-ton truck OEM that allows towing up to 20,000 lbs travel trailer without a WDH. Most require it when TW exceeds 500 lbs. Please check that.

Well, you got me curious.

My 2016 Silverado Owners manual says max tongue weight on a 1500 is 800 lbs w/o a WDH and 1200 lbs with a WDH.

It says the max tongue weight for a 2500/3500 standard box is 1500 lbs with or w/o a WDH. It's 2000 lbs with or w/o a WDH for long box.

It then goes on to say that for a 1500, a WDH is optional for TT's up to 7000 lbs and required over 7000 lbs.

For 2500/3500, it says a WDH is optional up to 18000 lbs. Above 18,000 lbs is not addressed; this is interesting, as the highest towing capacity listed is 14,500 lbs (for a 3500 with 2WD, SRW, long box, 6.0L V8).

[thebrakeman]

The strange thing about these statements, is that I think 18,000-20,000 is about the max trailering weight for these 2500/3500 HD trucks. If WDH is optional up to this weight, then no GM pickups require the use of a WDH.


Something's not right. 18,000 lbs of travel trailer will have around 2250 lbs of TW (12.5%). Assuming 13' wheelbase and 5' rear overhang, that's going to add about 3115lbs to the rear axle, and remove about 865 lbs from the front axle. That is not a good situation, when it comes to dynamic stability (emergency lane change, etc).
I'm sure the suspension can handle it. But for vehicle dynamics, that is a poor recommendation, and I advise against it.

[BigH]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

The strange thing about these statements, is that I think 18,000-20,000 is about the max trailering weight for these 2500/3500 HD trucks. If WDH is optional up to this weight, then no GM pickups require the use of a WDH.

Actually, Chevy takes into account long box (lwb) and standard box. The standard box requires a weight distributing hitch above a certain weight...the lwb does not. -As rockfordroo stated but his numbers are slightly off because the of redesign on the HD trucks in 17.

Something's not right. 18,000 lbs of travel trailer will have around 2250 lbs of TW (12.5%). Assuming 13' wheelbase and 5' rear overhang, that's going to add about 3115lbs to the rear axle, and remove about 865 lbs from the front axle. That is not a good situation, when it comes to dynamic stability (emergency lane change, etc).
I'm sure the suspension can handle it. But for vehicle dynamics, that is a poor recommendation, and I advise against it.

From rear axle to hitch on my truck is 50 inches. Between the axles is a little over 13 feet. Besides the distance being 14 inches shorter to the rear axle than your calculation, your affect on the front axle calculation does not take into account the weight forward of the front axle...this weight reduces the weight taken off the front axle. Nor does it take into account the weight of passengers and cargo while including those distances in front of the rear axle.

By my math, a max load with my trailer will have a very insignificant weight reduction on the front tires...a couple hundred pounds. Considering how heavy the front of a truck is compared to the rear, a couple hundred pounds of the front axle while adding 1500 to the rear will only help balance the weight on all four corners.