Towing IQ

[Pkdennis0504]

In this case is stands for idiot question. I have a 2004 Avalache 1500. We purchased a 2012 Grey Wolf 25rb. The TT weight is well within spec of th TV. We gave taken a couple trips, the longest being a three hour drive. The TV is set so the rear is naturally higher that the front. When we purchased the TT, the dealer salesman, who was great to work with and even gave us his cell phone for help, said I could try towing without a weight dust. Hitch. When the trailer is on, my truck is level, the trailer is level, and towing has been easy with no (that I could tell) sway problems. Is this ok, or am I missing some large concept here?!? I appreciate any suggestions from all you FR technogeeks? I LOVE this forum and the trailer. I will be submitting more IQ's in the future!

[kbrown1075]

The weight distribution hitch displaces the weight on all axels of the truck and TT. On my 1500, I have a 1/4" difference at the rear fender well when the TT is connected to the truck with the WDH (Equal-i-zer). I can tow the TT without the WDH hitch, but I am not maxumizing the braking and steering capabilities of the truck as the front end is lighter than normal. Just 'cause you can, may not be the safest. Does that help?

[Pkdennis0504]

It does. Any idea on how much a WD hitch relives tongue weight and puts more weight back on the front of the truck? 10%? More? Thanks!

[kbrown1075]

Depends on your TV and the tongue weight of your TT.

[donn]

It all depends on how much load you apply. Most equalizer type hitches have chains or some sort of attachment. By increasing/decreasing the number of chain links determines loading. personally I would never consider towing without one, plus some form of sway control.

[grhodes50]

I don't know about Chevy, but unless changed in the last year or two, Ford's towing guides always recommended a WD hitch when towing 5,000 lbs or more. So it has nothing to do with which tv you have or sway issues. It's all about distributing the weight on the tv's axles when towing a certain amount of weight.

[kbrown1075]

In my experience, I would not want to tow but a few blocks, and not ove 25 mph without a WDH and sway control. I went the cheap route and regret it. I went with a WDH and friction sway control. I recently purchased an equal-i-zer wdh/ 4 point sway control hitch and it is 100 times less stressful to tow. I am far more relaxed when we arrive at our destination. When I was in the Home Theater/ Home Automation business we had a saying: "Pay me now or pay me later". I didn't take my own advice. Cost me 2 hitches, but at this point, I find it well worth having it right!

[bikendan]

i tow a similar weight HTT that's not as long as yours, with an '07 Avy and there's NO WAY i'd tow without a WDH and sway control.
let me tell you that it saved my ***, many times in bad weather conditions. 60mph winds in Nebraska and snow/ice/winds in Wyoming, to name a few.

[shineysideup]

Originally Posted by Pkdennis0504

In this case is stands for idiot question. I have a 2004 Avalache 1500. We purchased a 2012 Grey Wolf 25rb. The TT weight is well within spec of th TV. We gave taken a couple trips, the longest being a three hour drive. The TV is set so the rear is naturally higher that the front. When we purchased the TT, the dealer salesman, who was great to work with and even gave us his cell phone for help, said I could try towing without a weight dust. Hitch. When the trailer is on, my truck is level, the trailer is level, and towing has been easy with no (that I could tell) sway problems. Is this ok, or am I missing some large concept here?!? I appreciate any suggestions from all you FR technogeeks? I LOVE this forum and the trailer. I will be submitting more IQ's in the future!

No sway problems (that you could tell)? Do you have mirrors that allow you to see down the whole side of your trailer while driving? This is a must for towing, you have to know what your trailer is doing behind you and it doesn't hurt to know who you are just about to cut off

Should be common sense but from what I've seen on the road this doesn't seem to apply to everyone!

There is a post by Mtnguy called "weight stats". He has weighed his combo with and without w.d. setup. See for yourself, there is a huge difference in axles weights, especially the rear axle when not using w.d.

happy camping,

[Triguy]

I was taught to use a weight distributing hitch any time the trailer weighed more than 50 percent of the truck's weight. That's just a rule of thumb, though.

But, I think there is a requirement from most, if not all, manufacturers that any trailer over 5,000lbs requires a WDH.

Also, there is no way this can be good for your truck's rear axle and your trucks frame. As others have pointed out, the idea is to spread out some of the load from the tongue to the truck's front axle and some to the trailer axles.

To prove this, you could take your setup to the local CAT scale. Weigh once with vehicle alone, once with trailer hitched up (but do not set the wdh bars) and once with the trailer and the wdh. Look at the change in weight to the truck's front and rear axles for each scenario. You'll see what I mean.