ltborg

I'm looking to get a weight distribution hitch for my truck, even though it's probably a little overkill for the trailer. The trailer, car, and gear on the trailer come in around 5500 lbs. I also usually have a few sets of tires, ramps, and some tools in the bed. A set of wheels behind the rear axle comes in at 150-200 lbs. With a tongue weight around 650-700 on the trailer, plus the load in the bed, would this system be the right choice? I realize it is rated for a much heavier trailer that I can haul with the truck (1500 Silverado), but it seems like it would be right for the tongue weight. Any advice would be appreciated.

flink

That's a very fancy WD hitch. A lot of the price is for the sway control part of it, not the weight distribution.

I recently installed a Husky 30849 (http://www.rvplus.com/husky-1200lb-h...all-30849.html). It does the job (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...k/img_5014.jpg, http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...k/img_5015.jpg, http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...k/img_5016.jpg).

I haven't installed the anti-sway gadget yet. I'd rather get the rig mechanically stable without sway control first. I might later install the anti-sway unit later, as cream on the top. But I wouldn't want to depend on it - it's better to get the underlying causes addressed first.

Do you actually have sway issues? Ones which are unsolvable via positioning the car? If not, then all you really need is the trunnion bar part to level the rig.

(I'm not very happy with the idea of a WD hitch - it must be putting lots of stress into the hitch and frame. I plan to add some air springs to take at least some of the load)

rbl

Good advice.

I have a 2500 HD and I also put the air springs on mine ... excellent product and they bolt on. I used the sway bar in addition but not the equalizer. The frame stress is an issue for me and the air springs + sway control doe a superior job IMO.

c4cruiser

I bought this Curt WD hitch for my new 20' enclosed trailer that I tow behind my '08 Silverado Extended cab 4WD Z71 half-ton. The truck has a 6.0L motor and the HD towing package with 4-wheel disc brakes and 18" wheels. The one you are looking at is overkill and looks to be pretty pricey. Your 1500 Silverado is not rated to tow that max load shown for that WD hitch.

My trailer weighs 3000 lbs, the car is about 3400 and I have about 200 lbs of gear (tools, tires, etc) in the trailer.

The thing I like about the trunnion style hitches is that they provide additional ground clearance over the round bar style of WD hitch.

After I got the tongue weight set, everything loaded in the trailer and in the truck, I set up the WD hitch according to the instructions. As the instructions specified, the truck was sitting about 1" lower at the center of the rear fenderwells and about 5/8" lower at the center of the front fenderwells. The design of a WD hitch is supposed to distribute the weight around the frame and the axles. That's why a WD hitch allows for a higher towing rating over just the frame-mounted Class III hitch.

I looked at my loaded truck and trailer from about 20 feet away and the truck ride height looks just like it does when empty.

So far with a few trips to get used to everything, the ride is very stable, the steering feel is not light, there is no sway (I didn't get an anti-sway bar) unless I get passed by semi's at a much higher speed over what I'm doing. The headlights don't shine upwards and braking is very good.

JDIllon

Yes, a weight distribution hitch will help solve your problem! You Have excessive tongue weight and you are correct that the load in the bed of the truck is part of the tongue weight. When you add the WD hitch it will distribute the weight to all 4 corners(wheels) of the truck and help put more weight on the front axles there by distributing the tongue weight making the truck handle better. Although adding air bags may help to level out the truck and carry the load on the hitch, they do not transfer the load. In most cases it is not necessary to add air bags with the WD hitch, unless the tongue weight is really high. And in many of the WD instructions they state not to use them with there hitch. As mentioned before the hitch you are looking at is very expensive and you are paying a lot for the sway control. You can always add a sway control to any WD hitch for a reasonably price. JD

Bill Dearborn

Your trailer weight is about what mine is. I am still using a 3500 lb Trailer 350 lb TW Drawtite Weight Distribution hitch that I bought to tow my boat with my front drive Pontiac Phoenix in 1980. It provides just enough weight distribution that my Tahoe's front wheels have some traction. I don't have any issues with sway control and my TW is right about 450 lbs. If I want I can roll down the highway at a speed much higher than my trailer tires are rated for. Luckily, they haven't blown out yet.

If I was going to buy another WD hitch I would be looking for something with a max tongue weight of ~ 600 lbs and no sway control.

Bill

travisnd

Get an Equalizer hitch from one of the discounted places on line. It combines the weight distribution and sway control in one assembly. I've been towing with one for nearly 5 years and love it. Would never use anything else.

davidfarmer

The trunnions bars offer sway control by simply wanting to be straight...... You do not need additional sway control. I would never tow a car trailer without a trunnion weight distributing hitch

As you turn, the trunnions force the chains out of alignment, putting pressure on the system to realign. Built in sway control

johninar

I was a Draw-Tite distributor for years, so I have a bias towards one of the major brands. I have that exact same hitch. I really like it.
You need to shift the weight to the front of your tow vehicle and the rear of the trailer. This will do the job.

fatbillybob

WDH's is for pushing the limits of your tow vehicle. You are well within the limits and a WDH is not going to do anything for you. Load your trailer for proper tongue weight and a straight trailer will not sway. Trailers on the heavier end of the tongue weight handle better and sway less than the converse. Speed effects your sway too.

ltborg

Thanks for all the info guys. I've never had sway issues before, although I've never towed my trailer loaded before (I just got it). Both of the trailers I have towed with before have had significant sag and the front end feels pretty light. Usually I have ramps, tools, and several sets of tires/wheels in the bed, then the car on a heavy steel trailer. None of the axle weights were over limit, but the combined weight was almost 13k (the truck's rated for 15k), so I'm not at the limit, but I'm getting there.

I was wondering about the difference between the round bars and the trunnions. Thanks for the clarification. I'll start looking for a trunnion WDH and maybe skip the sway control for now.

AzMotorhead

I use one of These from Equal I zer.
I use it on my flatbed car hauler and towing our small 21' toy hauler.
Never a problem, hookup is easy. great towing with it

Probalbly the cheapest place to get one Tweety's

davidfarmer

I want partially disagree with the "need" for a WD hitch. While you can reduce you tongue load and still be safe, a slightly higher tongue weight will add stability to your ride. By combining a higher tongue weight with a WD hitch, you will have less load on your trailer axles, more stability (due to the tongue weight), and more stability (due to the trunnion self-centering). I use them on my enclosed Featherlite trailer even when it's empty

I use the Curt 17302. It's under $290 online.

btw, the slider style like the Equilizer likely would not offer the built-in self-centering of a chain/trunnion system.

speedwaywhite

I have a scale I use to measure tongue weight, its handy when you are doing you initial setup and tows, you can dial in car position etc. I can get the brand name for you if interested. I also use WDH and find it very helpful, I tow about 4000 miles a year with 3/4 ton suburban and 24 ft enclosed aluminum trailer.

1991Z07

That's the system I bought for my 24' enclosed trailer...

Man, is it ever great! Even without the enclosed trailer!

There are areas where overkill is a GREAT thing...and towing is one of them.

travisnd

Not true at all. Does a 1-ton truck need one to pull a Miata on a featherlight? No. But they are a great bit of added insurance towing anything of substance with a 1/2-ton truck, especially when something bad happens. I've towed with and without and will never tow weight-carrying again.

The WD hitch with sway control will save your *** if you blow a tire, have to take evasive action, or are dealing with adverse weather conditions.

On many trucks, towing w/o a WD hitch will make the rear sag some. Towing on the highway with the nose up makes the front end light, makes the steering feel poor, and reduces control and driver confidence.

The bar-type hitches like the Equalizer control sway through friction between the spring bar and the L-bracket. They work extremely well and I've never had an issue with mine.

When I had to do a full-on panic stop two years ago from 70 mph when a van flipped in front of me on the highway I was mighty glad to have it behind me. It allowed my truck to do it's job and kept the trailer squarely behind me. I've had to do sudden lane changes as well and am always glad it's there.

Last fall coming home from VIR I had one of my L-brackets fail. I had to stop and take off the distribution bars and tow the rest of the way home wight-carrying. The difference in overall feel at speed was drastic. Turns out I had the old bracket style which Equalizer had since upgraded. They provided the upgraded parts at no cost to me.

Just my $0.02

Bill Dearborn

Absolutely, one of the main reasons to buy a weight distribution hitch is what its name is. The hitch transfers tongue load from the tow vehicle rear wheels to the front wheels. Remember, the Chevrolet Citation adds when that car was introduced in 1980? They showed it towing a boat but the car had no rear wheels. All the weight was on the car's front wheels and the trailer wheels. That is what the WD hitch does best, get weight on the front wheels so you can steer. Once you have that along with proper tongue weight (between 7 and 10% of trailer weight) sway control isn't an issue.

Bill

johninar

I use a tongue scale from Sherline. With my rig there is no guessing.

http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm