Weight Distributing Hitches

[BudMan5]

I need to buy a weigfht distributing hitch for my factory Class 4-5 receiver.

JC Whitney has both Curt and Hidden Hitch available:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/Weight-Dist.../600002372.jcw

Can anyone advise me if either are any good? The reason I went to JC Whitney is because I have a 20% off coupon.

BudMan

[Hook'em Horns!]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BudMan5</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I need to buy a weigfht distributing hitch for my factory Class 4-5 receiver.

JC Whitney has both Curt and Hidden Hitch available:
http://www.jcwhitney.com/Weight-Dist.../600002372.jcw

Can anyone advise me if either are any good? The reason I went to JC Whitney is because I have a 20% off coupon.

BudMan </div></div>Why not buy a <u>True</u> Class 5 receiver like this Putnam XDR
http://search.cartserver.com/search/sear...gl1790&GO=GO%21
Good for 15,000 pounds without WD set-up for $169 AND still uses a 2" ball mount. No drilling, uses existing factory holes. Installation time is 15 minutes.

[SmokeyWren]

I don't know about Curt. Hidden Hitch is made by Reese/Drawtite, and they make good stuff at competitive prices.

Generally, you get what you pay for.

So realize you're looking a "cheap" hitches. Reese, Drawtite, Putnam, EAZ-Lift, Curt, Hidden Hitch and others all make those cheap weight-distributing hitches in the $300 price class without sway controls. Add a coupla hundred dollars more for the optional sway controls and you're in the $500 price range. Reese and some of the others also make better hitches with sway controls that will run on up into the $1,000 price range.

The excellent weight-distributing hitches are much more expensive, closer to $3,000. But you'll have absolutely no sway with a Hennesy Arrow or PullRite hitch. Sway is the killer, and those less-expensive hitches simply don't give you the guarantee of no sway the way the expensive hitches do.

http://www.nosway.com
http://www.pullrite.com/pullrite.htm

Personally, I would not want to drag a tag trailer that weighs more than about 5,000 pounds unless I could tow it with a Hensley Arrow or PullRite hitch. I've witnessed too many travel trailers upside down in the barrow ditch.

[turbodave]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: SmokeyWren</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't know about Curt. Hidden Hitch is made by Reese/Drawtite, and they make good stuff at competitive prices.

Generally, you get what you pay for.

So realize you're looking a "cheap" hitches. Reese, Drawtite, Putnam, EZRide, Curt, Hidden Hitch and others all make those cheap weight-distributing hitches in the $300 price class without sway controls. Add a coupla hundred dollars more for the optional sway controls and you're in the $500 price range. Reese and some of the others also make better hitches with sway controls that will run on up into the $1,000 price range.

The excellent weight-distributing hitches are much more expensive, closer to $3,000. But you'll have absolutely no sway with a Hennesy Arrow or PullRite hitch. Sway is the killer, and those less-expensive hitches simply don't give you the guarantee of no sway the way the expensive hitches do.

http://www.nosway.com
http://www.pullrite.com/pullrite.htm

Personally, I would not want to drag a tag trailer that weighs more than about 5,000 pounds unless I could tow it with a Hensley Arrow or PullRite hitch. </div></div>

BudMan5

Smokey makes good points. I personally use a Reese/Drawtite hitch. I went this route because I much prefer the "round" bar style hitch simply because they're so easy to insert and remove. Just swing the bar around under the bumper and it will fall out. No need to mess with the "clip. I don't like the trunion styly hitches because of their cast iron construction. I actually saw the results of one "blowing apart" (cast iron is far more brittle than steel) probably from too much tension on the bars.
The other high dollar hitches like the Hennsley Arrow are nice, but It would be difficult justifying such an expense, especially in your line of work. I'd hate to have to move all that Hennsley stuff from trailer to trailer, that would be a huge PITA.

[Alaska Ranger]

I choked on the price of the Hensley Arrow when I was looking into this last week; so just this afternoon UPS delivered the 12K lb -rated Equalizer that I purchased instead. Equalizer claims the hitch addresses both sway as well as weight distribution.

I have been absolutely happy with the way my 10,000 lb car-hauler 20' trailer has felt on several tens of thousands of miles of wretched roads so quite frankly I wonder if sway is more a function either of bad trailer design/construction, or more simply because a live-in trailer's high profile brings on sway through a combination of higher center of gravity and wind on its profile. So for me, the weight distributing feature of the hitch probably will remain more important than the anti-sway capability, at least for that trailer. My second trailer does present a high profile but I've not hauled much with it. My third trailer is the gooseneck, for which of course this hitch is not relevant.

[Late99EconoWagon73]

FWIW, Jim Hensley left Hensley Mfg this year and has a new and improved version of his hitch available for a little less $...

See it HERE .

Discount of $500 for orders placed by Dec 31, puts it right at $2000. Not inexpensive for sure, but as others have said, you get what you pay for...

Happy Holidays to all!

[Packard8]

I've used Reese WD hitches for years and years without a problem. My current trailer weighs about #4500 with just the tools & stuff in it and the gross is up to #12K depending what car/tractor/junk etc is inside. I've also had several flatbed bumper-pulls over the years using Reese equipment and NEVER had a sway problem. My current trailer has the optional anti-sway friction device that I quit using right after I bought the trailer because it's just not needed.

I'm sure the Hensley Arrow and Pullrite are fine products, but I can't see spending $3000 when the setup I have now is doing the job. A lot of sway problems are due to poor trailer design and engineering, too small/light tow vehicle, improper loading etc.

[Lightningfast01]

I have the Reese with 1,000lb bars and sway control. The WD and bars was 360 bucks and sway was 120 bucks. Mine is a 61009 here is a good exploded pic. I love it I have pulled 12K enclosed with no problems and good solid control.
http://www.reese-hitches.com/products/Re...Hitch_Bar,61009

[fddriver2]

I use the equalizer system and I have been happy with it.... I tow a 7000lbs TT and it doesn't sway at all.

[mrnecsteve]

Way too many people think that a "true class 5" enables you to forget about needing equalisers because of "added strength" of the hitch. The static forces downward of a typical 10000 pound trailer ,if setup correctly,should be 1000 pounds 10 %. During hard braking,the trailer brakes cause a huge amout of trailer nosediving weight onto the ball. The net result, on a typical 3/4 ton to one ton truck is a resulting 25 to 40 percenct lifting force at the nose of the truck. Severe braking on a turn could be disastrous without equalisers.(when you need more steering traction....you get less).

[Hook'em Horns!]

Trailer brakes cause nose-diving weight onto the ball and 40% lift? Although I’ve never heard of such a formula, I guess you learn something new everyday but, 10,000 lbs has no business behind a ¾ ton truck in the first place and I’ve never experienced this phenomenon you speak of with up to 12,000 lbs behind a DRW 1-ton.

I have experienced a bit of sway in heavy braking on a curve, but nothing that was not under control. However, I’ll have to agree with Packard, “A lot of sway problems are due to poor trailer design and engineering, too small/light tow vehicle, improper loading etc.” and I can see how one would benefit from using a WD to aid in control in high crosswind conditions.
I only suggested that Budman5 equip his ride with a hitch to match the capacity of the truck.

[mrnecsteve]

Its rather easy to determine what the lifting ratio is on any given vehicle. To use the details of my F250 (rated as configured for 12,500 lbs) is as follows. The wheelbase is 141 inches. The distance from the ball to the approximate center of the axle is 55 inches. This is a simple lever. Every pound of downward force will result in a lifting force at the front wheels of 39 percent.
Nosediving forces would be much more complicated to calculate. If you should try braking with trailer brakes alone,its pretty easy to get a feel for how much force is nosediving onto the trailer hitch.
Vehicles with brakes...even trailers, nosedive when you apply the brakes.

[popups4rent]

My larger rental travel trailers go out with either a 10K Equalizer or a 12K Equalizer for the toy hauler. Nobody has every said anything about sway or weight distributing problems.

[truckdrivindave]

Youre looking for a good WD hitch to haul all them towable RV's around to dealers. You need to find a good WD hitch. Everyone has their own expirience and opinion on what to best use. You have a big enough rig to haul just about any length tow behind TT. I dont think Ive ever seen one weigh over 12000 lbd up to 35 ft. Most are less than 10000 lbs you commonly see out there on the road. A good Reese or Drawtite will do. I also even though I pull my 33ftr (9000lbs) with a dually I also installed a dual cam sway control sway bar to my rig which I like real well. You just barely feel the vaccum of a big rig when they pass you and it is a self centering sway bar that will keep your rig and trailer straight with each other. It serves as a WD hitch and sway bar....Its really neat. I bought it after my accident. My brother was all over me for not having one. The reason I like it so well is that when you happen to have to swerve your rig to avoid something on the road the TT will stay right with you and not fish tail....
Here is the link or address for the dual cam sway bar
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...ay-control.htm

[Hook'em Horns!]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mrnecsteve</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Its rather easy to determine what the lifting ratio is on any given vehicle. To use the details of my F250 (rated as configured for 12,500 lbs) is as follows. The wheelbase is 141 inches. The distance from the ball to the approximate center of the axle is 55 inches. This is a simple lever. Every pound of downward force will result in a lifting force at the front wheels of 39 percent.
Nosediving forces would be much more complicated to calculate. If you should try braking with trailer brakes alone,its pretty easy to get a feel for how much force is nosediving onto the trailer hitch.
Vehicles with brakes...even trailers, nosedive when you apply the brakes. </div></div>I have noticed more of a nose-dive on the F350 but not as much with torsion bar suspension. With the mass of the towing vehicle thrust forward in braking, would this not offset the feel of any additional downward force to the rear from a braking trailer?