Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-06-2015, 09:38 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 19
Towing Question

New 2015 explorer. 5000# tow, 500#tongue. New wolf pup is 2800# empty. Dealer felt we only need the sway bar?? Didn't think we needed a weight distribution hitch. New to tt towing. Any thoughts from the forum. Thanks
jemnelson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2015, 11:19 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
HONDAMAN174's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Big brown desert
Posts: 3,003
Get both for piece of mind. Better to have it than second guess yourself if things could be better.
__________________
2014 Stealth Evo 2850- "Woodstock"
2011 Toyota Tundra Rock Crawler TRD 5.7- "Clifford"
2013 Honda Accord Coupe V6 w/Track Pack- "Julia"

Just glad to get away
HONDAMAN174 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2015, 11:59 PM   #3
Moderator Emeritus
 
asquared's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 11,069
Honestly, if 2800 lbs is a dry weight then you are looking at 3800-4300 lbs loaded trailer weight. Ideal tongue weight is 13-15 % of loaded ft weight. This means you are looking at a loaded tongue weight of 495-645 lbs. While technically a sway bar is enough for that size trailer, you will be at or near your vehicles limit on payload. I would recommend going a step higher than a simple wdh and friction sway bar to getting a wdh with an integrated sway control (ie reese dual cam, reese strait line, equal-i-zer or something of the like).I would get one recommended for 600 lb tongue weight. Something like This.

You may find This link particularly helpful to understanding a wdh.
__________________
<a href=https://i62.tinypic.com/28rp645.jpg target=_blank>https://i62.tinypic.com/28rp645.jpg</a>
2014 Crew Cab Chevy Silverado 3500 4wd Duramax/Allison
2014 Sabre 34REQS-6
asquared is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 12:17 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,255
That's a borderline call, but personally, I would go with a WDH. It will only improve your tow control and prevent potential uneven tire wear. At any weight putting your loads across all axles is always preferable.

Just my 2 cents.
rana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 01:52 AM   #5
Site Team
 
bikendan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,607
No way I would pull any TT with an Explorer without a WDH.
Your dealer is an Idiot!
A popup sure but not a TT.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
bikendan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 03:51 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Wa11y757's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 191
X2 on the WDH. It just tows so much better too. Mine weighs a little over 3k and I use a WDH. Easier on the TV receiver too. Plus....when your family upgrades TT, that is what usually happens, you will already have a WDH.
Wa11y757 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 02:15 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
thebrakeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 1,348
Tough call. Here is a link for the Ford Towing Guide. You will find that Ford does not recommend using a WDH for ANY of their vehicles unless TW exceeds 500 lbs. I don't agree with that thinking, like most others here.

But tha't a very light camper you have there, at 2800 lbs dry. But someone mentioned 3800-4300 as an estimated loaded weight. That's seems overly-conservative to me. Typical conservative estimates for loaded weight over dry:
Popup = 600
Small TT = 600-800
Large TT = 800-1000
5er = ??? (some people live full time out of these beasts!)

I would use the 800 lbs figure, putting you at 3600 lbs. At 13%, that's 468lbs TW.

I recommend you try a local trip with just the friction sway controller, to see how it runs loaded. It would be good to get an actual TW measurement loaded as well.

Worst case, your out about $50. Going straight to an Equalizer (which I highly recommend if needed) is a $500 decision which you aren't sure you need to make yet.

This is the route I took with our first camper, a popup, behind a '97 Chrysler minivan. I was confident that I could keep the 2400lb dry popup to no more than 3000 lbs or so, but had no idea how loading it would affect the TW. So I did just what I recommended to you. Simple drawbar with a welded sway-control tab to accept the little ball (they also make an adapter that clamps under the ball).

It towed fine, but I found out that TW was 375lbs. 350 on this van required a WDH, and it showed. So I got a 400 lbs rated Single Bar WDH. The head was built to accept a friction sway controller, so I was actually out nothing.
__________________
thebrakeman ('70), DW ('71), DD ('99), DD ('01), DD ('05)
2004 Surveyor SV261T (UltraLite Bunkhouse Hybrid)
2006 Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier
Equal-i-zer WDH (10k), Prodigy Brake Controller
thebrakeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 02:18 PM   #8
Boss Ox & Drovergirl
 
oxcamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: N.E. Ohio Snow Belt
Posts: 1,340
Get both from the start.
__________________
Mark, Vicki, & Scout THE dog
2015 Hemisphere 282RK
2016 GMC 3500HD Duramax dually
1992 Goldwing Aspencade
oxcamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 02:29 PM   #9
Site Team
 
Flybob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,266
I assume you bought the TT to enjoy. If getting there and back is a white knuckle ride wondering what might be around the next turn, you won't enjoy it. Get the WDH and go have fun.
__________________

2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
TV 2015 Silverado HD2500 Duramax
TST Tire Monitors
Honda 2000I + Companion
2 100W solar panels
Flybob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 05:57 PM   #10
Site Team
 
Mr. Dan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Grayson County, Texas
Posts: 21,502
Quote:
Originally Posted by oxcamper View Post
Get both from the start.

x2



Sent (I think)
__________________
2015 FR Wildcat 295RSX / GMC Sierra

Nights Camped: '13 = 49/'14 = 74/'15 = 74/'16 = 85/'17 = 110/'18 = 111/'19 = 86/'20 =108/'21 = 115/'22 = 135/'23 = 78; Booked for 2024 = 69
Mr. Dan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 07:39 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
indybp57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 336
If you don't go with the WDH you will always be second guessing yourself, so alleviate the worry and go all-in.
__________________
2013 Roo 183
Miles Driven/Nights Camped:
2012:1042/13 2013:2772/27
2014:2259/30 2015:1644/20
2016:1278/23 2017:2183/22
indybp57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2015, 08:47 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
thebrakeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 1,348
Keep in mind, the opposite extreme is also possible. This could end up being only 3500 lbs loaded, and only 10% on the ball, or 350 lbs TW.

jemnelson,
You certainly would not be disappointed in the performance of a good WDH with integrated sway control. If you have $500 that you won't miss, by all means, get the 6000 lbs rated Equal-I-zer and enjoy.

But if you are questioning the need for WDH, you will never really know unless you get an accurate TW reading on the loaded trailer. 1 or 2 local trips with only the friction sway controller will allow you the time to determine these things, and potentially save you $500.

IMO, either way, you win. There is no safety concern, whatever you choose, since you are well within all ratings either way.

Happy Camping!
__________________
thebrakeman ('70), DW ('71), DD ('99), DD ('01), DD ('05)
2004 Surveyor SV261T (UltraLite Bunkhouse Hybrid)
2006 Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier
Equal-i-zer WDH (10k), Prodigy Brake Controller
thebrakeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2015, 08:58 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
thebrakeman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 1,348
Quote:
Originally Posted by indybp57 View Post
If you don't go with the WDH you will always be second guessing yourself, so alleviate the worry and go all-in.
Huh??

If they do go with the WDH now, they will never know whether it was the right decision, since they would never have tried it without. And once purchase and installed, who would get rid of a WDH?

But if they don't go with the WDH right away, they can always purchase a WDH at any time, and know fully that it was (or wasn't) the right decision. Why would they be second guessing anything? That's the whole point of trying it without WDH first.
__________________
thebrakeman ('70), DW ('71), DD ('99), DD ('01), DD ('05)
2004 Surveyor SV261T (UltraLite Bunkhouse Hybrid)
2006 Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier
Equal-i-zer WDH (10k), Prodigy Brake Controller
thebrakeman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2015, 09:23 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
indybp57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 336
Quote:
Originally Posted by thebrakeman View Post
Huh??

If they do go with the WDH now, they will never know whether it was the right decision, since they would never have tried it without. And once purchase and installed, who would get rid of a WDH?

But if they don't go with the WDH right away, they can always purchase a WDH at any time, and know fully that it was (or wasn't) the right decision. Why would they be second guessing anything? That's the whole point of trying it without WDH first.
There are plenty of people towing with WDHs that don't necessarily need it for the added peace-of-mind knowing their setup is as good as they can make it. Going without WDH may be an ok decision for them, but going with WDH would never be the wrong thing to do from a safety point of view.
__________________
2013 Roo 183
Miles Driven/Nights Camped:
2012:1042/13 2013:2772/27
2014:2259/30 2015:1644/20
2016:1278/23 2017:2183/22
indybp57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2015, 09:50 PM   #15
Junior Member
 
Shermanator's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 28
Agree for sure with indybp57, for the extra couple bucks and possibly a much safer tow package, there's no question about getting the WDH. I tow my 21' Wildwood with a wet weight of approx. 7500 lbs with my long box crew cab 1 ton Duramax, the truck way over rated for what I'm towing. I've towed the trailer without the WDH and with (simply because they came with it!) it and I honestly found no difference. However, the fact I have the WDH could make the entire tow unit much safer should something occur while towing the TT, be it a tire blowing out or whatever, the "peace of mind" factor is there that I've done all I can to make my unit as road worthy as possible. Its no different than those that buy cheapo tires for their tow vehicle, and when you consider there is only a small patch of rubber holding nearly 4 tons of vehicle on the road, wouldn't you want the best tire you can get! Sameo for the WDH, just get it.... Sherm
__________________
2013 T21FD Northwest Edition Wildwood
2010 Duramax Sierra SLT
Shermanator is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2015, 04:33 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
yetavon's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: WNC
Posts: 560
Hook it up, tow it to a hitch place and add the dual cam, bet you will love the difference driving home.
__________________
Retired Paramedic
2020 FSX 280RT
2005 Silverado 1500 Ext cab 5.3 H.O.
2011 HD Road King
Nights camped since 2019.....all of Em...Homes a 2001 Sea Breeze 36' 5 ER
yetavon is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:01 AM.