I was reading a 4x4 Magazine article on weight distributing hitches. It makes me think that everytime I have pull a trailer (not a gooseneck) I have been doing it illegally. Does anyone really use weight distribution hitches. Or am I that redneck that I have never used one or remember seeing one?
Thanks
Thad
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1994 F350 XL Crewcab 4x4 SRW 7.3 NA
Dana 60 Sterling 10.25 3.55 285/75 16 Dayton Timberlines
TC lockup Mod
Pyro Installed!!!
TO DO: Boost guage, Tekonsha Voyager Brake controller and Turbo when I acquire one!!!
Anything over 5000lbs needs a WD hitch I think.
I have always used them when towing travel trailers or toyhaulers.
If you have a trailer over 5000lbs and have more than 500-600lbs of tongue weight, the stock receivers on most trucks are not rated to handle that much weight without a WD hitch.
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2006 F350 4X4 Dually, Tow Boss, Crew Cab, Lariat... man does this thing tow, Inyati Spray In Bedliner, Autometer Z Series Gauges towing a 2006 LE3905 Weekend Warrior
I agree to the above.
I see you have a lifted rig...I just spoke to a guy with a lifted Excur. over the past weekend. He is having big trouble with his TT and he uses a wd hitch.
It has been discussed that he needs more of a wd hitch in order to stop the Semi's from blowing him off the interstate...no kidding.
The reason I say this to you is that if you are thinking of a wd hitch, shop around and have someone that knows towing with a lifted truck to help you out. Might save some coin in the long run.
It makes me think that everytime I have pull a trailer (not a gooseneck) I have been doing it illegally.
It may not be illegal in your home of Ala-freakin-bama, but it's really dumb to overload your receiver - or any other weight restricting component of your truck, such as tires, wheels, axles, springs, etc.
If you have the Ford receiver that was optional on your truck, then it's probably rated for not more than 500 pounds tongue weight or 5,000 pounds gross trailer weight without a weight-distributing hitch. That's a pretty heavy utility trailer loaded with stuff from Home Depot, but it's pretty light for a loaded bumper-pull travel trailer, toy hauler, horse trailer, cow trailer, etc. In fact, you'll notice most of the cattlemen gave up on bumper-pull trailers years ago and graduated to one-ton duallys dragging gooseneck trailers.
Weight distributing hitches are quite common in the RV world. Go to any KOA campground and look at the hitchups for bumper-pull travel trailers, and most will have a weight-distributing hitch of some sort.
There are two basic kinds - cheap and O-Mi-Gawd expensive. The cheap ones cost around $400 to $500 up to about $800 or $900 including dual sway controls. And the good ones are around $3,000. But the good ones such as the Hensley Arrow virtually eliminate sway, so trailers hooked up with one of those will tow as good as a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer.
The basic idea is that the tongue weight is moved from the hitch both forward to the front axle of the tow vehicle and rearward to the trailer axles. Ideally, if it's hooked up right, about half the tongue weight is distributed, leaving only about half on the actual hitch. So if you have a trailer with 1,000 pounds of hitch weight, about 250 pounds gets transfered to the trailer axles and another 250 pounds gets transferred to the truck front axle, leaving only 500 pounds still on the hitch. That's why the same receiver will be rated 500 pounds weight-carrying (WC), but 1,000 pounds weight distributed (WD).
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Last edited by SmokeyWren : 08-27-2008 at 04:14 PM.
Reason: typo
It may not be illegal in your home of Ala-freakin-bama, but it's really dumb to overload your receiver - or any other weight restricting component of your truck, such as tires, wheels, axles, springs, etc.
There are two basic kinds - cheap and O-Mi-Gawd expensive. The cheap ones cost around $400 to $500 up to about $800 or $900 including dual sway controls. And the good ones are around $3,000. But the good ones such as the Hensley Arrow virtually eliminate sway, so trailers hooked up with one of those will tow as good as a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer.
The basic idea is that the tongue weight is moved from the hitch both forward to the front axle of the tow vehicle and rearward to the trailer axles. Ideally, if it's hooked up right, about half the tongue weight is distributed, leaving only about half on the actual hitch. So if you have a trailer with 1,000 pounds of hitch weight, about 250 pounds gets transfered to the trailer axles and another 250 pounds gets transferred to the truck front axle, leaving only 500 pounds still on the hitch. That's why the same receiver will be rated 500 pounds weight-carrying (WC), but 1,000 pounds weight distributed (WD).
First things first......my home is not in Alabama, its where Uncle Sam has me until Christmas.....lol....Seriously, I dont like it here. ND is home.
I guess thats what I get for only towing things around the farm and for my Grandpa who swears you dont NEED anything bigger than a half ton. (Side note, he used his 1980 F150 for everything no matter how big or small and NEVER had any issues with it and it still does farm duties to this day.)
I understand how the WD hitches work its just that I havent seen them in use. Again its probably since 80% of my trailer hauling/pulling has been out in the middle of nowhere and nobody cares, just load it and go.
I think I am going to opt to get a gooseneck for my usage. My arguement before was that I had to get a hitch installed to pull a gooseneck, but if I need/should have a WD hitch installed, at higher cost, then I'd rather go with a gooseneck.
Thanks for the input guys.
Thad
Quote:
I see you have a lifted rig...
Its actually not lifted......but thanks for the compliment!!!
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1994 F350 XL Crewcab 4x4 SRW 7.3 NA
Dana 60 Sterling 10.25 3.55 285/75 16 Dayton Timberlines
TC lockup Mod
Pyro Installed!!!
TO DO: Boost guage, Tekonsha Voyager Brake controller and Turbo when I acquire one!!!
I am only towing a 19' TT; with a WDH setup it drives like a bus.
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2003, F250, Super Duty, Super Cab, 7.3, Auto, 4X4 Silver, 2" lift in front only, 46 gal fuel tank, Billet Grill, 285X75X16 BFG MT, Bilsteins, Firestone Air Rear, B&W Gooseneck, We call it the "Silver Knocker"
personally, I never felt the need for one, with my car hauler, I usually run around 1500lbs, of tongue weight, and the truck handles great, way better than if it's to light. Last week, I had a big load of steel on a tandem dual pintle trailer. I scaled it when i got back, and it was right at 4500lbs of tongue weight, enough to take 1100lbs off the front axle of my truck. Aside from feeling a bit light in the front end(obviously), it went down the road beautify at 60mph. Keep in mind, this is at the extreme of overloading.. and some people complain about the affects of 1000lb's of tongue weight?
IMHO, WD hitches are there to compensate for weak springs, incompetent drivers, and little more..
Food for thought..
look at the bending moments on hitch setup with, and without a WD setup on it, then figure in for when you pull in and out of gas stations, or a ditch. Then Do a FEA on it, the places that a WD hitch puts stress is really something, infact, I still question how receivers are rated for more weight With a WD hitch. Of course, I've also never been a fan of store bought hitches either..
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89' F-150, 351, 435, dual T-cases, rear discs, front electric winch, PTO winch rear, OBA, 40's
If you don't have a weight distributing hitch, and you are pulling a trailer with a lot of tongue weight, then the rear end of the truck will be pulled down, and the front of the truck will be higher with less weight on it than without a trailer. The front of the trailer will be low and the rear high. With a weight distributing hitch, both the truck and the trailer will be level. It is easier and safer to handle and stopping distances are shorter when the weight is correctly balanced between the axles.
I have the Equalizer hitch Equal-i-zer Hitch Store, which is very high quality and not too expensive, and it works extremely well for me with my over 11,000 lb toyhauler. I haven't tried the Hensley Arrow, which is much more expensive; so I will leave it to others to comment on whether it may be that much better and worth the price.
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2001 F350 XLT 4X4, shift on the fly, 38 gal fuel tank, running boards, sliding rear window, black, crew cab, long bed, 4.10, automatic transmission, 11,500 gvwr, 20,000 gcwr, 7500 gvw, dual rear wheels, 7.3l turbo diesel, completely stock, 114,00 miles when purchased, now has 125,000 miles, repairs so far: starter, batteries, cps.
2005 Nomad Rampage toyhauler made by Skyline. 11,500lb gvwr.
What is your hitch rated at as far as total weight capacity and tounge weight capacity? There is all the difference in the world towing a trailer with a properly adjusted WD Hitch with a Dual Cam Sway Control and just a ball mount. I don't consider myself an incompetent driver and My tow vehicle does not have weak springs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jrod13
personally, I never felt the need for one, with my car hauler, I usually run around 1500lbs, of tongue weight, and the truck handles great, way better than if it's to light. Last week, I had a big load of steel on a tandem dual pintle trailer. I scaled it when i got back, and it was right at 4500lbs of tongue weight, enough to take 1100lbs off the front axle of my truck. Aside from feeling a bit light in the front end(obviously), it went down the road beautify at 60mph. Keep in mind, this is at the extreme of overloading.. and some people complain about the affects of 1000lb's of tongue weight?
IMHO, WD hitches are there to compensate for weak springs, incompetent drivers, and little more..
Food for thought..
look at the bending moments on hitch setup with, and without a WD setup on it, then figure in for when you pull in and out of gas stations, or a ditch. Then Do a FEA on it, the places that a WD hitch puts stress is really something, infact, I still question how receivers are rated for more weight With a WD hitch. Of course, I've also never been a fan of store bought hitches either..
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2001 International 4700LP T444E 210HP Allison AT545 3.38
My comments would be I have an 02 dually. I have pulled with and without my w/d bars hooked up. The truck is much more stable and handles the load much better going down the road hooked up. I have people tell me all the time I don't need the setup with my truck. I disagree because I have done it both ways. The trailer is 10,000 lbs.
Tom
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Bye-bye 99 diesel-sucking automatic!!!
I guess thats what I get for only towing things around the farm and for my Grandpa who swears you dont NEED anything bigger than a half ton. (Side note, he used his 1980 F150 for everything no matter how big or small and NEVER had any issues with it and it still does farm duties to this day.)
My grandfather wanted to see what my new M-1 Garand would do to an oil filter and ordered me to commence firing while he was 20 feet to the side and 10 feet forward. I never knew a hearing aid could make that noise. Age doesn't always equate with good sense. Tell yours he could make a fortune with a fleet of F-150's pulling 53' x 102"s for Wal-Mart since a half-ton is all anyone needs.
WD hitches are smart, however some try to use them as a crutch with too small a vehicle for a trailer.
I recently upgraded my 10k hitch to a 12k Equalizer on my F-250 (~$450). The biggest differnce I found was the sway control and leveling of my 10k lbs toyhauler. It rolls more freely, no swaying from passing trucks/heavy cross winds, there is less porpoising on the road/bumps, and much better braking response.
I had a F-150, and it just didn't pull right with either hitch, so I had to upgrade the truck too. The old hitch didn't have sway control, and I actually burned out a clutch and set of brakes on the F-150. The tongue + towing weight was too much for the 1/2 ton and 5.4L engine, although the GVWR on the F-150 is 11.5k lbs...
Proper loading is the key, whether your truck has the suspension and/or the WD hitch. A properly loaded (level) trailer carries the weight on it's own wheels, and only a fraction on the tongue. I'd recommend a WD if you're towing over 5k lbs; but also consider the "damned wind effect" or how much the trailer is NOT aerodynamic and it feels like your pulling a brick wall. I don't have this problem on my 2.5k lbs motorcycle trailer, and don't use the WD hitch; just the normal hitch. I hope this helps.
Last edited by Motorheadrules : 09-05-2008 at 05:50 PM.
IMHO, WD hitches are there to compensate for weak springs, incompetent drivers, and little more..
Food for thought..
look at the bending moments on hitch setup with, and without a WD setup on it, then figure in for when you pull in and out of gas stations, or a ditch. Then Do a FEA on it, the places that a WD hitch puts stress is really something, infact, I still question how receivers are rated for more weight With a WD hitch. Of course, I've also never been a fan of store bought hitches either..
A car hauler or flat-bed tows much differently than a travel trailer that has 360 SF (or more) of side surface area to catch a cross-wind or turbulence from a passing semi. Without a WDH and anti-sway, all but the smallest TT's are a nightmare on the highway.
Also, I really don't understand your thinking that the WDH increases the stresses on the receiver or vehicle - just the opposite is true.
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