Please explain weight-distributing hitches

[Darel]

Check my sig for a description of my truck. I recently replaced my factory hitch with a local-parts-store hitch rated to 6000 lbs. I have a bumper-pull horse trailer that weighs ~4000 lbs, and I put my Jeep in the back to trailer it to off-road events. I haven't yet weighed the whole assembly, but I'm betting it's well over 6000 lbs but not quite 9000. Tongue weight is easily adjustable by how far forward I pull the Jeep inside the trailer. Thus my question.

I'm looking at WD setups for the trailer/hitch I have now. How does WD work? How does it transfer weight to the front axle? Most befuddling for me, how exactly does a WD setup double the rating of a truck's hitch? It seems to me the 6000# hitch is still the only point of contact between the truck and trailer. I understand the WD setup makes the truck and trailer feel like the share the same frame, does this somehow reduce articulation at the hitch ball, making tows on rough roads dangerous?

Bottom line, will my trailer/Jeep setup be safe to tow on this hitch with WD, and would it be unsafe without it?

Thanks!

Darel

 

[Snow man]

The wd hitch effectivley uses the 2" sqaure insert as alever,and applies the tongue weight with twisting force. Ths reason this doubles the rating is that its less stressful with the bars on,without them the ball is about 2 ft after the frame mount,this leverage effect puts 2-4X the tongue weighto n the very rear of the hitch,and frame. with the WB hitch the weight is spread over the hitch,and frame more evenly. If your total setup weighs 6000,you dont need a wd hitch,IMO,unlless you have 1000 tongue weight.

 

[Cobra]

I don't know alot about wd hitches but I have a RAM 2500 that I use to haul a Coachmen slide-in. Along with the slide-in I pull a mc trailer with a Harley in it. I had to make an extended (36 inch) draw bar to run from the truck receiver to the trailer. I was told that because of the lenght of the draw bar, not the weight of the trailer, that I had to use wd to make the whole thing safe. I did that and I haven't had any problems as of yet.

 

[CFarlow]

Hey Darel, just think wheelbarrow! The handles are like the spring bars. When you put the chains in the "snapup" brackets you are lifting the back of your truck and putting some of the weight onto the front. Better handling and a more even ride height should be the result. It's really a clever design,,,, sure wish I had thought of it.







Chuck

 

[Gunny]

I'm afraid that this post is going to date me a little. but I remember a ad many years ago that showed the advantages of the WD hitch. In this ad they used a Caddy El Dorado front whell drive car as the tow vehicle, once they had the hitch all hooked up they would remove the two rear tires and drive this Caddy down the road. The way a WD hitch works is to transfer the tongue wieght to the FRAME of the tow vehicle. Once hooked up it is a sturdy and very strong set-up. Gunny

 

[klenger]

I like CFarlow's analogy.

 

[Bob Beauchaine]

WD distributes the weight of the tow vehicle and the trailer, via the frame, over all axles. Try weighing your truck by itself and note the weight on each axle then do the same with the trailer hooked up. You will see quite a difference between the two. The spring bars also help to control sway. Hope this helps.

Happy trails

Bob

 

[rickhans]

A WD hitch does increase the load capacity of the hitch, but I don't recall it being by 50%. I have been towing for many years and recently sold my trailer that used a WD hitch. It was a 3 axle 25 foot trailer, loaded probably weighed around 8000 pounds. As you may have already read from the many postings, the OEM Dodge hitch was defective. Mine split and was on its way to breaking apart when I read about it. I upgraded to a Class 5 Drawtite hitch, which, without going and looking at the ratings, I believe is 10k without WD and 12500 with. I may be off a little bit.



I would never consider using a 6k hitch to pull the load you are, even with a WD. I have had the bars drop off when pulling even though they are not supposed to. If the spring loaded pin fails and you hit a bad dip, the tension is temporarily relieved and the bar, or bars, can drop out. You know it happens when you see the sparks from dragging it, or if you hear it.



Even if that never happens, you are running at, or over, the maximum safe capacity of the hitch.