Hw 277 wdh

Chestr · 08-07-2019, 10:55 PM

Hello,

I am new to the forum and to towing popup campers. I am taking delivery of a 2020 HW 277 in about three weeks. My dealer told me I have to have an electric brake model installed and that I should also have a WDH. I have read the owners manual for my 2014 Nissan Titan SL 4x2. Recommends a WDH when towing over 5000 Lbs. Well the GVW for the trailer with a full payload cannot be much more than about 3800. Its something like 3334 dry weight with a 546 load cap. The tongue weight for the 277 is listed at 380 ( I read posts but still not sure if this includes battery and full propane but even then tongue weight is still within the 10-15% recommended parameter for avoiding too light and too heavy).

Anyway, over in the Tech Towing forum I read tonight that a lot of folks recommend using a WDH no matter what for the insurance against sway and what have you. I know I could do both the brake module and the WDH myself but the thing is under warranty so I am going to let the dealer do the work. I am pretty much sold on the WDH and was just wondering if others have struggled with this decision or if it is really just a no brainer for towing.

Thanks for listening.

BTW I am taking this trailer to Grand Canyon National Park in mid October and that weighed in to my decision. No pun intended.

flyerdp · 08-07-2019, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chestr

Hello,

I am new to the forum and to towing popup campers. I am taking delivery of a 2020 HW 277 in about three weeks. My dealer told me I have to have an electric brake model installed and that I should also have a WDH. I have read the owners manual for my 2014 Nissan Titan SL 4x2. Recommends a WDH when towing over 5000 Lbs. Well the GVW for the trailer with a full payload cannot be much more than about 3800. Its something like 3334 dry weight with a 546 load cap. The tongue weight for the 277 is listed at 380 ( I read posts but still not sure if this includes battery and full propane but even then tongue weight is still within the 10-15% recommended parameter for avoiding too light and too heavy).

Anyway, over in the Tech Towing forum I read tonight that a lot of folks recommend using a WDH no matter what for the insurance against sway and what have you. I know I could do both the brake module and the WDH myself but the thing is under warranty so I am going to let the dealer do the work. I am pretty much sold on the WDH and was just wondering if others have struggled with this decision or if it is really just a no brainer for towing.

Thanks for listening.

BTW I am taking this trailer to Grand Canyon National Park in mid October and that weighed in to my decision. No pun intended.

Get one of these:

https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...xoCLA0QAvD_BwE

No wiring, no mods and its been awesome for my trailer. If you loose connectivity to it with the phone it still works at the last settings it was set to.

The only gotcha is that its easy to steal so take it off if you are worried about it walking off at any place you stop at.

MtBiker · 08-08-2019, 12:54 AM

WDH is a no brainer. It will tow nicer.
Wire the controller yourself if your capable at that sort of thing or just get a Wireless system.

GalsofEscape · 08-08-2019, 01:54 AM

Up to you about the WDH, but I towed my hw277 with a Dodge Durango without one. The Durango manual states a WDH should be used for tongue weights over 350 lbs. It was so close, I tried it without one to see how it went and felt it was not needed.

There was no drop on the Durango rear end as the camper tongue settled on the hitch ball. I will mention that the Durango has an autolevel feature. There was no sway either when I towed or when trucks passed me. Quick stops were totally under control. I towed it over 16,000 miles and that included going to Yellowstone from the East coast.

Myron625 · 08-08-2019, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyerdp

Get one of these:

https://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Contr...xoCLA0QAvD_BwE

No wiring, no mods and its been awesome for my trailer. If you loose connectivity to it with the phone it still works at the last settings it was set to.

The only gotcha is that its easy to steal so take it off if you are worried about it walking off at any place you stop at.

Interesting idea, but I already wired in a standard proportional controller so not for me.

I thought I should mention there is a warning about not using it with emergency flashers in the comments. The person said it activated the brakes in time with the flashers and was told by the company there is no way to fix it.

flyerdp · 08-08-2019, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myron625

Interesting idea, but I already wired in a standard proportional controller so not for me.

I thought I should mention there is a warning about not using it with emergency flashers in the comments. The person said it activated the brakes in time with the flashers and was told by the company there is no way to fix it.

I actually read that too. So two gotchas. In all my years in driving I have never gone down the road with flashers on. Just parking somewhere I maybe shouldn't or on shoulder.

alexcomp · 08-08-2019, 08:54 AM

World is covered with acronyms. In a forum where many people are new and want to learn you might mention what it means at least once in the thread. I'll take a guess - Weight Distribution Hitch???

pgandw · 08-08-2019, 09:33 AM

I tow an A-frame with a minivan, and I previously towed a PUP (Coleman Westlake) with a Ford Explorer.

I did not have a WDH with the Explorer/Coleman combo - and it was miserable towing. The headlights pointed at the sky, the steering was very light, and the PUP swayed above 62 mph.

When we bought our A-frame, I had the dealer do the wiring and hitch install. After signing the papers, I test drove the Hyundai minivan/A-frame combo around the dealer's lot to get a feel for it. It porpoised pretty badly - the A-frame was bobbing and so was the rear end of the van. I went back in to unwind the deal because I was too old for this crap anymore, no matter how much DW liked the A-frame.

The dealer asked me to try a WDH. He installed an E2 600/6000. The difference was night and day. The minivan rode like it had a medium load with the stock suspension - wonderfully. No sway at 75mph, even in a 30mph cross wind. DW was/is quite content to drive 30% of the time while towing. The other benefit is that reduced rear end sag means no dragging on speed bumps or dips in the road.

I think the advantages of a WDH are more pronounced with a soft suspension tow vehicle, it might not be as much of an advantage with your Titan. But since we don't have a full-sized truck - and are unlikely to get one, we will not tow again without a WDH.

On the subject of brake controllers - the dealer sold me an Escort controller and installed it. I hated that thing because if I got rid of the lurching at low speed, I didn't have any trailer braking at highway speeds (had the same problem with the Explorer/Coleman PUP and its brake controller).

I finally bit the bullet and replaced the controller with a Prodigy 2. I could not believe the difference between the 2 controllers, and realized I had been so stupid and cheap all these years. A Prodigy (2 or 3) is worth every cent you will pay for it.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

TheWolfPaq82 · 08-08-2019, 09:44 AM

Yes you'll need a controller. There are "Bluetooth" models available...my oldest has one on his Jayco and it works great. Towing with a "Titan" I wouldn't worry about the WDH until you've pulled it a few times and see how it does. The Titan is MORE than capable of handling that trailer. Think the dealer just wants a few more bucks out of your pocket.

Chestr · 08-08-2019, 11:45 AM

Thanks to everyone for responding.

I will look at getting a Prodigy 2 Brake Controller and have dealer do install only because of the warranty and not having them tell me I did something wrong and its my fault that the thing doesn't work.

Torn over the WDH thing but might go with one anyway since my wife is planning on using this with her girlfriends. The one the dealer had on display was $439 and I do not remember who manufacturer was. Do they all have drop and rise hitches for leveling? I looked at the Equalizers. They are expensive and I think I would need to go with the 600 lb tongue weight as the next lower is only rated at 400 lbs which I might push someday with the trailer listed at 380.

Anyway thanks. When I get back from GCNP (Grand Canyon National Park) in October I will report back. Incidentally, I booked a Classic RV site in Trailer Village that is 28 feet long so the truck has to parked in a separate parking area but it is not far from the site.

backpacker3 · 08-08-2019, 02:01 PM

DW and I just returned from the Grand Canyon in June with our new P/U. It's Gross weight is 2904. We did not use WDH and never had any sway or other control issues. Towed like a dream and never knew it was behind us with our Colorado. Electric brakes are pretty much mandatory so a Brake Controller is necessary. There are all kinds and all prices, I bought a cheap one back in 2004 and am still using it.
I would suggest you hook up the camper and take it out for a little trip down the interstate for a 100 miles or so and see if you feel driving down the road with cars and semis passing you.

Chestr · 08-08-2019, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by backpacker3

DW and I just returned from the Grand Canyon in June with our new P/U. It's Gross weight is 2904. We did not use WDH and never had any sway or other control issues. Towed like a dream and never knew it was behind us with our Colorado. Electric brakes are pretty much mandatory so a Brake Controller is necessary. There are all kinds and all prices, I bought a cheap one back in 2004 and am still using it.
I would suggest you hook up the camper and take it out for a little trip down the interstate for a 100 miles or so and see if you feel driving down the road with cars and semis passing you.

Talked me into it. I will give it try first before forking out the cash for a WDH.

Thanks

flyerdp · 08-08-2019, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chestr

Talked me into it. I will give it try first before forking out the cash for a WDH.

Thanks

I have a ford edge and a 228D. The tow is just fine, plenty of power and no sway. The only reason I have a WDH is when 4 of us are in the car to keep the rear end from dropping so much.

I will also add that a WDH is HEAVY. The E2 600/6000 roundbar is 90 lbs. So you are adding nearly 100 lbs of weight to your vehicle on the tail as well as creating a fulcrum that puts the load a little farther away from the back end with a WDH.

washboard · 08-18-2019, 08:28 AM

I recently drove through the Smokies on the way to a trip to Gatlinburg. At one point the steep grade caused issues with my tow vehicle, a 2011 Acadia Denali, as I did not have a brake controller installed. (I knew better, but was undecided as to which to purchase.)
even though I used lower gearing, my brakes overheated and brake fade hit, causing us to pull off fo about an hour to let them cool.
We arrived safely, but rotors are warped now.
I got to the campsite and jumped on this forum and ran across this particular thread.
I bought the Prodigy 2 (124.99 at Campoers World) and the GM pigtail adapter. It was literally Plug and Play.
Two screws secured the device and the pigtail hooked up exactly to the ready to accept connector under the dash. Before we rolled out, I warmed up the trailer brakes by using the manual apply, then set the braking percentage and was on my way.
I can feel the difference and at one point, when a car pulled into our lane and immediately slowed t=for a left turn, I saw the true advantage in stopping vs slamming into the idiot,

All this to say, thanks for the discussion. The prodigy 2 was the way to go.

Ken

rockfordroo · 08-18-2019, 08:38 AM

Here's the Prodigy P3 with Nissan pigtail.

https://www.etrailer.com/multi-produ...&HHModel=Titan

Plug and play.

EJdubc · 08-18-2019, 12:10 PM

here is a dumb question: our PUP is a HW276 and TV is 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee - I am using a brake controller and works fine. I am not using a WDH and for the most part is fine, but occasionally will pass a truck and have side wind that does make it sway a bit. Cant I just install a sway controller without the whole WDH system to improve the occasional sway issue?

Chestr · 08-18-2019, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJdubc

here is a dumb question: our PUP is a HW276 and TV is 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee - I am using a brake controller and works fine. I am not using a WDH and for the most part is fine, but occasionally will pass a truck and have side wind that does make it sway a bit. Cant I just install a sway controller without the whole WDH system to improve the occasional sway issue?

I am no expert but I think you can just install sway bars. Think I read something somewhere about a possible problem with these when backing up. Hopefully someone will come along with some expert advice for you.

washboard · 08-18-2019, 02:47 PM

Heres the way I see it. I've been towing pop-ups of different sizes for awhile. When I got my first colman bay port, I suffered from the wiggles and had to install a sway control device. I was towing with a Safari van, so it wasn't dogging down the rear of the truck. I thought a WDH was overkill and it would have been.
I settled for the cheaper friction type and it worked great. Ended up using it with the second Colman until I gave that used up trailer to my son, along with the hitch and sway control device.
Since the friction type has such a shallow angle, I never had an issue binding when backing and turning. Just always made sure the wiring was out of its path.
I welded the sway socket ball onto my ball hitch and bolted the other end on the tongue. literally no issues for years and lots of miles hauling those trailers.
Currently I have an HW277. The axles is toward the rear and it does not sway. However, it does droop a bit. I'm ordering air adjustable shocks for the 2011 acadia that pulls it. Once it levels up, if it starts to wiggle, I'll install the friction style sway control. ( 29,95 at Harbor freight)
Hope this helps.

Chestr · 08-18-2019, 03:02 PM

Got this trailer two days ago. Missing heated mattress pad controllers but dealer is checking on this.

Went to empty low drain point and found some pretty crappy work on pass throughs for plumbing and electrical in rear of trailer.

Pics included

Scrapper · 08-18-2019, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chestr

Got this trailer two days ago. Missing heated mattress pad controllers but dealer is checking on this.

Went to empty low drain point and found some pretty crappy work on pass throughs for plumbing and electrical in rear of trailer.

Pics included

When drilling through oriented strand board with a spade bit it is quite hard to make a clean hole unless you drill part way through from one side then finish from the other side or use a heavy tape on the surfaces to control the splintering.

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