Harbor freight WDH vs others

[captaingeek]

Hi all, seeing I can get a decent harbor freight WDH for about $250. What are some comparible hitches out there? Don't mind paying a bit more but $500+ for something is too much for me. Would like something I can order that would ship within a week or less (Amazon?).

[RockDodger]

You could try E-Trailer. Their prices are not outrageous and the the shipping is quick. They sell Curt, Reese, and Drawtite which are the big three. They also have other brands, and they stand behind them all. I always use them for this kind of stuff.

[dustman_stx]

I buy a lot of things from Harbor Freight- but a WDH isn’t one of them. I understand it’s a lot of money, but I highly recommend you just bite the bullet and get an Equalizer 4 point.

[Cabinfever97]

With your length and weight TT, spend some time researching the hitches mentioned above. Buy the best hitch you can. You can not buy too much hitch when it comes to control, safety, and comfortable towing. We have a Hensley. Do you need the best hitch out there? No! However the best hitch you can buy, afford, is worth every penny.

[Platokidd]

captaingeek- Don't know what your pushing or pulling, but you can't go wrong with an Equalizer 4 point. Why have white knuckles just to save a few bucks.

[llr]

as others mentioned what are you towing and with what?

When I had a 25' TT with an F150 I had a similar hitch and it worked fine. With my current TT/F150 I would not consider a hitch without built in sway control like Blue Ox sway pro or Equalizer 4 point.

And I am probably moving to a ProPride very soon

[Falconer]

When I got my trailer I bit the bullet and bought the Equalizer. Cost me something like $500. Seemed like a lot at the time. A year later, it is one of the best investments I made, RV-wise. I've done a lot of driving with 30+ crosswinds and the trailer rides like it's welded to my truck. I love it. I can drive in those crosswinds with one hand, pass a semi, or have it pass me, and not worry about it. Total peace of mind.
Compared to other hookups I've had over the years it's no contest.
Charlie

[rsdata]

I have had my HFreight WDH since 2014 when I got my 5,000# GVWR 21 foot trailer. The HF hitch is rated for 10,000#. Steel is steel no matter what country it comes from.

The HFreight hitch does just fine for that small of a trailer. If you are longer then say 25 feet or heavier than 7,000#, then call etrailer dot com for a recommendation. and look at the comments left for each model to compare to the trailer that you want to haul.

You really do NOT need a $500 hitch for a trailer under 6,000#... anyone that tells you a 5-6,000# trailer needs anything more is blowing smoke... IMO

PS... you really don't want to ship 50-60# of steel to far...

BTW... put your trailer info in your signature line so we don't have to guess at what you have...

[Mbusker]

I have an Equalizer WDH and have towed in 30+ mph cross winds. Truck and trailer stay inline with each other. I am a big fan with WD and sway control in one unit. The HF hitch need to add the sway control component. I am a fan of HF.

[Dsimes]

We have the Equalizer 4 way WDH and I love it. In the past I’ve owned Reese almost exclusively but you had to add a sway bar, not to mention fusing with the chains constantly. When we purchased the Wolf pup they had other hitches like Reese however when I saw the Equalizer in action it was a no brainer.

[Cabinfever97]

[QUOTE=rsdata;2506282]

You really do NOT need a $500 hitch for a trailer under 6,000#... anyone that tells you a 5-6,000# trailer needs anything more is blowing smoke... IMO

Its not just the weight that causes issues, its the length. When I'm towing my dump trailer with close to 12K of weight it is much more stable than my TT at 9K. Dump trailer is 12ft and no WD is needed since it is short and the axles are in a great place,.TT is 34ft so WD and anti sway makes for a much better towing experience. Not to mention safety.

[Geotrash]

I have the Camco Recurve R3 and am happy with it. It’s quiet, has great sway control, backing up and turning are no problem, and it was inexpensive.

[Bogieboy]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I have had my HFreight WDH since 2014 when I got my 5,000# GVWR 21 foot trailer. The HF hitch is rated for 10,000#. Steel is steel no matter what country it comes from.

The HFreight hitch does just fine for that small of a trailer. If you are longer then say 25 feet or heavier than 7,000#, then call etrailer dot com for a recommendation. and look at the comments left for each model to compare to the trailer that you want to haul.

You really do NOT need a $500 hitch for a trailer under 6,000#... anyone that tells you a 5-6,000# trailer needs anything more is blowing smoke... IMO

PS... you really don't want to ship 50-60# of steel to far...

BTW... put your trailer info in your signature line so we don't have to guess at what you have...

The "steel is steel" comment gets me... i own a chinese built motorcycle... all the bolts are metric graded 10.9... but.... the factory bolts snap off like a non graded bolt... replaced them with quality hardware from Grainger and never had another problem breaking them... steel is steel just like LPG is LPG... in mexico LPG can be up to 40%butane, in texas up to 15-20%, and in the north max of 5%... but its all labeled LPG so it should all work the same right?

[medic225]

I used a harbor freight WDH on .y first camper. It was a jayco hybrid weight was around 3500 empty. It worked great! Never had any problems and performed exactly like it should!

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by Bogieboy

The "steel is steel" comment gets me... i own a chinese built motorcycle... all the bolts are metric graded 10.9... but.... the factory bolts snap off like a non graded bolt... replaced them with quality hardware from Grainger and never had another problem breaking them... steel is steel just like LPG is LPG... in mexico LPG can be up to 40%butane, in texas up to 15-20%, and in the north max of 5%... but its all labeled LPG so it should all work the same right?

I got a kick out of that comment also 😂. I guess Grade 8 bolts are a ripoff since Grade 2 are really the same thing, lol!

[5picker]

The thread is getting somewhat sidetracked with grade 8 bolts and motorcycle parts but if you simply need a hitch that redistributes weight, then the HF model or any economical model that performs that particular task, is perfectly fine.

If you are towing too large a R/V for the the capabilities of your tow vehicle and trying to overcome the shortcomings that are associated with that combination, then you might want to consider something else.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Bogieboy

The "steel is steel" comment gets me...

Caught my eye too. A quick check shows that there are 51 different BASIC types of Low Alloy steel and each of those can be offered in variations depending on the need for specific performance.

Like anything else, a manufacturer can only cut costs in so many places before they have to cut quality of raw materials. Labor is cheaper in China (for now anyway) and that's their big advantage. Marketing costs can be cut too. But how much did they cut out of the raw material cost? Historically the Chinese manufacturers cut this area a lot.

I think that when one is coupling a $50K+ truck to a $30-$50K trailer a couple hundred bucks extra for a known quality hitch would be worth it.

[Bogieboy]

Originally Posted by 5picker

The thread is getting somewhat sidetracked with grade 8 bolts and motorcycle parts but if you simply need a hitch that redistributes weight, then the HF model or any economical model that performs that particular task, is perfectly fine.

If you are towing too large a R/V for the the capabilities of your tow vehicle and trying to overcome the shortcomings that are associated with that combination, then you might want to consider something else.

is it really a sidetrack to discuss the possibility of a failure due to subpar steel, when you can get a Curt hitch for $60 more, that has a known reputation, and is a trusted brand? theres only 2 places you can save money in manufacturing, as stated, labor, or actual quality of materials. the bolt reference was simply to show that in china, just because it says it is a strong enough grade of steel doesn't necessarily mean it IS...

[captaingeek]

Looking at some $250 -300 options on Amazon. As of now, looking to tow a GW 23dbh with a Yukon. Haven't bought the trailer yet Appreciate all of the comments. I do like the idea of a bett34 brand name. Harbor Freight sells a lot of junk.

[Chuck_S]

Saving $200 buying a random Harbor Freight * WDH for a $20,000 (or even $5,000) trailer makes sense to me. Not.

* the source for one-time use tools.

-- Chuck