YOU'RE DAMAGING YOUR RV! Learn why Weight Distribution can DESTROY your Travel Trailer!
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- #rv #towing #trucks
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The purpose of a weight distributing hitch isn't to eliminate squat, it's to redistribute a portion of the tongue weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the front axle of the tow vehicle and trailer axles. Quit worrying about leveling the truck and/or trailer, and worry about the loads involved.
The rear of the truck will squat due to adding weight in the bed or tongue weight on the trailer. That's perfectly normal and precisely how springs work. Don't worry about that. Adjust the hitch based on the *loads* on the axles.
You're conflating the terms weight, force, energy, and pressure. It's a pet peeve of mine and doesn't help people understand what's involved. We're talking about forces as a result of weights, not energy or pressure.
yep. I felt that the video beat around the bush. Basically, a weight distribution hitch twists the A frame of the trailer vertically so that the front of the truck gets some of the load. Otherwise, because the hitch is behind the rear wheels of the truck, the front of the truck is lifted up (negative load) and the front tires have less control.
Your assessment of the various forces involved is well stated, and our trucks will have spring sag .working for a major transportation company people also forget how imperative it is to have a level trailer . These units are designed to be level to carry the specified weight and to prevent axle overloading and tire failure along with associated Handling problems like tail wag, etc.
My pet peeve too! Imagine the truck’s rear axle had no springs at all but was welded to the frame. The issues would be the same.
So as a newbie with a single axle trailer that is within the towing capacity of my Toyota Tacoma that has rear truck squat, should I invest in air suspension to help adjust the squat and just invest in sway bars instead? I'm looking for all the advice I can get.
@@muscleymancomics Sway bars just control sway. (Side to side movement). A weight distribution hitch actually transfers weight to the front wheels instead of removing weight from the front wheels. Air bags really don’t do much. They may make towing feel better with a firmer ride but you are still removing weight from the front axle.
It’s high time the frame manufacturers engineer and build these frames, bumper pull or 5th wheel, to the max instead of the minimum.
Then you'd have to buy a f450 for the smallest rv.. due to the weight.
@@nymustang5084 cargo trailers are built better and don’t weight that much more 😂.
our 2008 excel 37 foot weighs 14,500 with a max load 18700 pin weight is 2950you will need a serious truck
While I partially agree... is everyone ready for RVs that are 20-30% higher in weight and 40-60% higher in cost due to regulation?
@@sternsher to not fall apart? Yes!!!
One thing that was not mentioned in this video, and a LOT of folks, and I mean a LOT over load their trailers and tow vehicles. You can have the best WDH out there, but things will bend and break eventually if the trailer/tow vehicle are over loaded. If you have to crank the crap out of the WDH to get things close to level, you are over loaded and/or unbalanced on your load. 1/2 ton pickups don't have a lot of payload capacity, and once you load up the family, hook up the trailer, you are going to be close to its limits because even the tongue weight is added to your tow vehicle payload.
A 4000lb trailer will typically have about 400lbs of tongue weight. Add a 4 people fam and you can easily be approaching another 400-500 lbs, add bikes, add fuel and so on. Doesn't take long.
Manage your weight, keep it all within the limits placarded on your trailer and tow vehicle, size the WDH accordingly (you can go too big and break things) and use some common sense.... you shouldn't have any issues.
Reinforced my trailer A-frame. Using a 1 ton truck and WDH is in full use as it takes all twitchiness away. No issues at all after 5 years and 50000 miles of travel, including to Alaska and back twice.
Anyone else subscribed to big truck big Rv and big truck big travels? The second channel actually has a huge setup! Both good channels.
WDH is basically like adding wheelbarrow handles to the back of the tow vehicle. Then the A frame of the trailer holds these handles in place.
Exactly how I think of it!
And where the A-frame is welded to the main frame is like your lower spinal column which has a little more flexibility and ability when younger to handle some compressive loads.
Another thing to mention is the force put on the frame when you cross a rough bridge as your tow vehicle is bouncing up and down! Imagine what the pounds of force would be then. A lot more than what pressure your putting on the frame originally. Manufactures are always cutting back on materials because the more materials the more cost of production. Stay with a RV manufacture that has a good reputation for good frames. Norco frames have been trouble free when compared to Lippert frames.
Which manufacturers use Norco frames? How do we find out this information?
Google Norco frames lol 😂
I like the idea of reinforcing the A frame at the point where the weight distribution attaches which is the fulcrum. Adding rear suspension enhancement to a to the rear of a mid size or half ton truck will decrease the amount of weight distribution necessary to keep the truck level. Timbren or Sumo springs as well as air bags make towing with a lighter duty truck much more pleasant. Adding Timbren springs to my Tacoma was the best thing I did to enhance towing.
Absolutely. I pulled a 35’ TT with our 3/4 ton truck for 3 years. The first two years I experimented with a few types of WD systems and never could get one dialed in. The last year or so I discovered the beauty of Timbren springs without any WD. Much more pleasant experience.
Just another reason I love my 5th wheel RV and my gooseneck flat deck.
JD, proper setup of weight distribution hitches paramount. They should level the trailer then back the tow vehicle up to the hitch. Then adjust the height of the ball to match the trailer hitch. This will help eliminate some of the down force.
Great educational video. Gonna save this one for future reference. Especially if looking at older units to haul. Thank you, most appreciated.
Content providers these days are moreless giving us what WE want to see or what a particular sponsor wants them to show us. We need to take a minute and appreciate people like yourself. Thank you for constantly educating your audience and maintaining a balanced channel JD. Love it!
All great tips. I find it amusing that you use your 240bhle as a spare living room in your yard 😆 I use it as our summertime park camper with the wife and son. We have a half ton Lariat, pull it up and down the East coast in the summer. Easier to pull something with payload wiggle room 👌 My rule of thumb. Stay under 85% of your paylaod and towing capacity respectively. If you're pushing it and uncomfortable. Get a smaller trailer or a bigger truck. I'm not here to critique others. I know how the the weights and measurements guys can be a pain in the balls.
Side note, I enjoy your Class A reviews with guest appearances from Matt. Thanks JD.
Keep Your Day Dream is just experiencing the impact of to much weight distribution. Check out there last video.
You are spot on about this topic.
It may just be me, but I found your explanation of a weight-distribution hitch wanting. I'm only understanding like 1/3 to 1/2 of what you are saying. You pointing and curving your hand, etc, help some, but it's still unclear.
Maybe on your next attempt, you could draw a simple diagram and show with arrows the forces & levering action involved? Or, even better, you can make a model and SHOW the difference between a regular hitch and a WD-hitch? Just saying...
Excellent point; fully agree with your suggestion, and I'm an Engineer. He's talking about a Free-Body Diagram JD, and "should should you accept this mission, JD", while you're at it, could you please distinguish between the intent of "anti-sway" bars and "weight distribution hitch"?
Thanks in advance!
I had the same thought, this should have been a whiteboard video explaining the process with a free body diagram. Use simple numbers, colored arrows, and most people would get a better understanding of what's being explained.
Clearly you don’t know about trucks
Great video and much appreciated. I’ve never felt safe using weight distribution on my 30 foot travel trailer but I do use an anti sway bar. I pull it with an F450 and with generators, extra water, air compressor, and floor jacks in the back of the truck was always worried that going over a bump that it would just crack the A frame at an in opportune time when it transferred weight onto the a frame via the WD hitch.
Luckily you have an F450 and don’t need anti sway bars or a weight distribution hitch
Never ever thought about the physics of where and how the weight distribution worked. Thanks for the info. I run a aluminium toy hauler with a heavy can am inside. I definitely going to take a link out of the chain on my weight distribution. I think I may be putting too much pressure on my frame. Great info to have . I should be more in tune with my set up. Thank for the info.
Great topic. To bad rv dealers don’t educate potential customers on the risk of towing large travel trailers with typical half ton trucks.
They do the opposite. They'll tell you a half ton will pull this no problem.
The WD Hitch creates a triangular platform that resists side-side roll on the trailer. This is great for resistance to wind, sway etc. So you need some load on the L-brackets to make that work. For rear suspension drop, using airbags to set ride height, provided the truck axles are ~ evenly loaded, there's your optimal towing setup. Trailer length doesn't necessarily have high hitch weight.
JD, Marc and Trish@ KYD just had this very experience, ( NEW SEASON 2024 ) while driving through NM or TX they found that they couldn't open the battery door on the A-frame. Marc disconnected the WD even though it was very windy didn't seem to cause any sway. Marc said he will do a follow-up next week.
Question for you BTBRV, I have a travel trailer that weighs approximately 10500, tow vehicle is the 3500 Ram SRW w/ air suspension so weight isn’t an issue and the trucks suspension lifts the vehicle up almost without sag without any problem. So I use my blu ox for a sway control more than weight distribution., but still cinch it pretty good for sway. Your input please would be greatly appreciated.
Just watched this weeks KYD video and interesting that they took off the weight distribution bars on the new airstream. I am interested to see how both you and them talk about this
My RV dealer installed a 10,000# WDH to my 3000# trailer before I really understood what they were all about. About a year into using it, I hit a bump in the road and the a-frame bent. Thankfully I wasn’t stranded and could get the trailer home. I had the bent frame repaired by an RV repair shop then tossed the WDH to the side. I never really needed it to begin with. Lesson learned.
One of the biggest concerns, especially if your really applying lots of force to the bars, is when you drive into a sharp uphill approach into a gas station, parking lot etc, those forces are even more insane to the extreme. My biggest fear is ferry ramps going on and off the ferry, they are extreme and you often don't have the opportunity before and after getting on and off the ferry to loosen up the bars so you can reduce the stress. I use my bar tension mildly, but the ferry access always makes me cringe.
I always went with the absolute minimum amount of WD that I needed.
I also wasn't trying to level my truck, I have airbags for that, I simply enjoyed the feeling of the truck and trailer moving together.
I've moved on to a 5'er and sometimes miss how smooth my TT was when it was set up just right.
Some people really think they need to have the truck not squat. 1/2 ton trucks are designed to ride better than 3/4 trucks. A couple inches of squat is not the end of the world. I set mine up to sit level with the front end and have the trailer sit level with the truck. I have a 5k trailer for my 150. It tows fine without a wd hitch. I use one since it helps with sway. My equalizer hitch has sway built in to the design. I feel like this is ideal for my combination
Very informative video. Thank you.
Another great video! It just seems like the RVers that need this info the most don’t watch videos like yours. It’s so common to see, especially toy haulers, with truck and trailer way down at their connection spot. On this trip while stopped and having lunch in our trailer, we watched a 1500 Ram truck pulling at least a 30 foot toy hauler trailer, not a 5th wheel, as he had to disconnect his truck, Jack up his trailer in the front, to make it able to get the loading ramp low enough to load his Harley trike into the trailer. Very heavy trike loaded and connected to his truck again and I’m certain the truck would have been very light in front end steering the front was so high up and the rear of the truck and the trailer hitch were so low down. Add to it a full truck of 4 adults and several ice chests in the truck bed he loaded with bags of ice and water, sodas and beer from the market. We were amazed!
JD, you didn’t mention anything about sway control. Sway control is based on the downward force for friction.
Yep
interesting points. I have towed 6,000 to 7,500 lbs travel trailers with 1/2 ton trucks for over 20 years and never had any such issues however, I have always used WDH units with flex bars rated for the trailer weight range I am towing.
Don’t you think the frame manufacturers build in the use of weight distribution hitchs? To compensate for the weight of the trailer
Mark on Keep Your Daydream in this weeks video with their first tow of new Airstream found that weight distribution caused front storage door to bind because of that frame flex. Because they have an F250 they pulled off the bars and no more binding.
Watched the episode; looks to be an Airstream model only problem bc of their A frame. But, airbags, sumo springs, or Bilstein 5100 shocks to level the TV is the first step before weight distribution. Mind that your TVs hitch is even rated for the tongue weight that you're loading on it.
If the rated hitch weight of my truck significantly exceeds the tongue weight of the trailer, do I even need a weight distribution system?
Question for you. I have a 2020 Silverado 1500 rst z71 and I pull a tracer air 244bh with. Pretty light trailer at only 5200 pounds dry weight. Pulls great plenty of power with the 3.0L in it, trailer sits pretty flat with my current hitch. Just a regular ball. What do you recommend for a sway control and weight distribution hitch that won’t brake the bank. We don’t pull across the country. Mostly weekend trips with maybe 1/500 mile trip per year.
Reinforcing the A-frame section is just chasing moving goal posts. Reinforcing the A-frame would add tongue weight which means you need to add more weight distribution spring force, which means you need to reinforce the A-frame more.
Also, you would just be moving the point of failure somewhere else and I expect replacing a damaged A-frame is much easier (i.e. costs less) than whatever the next point of failure would be. The only real correction for a overloaded truck is to get a bigger truck.
Simplified.. Picture a wheel barrel...with the handles being the arms of the weight
distribution hitch. When put under tension they have a lifting affect essentially transfer-
ing weight off the rear of the tow vehicle and transferring that weight to the steer axle
Thanks J.D. for the information. We have a 2020 Jayco 32RL, currently towing with a Nissan Titan (1/2 ton). I am looking to upgrade this year to at least a 3/4, maybe even 1 Ton. I was thinking about your comment about the A-Frame portion. I have seen some trailers that just have it welded to the main frame. On our Jayco, it actually goes thru the trailer frame, and welded on the inside. My thought is, this is a stronger connection. What are your thoughts on that style of A frame connection? I am off to start comparing heavy duty trucks.....Thanks!
Solid information. Similar things happen with 5th wheel toy haulers that they overload them and all the weight is in the back of the 5th wheel. Then they wonder why the frame cracks at the hitch.
So would something like air bag suspension in the back of the tow rig be a better option than using a weight distribution hitch? Or should they be used together to avoid as much forcer on the tongue
I enjoy my shockerhitch with my e4 weight distribution hitch. Wife use to get car sick, not anymore. Been using this for years, no problems. People need to go to a very level flat area and work it right. Your call outs of: could be, maybe, possibly, etc - is just that... but I get it.
What a great video. I surely appreciate this info.
Thanks BTBR. This is extremely helpful.
As an owner of a 34 ft toyhauler greywolf owner, who used to tow with a 1/2 ton but moved up to a 250 and this really helped me understand how my hitch is working better on my trailer with the different trucks. Keep this up!
I like your explanation. Being a first time USA RV trailer user coming from Europe I wonder why the trailers here typically have a lot more load on the hitch. In europe we typically have between 100-250 lbs which is no real problem for most truck here. Another question I have is: have you heard of any problems with the hitch connections to the truck. The truck hitch suffers just as much as the trailer A-frame like you point out.
KYD took theirs off last week because it was causing the frame to flex and their tongue box wouldnt open. Also seems to be a potential cause of the Airstream frame separation.
I saw that too.
The trailer should have been built to withstand a weight distribution hitch
@@donhaas8547 I agree. Why don’t manufacturers build them with WD in mind.
@@donhaas8547 ,they have been trying, HAHAHA, for 4 decades.
I'm not sure they build them with adding toilet paper inside them in mind.
What is your thoughts on the bumper pull to gooseneck conversion that a couple companies are making, if you didn’t mind having the gooseneck hitch in the back of your truck and not be able to use all the bed for extra stuff.
Maybe offer some ideas of those proactive approaches? Airbags in the truck to offset some of the sag? But would that reduce the friction for the sway control in some of the hitches?
That tree interests me!
Informative. Are you gonna move the camper with a truck, tractor or your robot?
Will it also increase the weight that the axle on the trailer is carrying?
Try a northwood RV. They build their own frames.
My understanding on weight distrbution hitches were to prevent sway as well. Is that right? Also love that you educate everyone. Just wondering if you could use an erase board to draw it out so that we can get a better visual.
They very much reduce sway, but not as substantially as a proper swaybar.
I have a question about payload, would a fifth wheel with a hitch weight at its GVWR is within about 100-200lbs of my max remaining payload after all the cargo in my truck be too close to my max and cause many issues? Or is the payload a little more flexible?
Couple that with what you might be doing to your light duty pickup truck
I have a serious problem with this video. The premise that you are using weight distribution to correct sag - to raise the height of the back of the truck - is completely wrong. That may happen - to a degree - but it is completely incidental to the process of adjusting a weight distribution hitch.
What a WD hitch addresses is the loss of downward pressure on the steer axle. Putting weight on the back of the truck - the hitch - levers the front of the truck up with the rear axle as the fulcrum. The WD hitch counters that by creating a lever arm with the coupler as the fulcrum.
When adjusting your hitch, don't even look at the back of the truck or if it sags. The height of the rear is irrelevant.
To adjust a WD hitch, you need to measure the height of the front of the truck with no trailer, measure the height of the front of the truck with the trailer, then use the WD hitch to bring the front of the truck at least halfway back to it's original height. I measure between the wheel (rim) and the wheel well arch to eliminate tire loading as a factor, because what we are doing here is using the front springs as a makeshift scale.
Better is to use an actual scale. Put at least two thirds of the weight that came off the front axle back onto the front axle - but do not exceed the weight of the front axle with no trailer. The front axle should not carry the trailer load.
With weight back on the front axle, you can still steer - which is extra important when you are towing more than the weight of the truck. The hitch may reduce rear sag a little, but that should not be a goal or benchmark. The rear suspension should be carrying all of the hitch weight, and will normally compress more than the front does.
If you truck still sags, make sure you are not overloaded. Hit the scales. Look at your unladen weight, loaded weight without distribution, and calculate your hitch weight. Also weigh with distribution. Check your GCVWR, GVWR, hitch weight, and the weight of each axle to make sure you don't exceed any limits. If you sag within the limits, make sure your springs and shocks are in good working order. If you still sag, you have a soft suspension (ie, my TRD Off-Road), and need to add rear spring rate - usually using add a leaf, Roadmasters, Load Adjusting shock/spring combo, bags, etc.
Don't try to take out sag with the hitch. Don't overload the truck. Deal with sag in your suspension. Use the hitch to help you steer. Trying to use the hitch for the wrong purpose is the underlying problem that this video is trying to deal with but doesn't address.
We didn't have any problem when the WD bars where TAPPERED and effectivelly worked as a spring.
These new WD models with bars that have a straight profile don't flex, they seem to be designed by people that have no clue why they are called spring bars...
If you have a "spring" bar that can't flex , when you need that to work as a spring it won't and something else will give up, if it is not the hitch then the trailer frame.
That is the reason I always used the tried and true round bar system.
Andy, from CamAm Airstream had an article several years ago saying exactly that.
They set up minivans and cars for towing 30ft trailers (airstream in Canada) and never had a problem with it.
Thanks for this video. I always wondered if that might be a problem. Not so many years back, we did not have these problems. We had real trucks, not minivan/suv like vehicles pulling rvs. I never used a weight distribution hitch, I had a truck... Nowadays everyone wants to fly down the road with their rv that out weighs their tow vehicle... Either the rv dealer is trying to push rvs when mabe the buyer should not be towing with their rig, car manufacturers trying push their vehicles... Buy a real truck, not a grocery getter or a "pretty truck" that makes alot of noise. My dad used to say the old trucks were tougher then the new ones, that's why they have buy bigger and bigger model series to do what we did with smaller ones. Now sway control I believe is a good thing to have nowadays because of the light tow vehicles and potential cross winds or semis passing... Thanks again.
Remember the good old days when you just slapped a hitch on the station wagon and off you went? We rented a Scotsman a few times and then finally got a big tent-trailer with a surge brake. Then again tent-trailers really don't have the aerodynamic challenges a big almost empty box back there has.
What's the best solution for someone who won't have much/any rear end sag on their tow vehicle, but wants to control sway (and also maintain maneuverability and easy backing up)?
Dont forget about A-frame failure back in the early 2000's with Weekend Warrior which turned into a lawsuit and recall. I think alot of RV manufactures learned from that scenario and improved the A-frames.
I agree with you. We use and engineered hitch. Pro pride p3 . The hole experience with this setup is way different. Then an curt or blue ox or any other bar system. The other thing is I am over trucked for camper because of your videos. Including the travel trailer I saw on your channel and bought it.
Enjoy your videos. On this one specifically you should have also added the advantages of improving the truck suspension to work with and compliment the weight distribution system so sag prevention is not solely the responsibility of the weight distribution bars putting more pressure on the tongue frame. Again. Great info. Great videos. But the entire truck trailer system should all harmonize for the proper balance. JDL
Few years ago we traded our F150 for a Ram 3500. Do we still need to use the WDH? We pull a 7200# ultralight.
So how does one know if they truly need weigh distribution?
Good video but.... A lot of it was subjective. How does one quantity whether they're applying too much weight distribution?
What you think about weight safe hitch with scale on it and knowing your vehicle hitch max weight limits?
Overloading the truck bed and/or trailer tongue, then trying to compensate with an equalizer hitch is the recipe for bent or sbapped trailer frame.
Fat thumbs on a smartphone keyboard strikes again. SNAPPED not sbapped.
Do you have any data on all of these broken trailers? I have towed a trailer with 800 plus hitch weight for 18 years with an equalizer that was loaded to the max. Zero damage to the truck or trailer. FYI the preload on the hitch ball and brackets are usually 2-3 times the hitch weight. My current hitch has a weight gauge and the preload specified is 2200lbs.
Are there any documented cases of a WDH causing a failure as described? Water intrusion and rust seem like a separate issue that can compromise any trailer frame or towing scenario. I suppose perhaps there are people who use a stronger WD setup for their given trailer type/weight, but that seems to be again a separate issue as well.
Yes there are cases to a specific brand a few years ago . People were snapping the tongues right off. There's other vids on it.
I had a gm 1500 cc6.6 max tow, when hooked to my 13 jayco eagle 316rkds I couldn't set up the wdh to max setup, the receiver had enough torsion on it to touch the rear bumper. I never towed it more than 15 miles, even though I was within spec, I found it was pretty hard on the truck when hitting rough spots. I will either borrow or rent a 3/4 next time I need to move it.
This makes me curious about the Andersen WD hitch I use and what kind of forces it applies. Instead of springs pulling down directly on the A frame, it uses chains in tension mounted horizontally below the A frame. I know it puts a lot of compression force at the back of the hitch ball and trailer coupler (which is why certain coupler models aren't to be used with it). Seems like the forces at the WD A-frame brackets would be trying to twist the A-frame upwards, putting downward pressure on the top of the A frame tube and upward pressure on the bottom an inch or two farther forward. No idea if that type of force is better or worse than the straight downward force on the A frame from spring-bar WD hitches.
Makes me wonder if filling the void in the frames with some sort of expanding foam would help keep water from causing rust on the inside.
Light Duty Trucks with Leveling Kits…. Then they use the WDH to try and keep their truck level while towing. Trucks have rake for a reason.
WDH is for returning steering and braking performance to the front of the truck, you’re only supposed to return half of the weight back to the front.
Nice old Ford in the background. 😎
Thanks for the insite. TV is 05 Pathfinder towing a 2022 R-pod 202 and I do a decent job managing my weight but I get more sway than I am comfortable with once I push past 65. I'm adding sway control this week and I should learn to be comfortable with 60mph. I wonder though if I am over doing my WDH. If I apply too much, from what you are saying, I add weight to the rear which in my mind is no different than improperly loading my gear.
You can also easily overload the rear axle on 1/2 ton trucks so you need to transfer the weight to the front or you can balance the trailer better. In my case including hitch, 2 batteries and gas bottles my hitch weight is 1500lb or 22% of 7k trailer. My rear axle is over rating by 200lb that's without weight distribution. I have to re-balance the trailer and drop the tongue weight by 200lb without using weight distribution. My numbers are from CAT scale ⚖️ and i have 1/2 ton F-150. Everything is perfectly level because I have Timbrens....
JD great subject, but your explanation is not quite right. A WDH doesn’t create a bow in the A-frame because it isn’t prying against itself. The truck and trailer create a single lever system that is supported on both ends and has both a fulcrum and a pivot in the middle. The truck front axle and trailer axles are the two end supports. The truck’s rear wheel is the fulcrum. The hitch and coupler are a pivot point that can move both horizontally and vertically.
When you engage weight distribution bars on a traditional WDH, they act like leaf springs between the trailer frame and the hitch head. Raising your trailer tongue jack puts downward pressure on the bitter end of the bars captured in the L-brackets at the A-frame. The other end of the spring bars are fastened into the lower end of your hitch head. The downward pressure at the bitter end causes an upward pressure at the bottom of the hitch head. This causes the lever system to rotate around the rear axle of your truck.
This upward rotation at the hitch head causes torque at the hitch/coupler. It is this torque that distributes weight to the front axle of your truck and the trailer axles. The amount of torque generated depends upon how much weight you need to return to your truck’s front axle to level the system.
This torque can be accurately calculated and the amount of work being done by each spring bar can also be calculated.
But, because the truck and trailer act as a single lever system with the rear axle of the truck as the fulcrum, torque is not localized to the A-frame of your trailer. A certain amount of torque will be used to return weight to the front axle of your truck. A lesser amount of torque will be used to return some weight to the trailer axles. The difference between these two torque values would be the amount of torque left in the trailer frame as internal tension.
For example, let’s say we start with a trailer with an 1150 pound tongue weight. This take 349 pounds off the front axle of my truck. It also takes 221 pounds off the trailer axles.
Let’s say our WDH has to return 78% of the weight to the front axle of the truck to be properly adjusted. That requires 4874 foot-pounds of torque to return that weight. That returns 155 pounds to my trailer axles, creating 3,361 foot pounds of torque on the entire trailer frame.
Add an adjustable air suspension system to the truck and the sag problem is solved. I did this on my truck and it makes setting up the Weight Distribution system simple.
They should look at Dimond C and the engineered beam design they use on their trailers. It's an excellent design feature that puts metal where it's needed and saves a good amount of weight while still adding strength
I use my distribution hitch for anti sway. It is soposed to do both. Yes I have a 35' camper and a 2500 Suburban. I do not have a lot of tension, just enough for the anti sway. With the kitche in front bedroom in back super slide and a bed slide. And a wife with a lot of clothing. Somtimes it is rear heavy. Thats what the hitch is to be used for. Truck squatting should have springs, or air bags to correct.
I would also recommend you reach out to pro pride in Holly Michigan. I would love to see the review
What about aluminum trailer, I have Intech sol Dawn base 2700lbs 300lbd TW with Tow vehicle Lexus GX460 6600lbs 800lbs hitch weight. Factory not recommending to have WDH, only said friction bar. I was debating about it, same time I was going put 65lbs generator on the A frame. Do I need WDH or not, just worried aluminum frame????
Is there Anything to have sway control but not the weight distribution?
We have a 2005 Sunnybrook travel trailer. Dry weight is around 7500 lbs. GVWR is around 9800 lbs. The entire chassis on this travel trailer is 100% Box steel. The tongue is 2x6 rectangular tube steel, the full length of the chassis is double stacked 2x6 tube steel. The main reason we still have this RV is that you can not find a comparable unit on the market today. Fully boxed steel frame chassis and 100% aluminum frame roof and walls. Full fiberglass end caps front and rear. Thank you, but I’ll keep my old one. Engineers now are so obsessed with weight, they’re sacrificing what matters.
Great information...my rear truck axle (drive) weighs about 600 lbs more than the front ( steer) axle based on CatScale. Both numbers are within the trucks tolerance. My question: is that a somewhat normal situation, a 600 lbs difference?
One recommendation that should have been mentioned is to remove the weight distribution arms once you leave a paved road. The articulation and bouncing of "primitive roads" creates excessive downward force on the A frame and could cause it to fail and bend.
Thanks for the great info. By the way, there is a face in the tree behind the A frame in the background. Check out it
What would you recommend for a maximum tongue weight for 1/2 tons? My tongue weight sits firmly at 700 lbs and I have a payload of 2198?
I have the same Lipert a frame tongue and looking at how it’s spot welded on to the frame worries me. I wish I knew how to reinforce the connection. A way that an engineer would approve. I tossed my weight hitch in the junk pile. I didn’t need it with my one ton truck.
Would air bags like Ram uses help this issue?
If you select the proper weight classification of hitch for your camper, the components of the hitch system will likely fail before the a-frame. The problem is when people think they're "playing it safe" by using a 14k WD setup on a 6k trailer for example.
Good information
I feel a slight difference in steering without a wdh, the part that makes it dangerous for the front end to be too light is steering and braking in snow, rain, gravel and high speeds. 2023 Ram 3500 swd, 4000 payload towing 10,000 toy haul.
It’s also easy to get too heavy of a weight distribution hitch, as they’re often sold like a ball mount- more=better.
I’m not using any weight distribution, but I have a 350 and a 20 foot
So the question is...would using a 3/4 ton alleviate the need for a wdh?? Are weight distribution hitches really needed on say a 4800 # trailer using a 3/4 ton or 1 ton?
I've known about those distribution hitches breaking frames for 10 years
Your encabsulated turbinator is leaking blinker fluid into your horn bell.
The old truck 🛻 pulling something 🎊
I am a bit shocked that you put a video out that puts weight distribution and “leveling” in the same sentence.
WD is NOT for leveling by any means. WD is for distributing a prescribed amount ( usually the vehicle manufacturer) of weight back on the front axel. For example, my F250 recommends 50% back. This is done crudely by measuring the front wheel well before and after loading. You can dial it in by using scales if you have the time.
The only way to prevent squat or “level” a truck is properly equip the springs or add air bags. Actually, adding airbags and leveling the truck with the load requires reworking the WD to ensure, in my case 50%, of the weight is transferred to the front axel.
A well balanced WD set up could still leave a truck looking squatted in the rear.
When the dealer set my truck up initially, they had the bars so tight it bent the 2” shank. All to “level” the truck.
If you would like to know more, we can chat on the side.
How does a WeighSafe hitch come into play here? It’s using tongue weight, math and lengths/angles to determine how much weight to move around; it’s not taking into account HD truck suspension vs. F150/1500 suspension. From your video, it sounded like you would dial the hitch in LESS for a HD truck since a HD truck would need less help, however the WeighSafe doesn’t care what you’re pulling with. Can we just trust the WeighSafe math regardless of what you’re pulling with?
Great question.
While I agree with your description of the stress on the A-frame caused by WDH, you seem to have neglected (unless I missed it) the mitigating effect of spring bars... They are rated in pounds for a reason: controlling the forces in the system... Taken to the extreme, the WDH can be rigid, which would exponentially increase the static and dynamic stresses on the frames of both the tow vehicle and trailer... As stated earlier, a couple of simple diagrams would have helped the presentation... Just sayin' 😎