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Old 04-27-2019, 05:36 PM   #1
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Is there a light weight trailer that sleeps 4 that doesn't require a WDH?

We had to sell our RPod due to back injuries that made lifting the very heavy WDH impossible. We now have a Sunseeker MH, but miss having a trailer we can unhitch and leave behind to go exploring. We want to be able to take our 2 young granddaughters camping, so need something that sleeps 4. Is there any kind of trailer that we could tow with our Honda Pilot that doesn't require a WDH? We pulled a horse trailer for years with a Suburban and never needed a WDH. Thanks for any advice!
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Old 04-27-2019, 05:39 PM   #2
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You could do a pop-up trailer or you could check out the Andersen WDH, no crazy heavy hitch head or bars to mess with. I have one and it works great, so much easier and lighter to handle than a typical WDH.
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Old 04-27-2019, 05:50 PM   #3
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Ball, 4" drop bar and 2½" tubing for the receiver weighs < 45 lbs (Andersen WDH)
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Old 04-27-2019, 05:54 PM   #4
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We did a high wall pop up for a few years with our pilot then traded it cause the maintenance/ tear down was getting to be too much for my wife and her back issues.

Just a thought but instead of taking a loss on your class c, look into buying an older Honda Fit or crv and tow behind your unit. Hell, if you lived closer I have the tow bar and brake system sitting in garage that a friend no long needs.
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Old 04-27-2019, 05:55 PM   #5
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I believe that there are different tow ratings for 4x2 and AWD, for the Pilot.
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Old 04-27-2019, 06:34 PM   #6
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Bikendan is correct. Typically 2000 lbs with 2wd and 4500 to 5000 with awd AND transmission cooler.
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Old 04-27-2019, 06:49 PM   #7
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4WD

We have a 4WD Pilot, with tran. cooler and electric brakes. It pulled the RPod very nicely, but the WDH with sway bar was just too heavy a chunk of lead for backs with herniated disks to deal with anymore. Darn! Not sure if we want to sell one of our cars to buy one to tow. Lots to think about. We rented a car in Santa Barbara when we camped nearby so we could get to places that wouldn't work with the MH. That option isn't available a lot of places we'd like to go. Lots of pros and cons either way, I guess.
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Old 04-27-2019, 06:55 PM   #8
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Or...rather than selling a car if you have a fwd you can always try a tow dolly. Rent one from uhaul to try it out next time.
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Old 04-27-2019, 07:12 PM   #9
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Good idea!

Thanks for that suggestion! We will try it out sometime!
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Old 04-28-2019, 10:02 AM   #10
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I had a hybrid trailer that weighed 2760 pounds and required no WD hitch. It slept 6.
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Old 04-28-2019, 10:26 AM   #11
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Nothing is going to be easy on you back with a trailer. Hitching, unhitching, leveling, etc. To me the hitch head is the least of these and you could have help getting in in and then just leave it in. Tow dolly behind a motorhome is going to have all the same efforts hitching, strapping, etc.
Certainly a bigger tow rig like a Suburban can tow a little trailer like an Rpod without WDH. if the trailer isn't loaded right though even little trailers will start to sway, load up on the tongue weight and it will be fine. The problem is a small trailer on a small tow rig is the same as a big trailer on a big tow rig. If you want really easy hitching, get a 1500 pickup and a little 5th wheel like the Scamp. That setup also gets much better gas mileage, I bet even beats a Pilot towing an R-pod using something like a new 2.7 ecoboost F150. An ecodiesel 1500 Ram will get over 20 miles per gallon towing one of these.
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Old 04-28-2019, 10:32 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hersbird View Post
Nothing is going to be easy on you back with a trailer. Hitching, unhitching, leveling, etc. To me the hitch head is the least of these and you could have help getting in in and then just leave it in. Tow dolly behind a motorhome is going to have all the same efforts hitching, strapping, etc.
Certainly a bigger tow rig like a Suburban can tow a little trailer like an Rpod without WDH. if the trailer isn't loaded right though even little trailers will start to sway, load up on the tongue weight and it will be fine. The problem is a small trailer on a small tow rig is the same as a big trailer on a big tow rig. If you want really easy hitching, get a 1500 pickup and a little 5th wheel like the Scamp. That setup also gets much better gas mileage, I bet even beats a Pilot towing an R-pod using something like a new 2.7 ecoboost F150. An ecodiesel 1500 Ram will get over 20 miles per gallon towing one of these.


I disagree, the heavy hitch head is the hardest on my back and one of the reasons why I switched to the Andersen. Hitching, unhitching, leveling, stabilizing are all a piece of cake and are very little effort. Electric tongue jack, cordless impact wrench for the stabs, plastic leveling blocks that are lightweight. The hardest thing on my back is lugging the hitch head in/out of storage and putting it on or taking it off of the truck.

Not sure how you’re doing things that make them harder on your back than dealing with the hitch head but it sounds like you may be doing things the hard way. [emoji41]
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Old 04-28-2019, 10:56 AM   #13
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Popup would be the best fit for the TV and its weight restrictions.

However, the OP doesn't want a WDH due to the weight of the bars and the physical burden of managing the device. Thus, a popup may also be a bad fit for the same reason. Even with an electric roof, there is still the business of pulling out bed ends and such.

It seems that a conventional travel trailer would be the best fit for what the OP wants in his camping experience.

A tiny trailer like the Coachmen Viking 16SBH might work, but you're going to be converting the dinette bed for you and your spouse. The Viking 17SBH might be better, but you're pushing 4,000 lbs. Something like the Viking 17BHS would be a better experience, as smaller trailers really benefit from the slide-out (on a percentage basis, the amount of living space opened up by a slide-out is dramatic).

(Not an endorsement of Coachmen Viking. I just grabbed that line as an example of small, lightweight conventional trailers that could sleep 4.)

However, towing these without a WDH really would require a heavier TV. I think a 1/2 ton towing one of these smaller 4,500 lb and lower trailers might get by without a WDH.

Good luck.
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Old 04-28-2019, 11:08 AM   #14
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However, the OP doesn't want a WDH due to the weight of the bars and the physical burden of managing the device.

Which is why some of us have suggested the Andersen WDH. No bars, no giant hitch head, no snapping chains into and out of place with a lever. I'd tweaked my back at least a couple of times dealing with our old e2 hitch head, never had any issues with the Andersen.
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Old 04-28-2019, 11:42 AM   #15
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... We pulled a horse trailer for years with a Suburban and never needed a WDH. Thanks for any advice!
That might be another option: Get a bigger tow vehicle. I pull a Wolfpup 16FB with a RAM 1500 without WDH. 3050lbs on the front axle, 3200 lbs on the rear and 2600 on the trailer axle. Keeping the tongue weight around 500 lbs is possible with a r-pod or similar.

Edit: Sorry didn't see this was already suggested.
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Old 04-28-2019, 12:13 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by cgarb View Post
We pulled a horse trailer for years with a Suburban and never needed a WDH. Thanks for any advice!
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That might be another option: Get a bigger tow vehicle. I pull a Wolfpup 16FB with a RAM 1500 without WDH. 3050lbs on the front axle, 3200 lbs on the rear and 2600 on the trailer axle. Keeping the tongue weight around 500 lbs is possible with a r-pod or similar.

Not needing a WDH with a horse trailer really has nothing to do with the TV and everything to do with how the horse trailer is designed. I tow a 2-horse trailer, no WDH needed even with my "little" truck.


The placement of the axles and the weight of the horses makes a WDH unnecessary for many horse trailer and TV combos. Can't compare hitch requirements of horse trailers and travel trailers just like you can't compare boat trailers to travel trailers.


OP has said they don't really want to get different vehicles than what they have seeing as they already have a motorhome and seem to want to just use their daily driver to take the grandkids camping now and then.


If the OP would like, I would be more than happy to go weigh my Andersen hitch head so they know how much it weighs. I honestly think that is the best solution for their needs, all things considered.


Just my $0.02.
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Old 04-28-2019, 12:22 PM   #17
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It depends on the tow vehicle cargo capacity. I had a WDH installed since this was my first TT, but the dealer said I probably didn't need one and he wouldn't bother. I have 1800 cargo capacity and 4500lb dry trailer, probably 5500lb without filling the tanks. I recently had gastritis and didn't feel like dealing with it on my last trip to Florida this past winter. Couldn't tell the difference. My camper has one queen bed and the dining table makes into a 52"x 84" bed.
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Old 04-28-2019, 12:31 PM   #18
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It depends on the tow vehicle cargo capacity. I had a WDH installed since this was my first TT, but the dealer said I probably didn't need one and he wouldn't bother. I have 1800 cargo capacity and 4500lb dry trailer, probably 5500lb without filling the tanks. I recently had gastritis and didn't feel like dealing with it on my last trip to Florida this past winter. Couldn't tell the difference. My camper has one queen bed and the dining table makes into a 52"x 84" bed.

At 5,500LB and 10+% weight on the tongue you are exceeding the weight-carrying hitch capacity of your truck by not using the WDH. This is stated right on the sticker of your hitch.


If you couldn't tell the difference between using the WDH and not I have to wonder if your WDH is properly set up, too.


You need a WDH with that trailer and truck combo. Make sure it's adjusted according to the F-150 owner's manual.


Also irrelevant to the OP as they have a mid-size SUV with a 4,500LB max tow capacity and 450LB max tongue weight limit even though they have over 1,300LB of payload capacity. My wife has a 2012 Pilot 4WD (really AWD and not 4WD but Honda says 4WD), I've hitched various trailers of ours up to it, the heaviest being a Flagstaff BR28TSC just to relocate it in our driveway (around 3,200LB with a 250-300lb tongue weight) and I wouldn't even tow that with the Pilot without a WDH, the suspension is too soft because it's meant for passenger comfort and not towing/hauling.


It tows our 2-PWC trailer just fine, though.
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Old 04-28-2019, 03:01 PM   #19
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Also remember that the OP is looking at a single axle trailer, which will have a heavier tongue weight than a similar tandem axle trailer.
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Old 04-28-2019, 06:25 PM   #20
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Sleep 4 without WDH

I think a Rockwood GEO Pro would work with your pilot. It is less than 4000 lbs and tows well without a WDH, speaking from experience. I pulled with a Cherokee.
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