Weight Distributing Hitch

[gwdouglas]

There seems to a general opinion here on the "Towing Forum" that when pulling a trailer with a 3500 a weight distributing hitch is a good idea.



I am considering replacing my Lance slide - in with a travel trailer so I'm facing a whole new set of problems, including buying a hitch.



I took the empty truck down to the feed store scales and here is the result (with driver & full fuel):



Front axel ----- 4360 lbs

Rear axel ------ 3060 lbs



Now, I understand that the purpose of a WD hitch is to transfer weight to the front axel. But my calculations show that with a 600 pound tongue weight the front axel is still seeing over 200 pounds more weight than the rear axel.



In fact, only when the tongue weight is around 800 pounds does the front axel see less weight than the rear axel.



So, help me here. Why should a WD hitch be used for tongue weights below 800 pounds???

 

[roadranger]

I think if you check the hitch ratings tag, the STOCK hitch is rated for 500 lbs deadweight, and 1000 lbs with weight distribution.



You can pull a heavier tongue weight trailer with the WD system on a STOCK hitch.



On the other hand, if you want to tow that 600 to 800 lb tongue weight trailer WITHOUT transferring more weight to the steer axle, you'll have to upgrade the hitch on the truck.



I don't believe the weight transfer is wanted, as these trucks are nose heavy with the Cummins, so 800 lbs hanging on the rear is nothing.



Just my $. 02

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

I tow a 35' TT (~7300 lbs loaded, with fresh water tank full) behind my truck without a weight distributing hitch. It has a 950 lb tongue weight when I have the fresh water tank full (~300 lbs at the very front of the trailer). Here's what it weighed at the scales when we went on our maiden voyage with it (fully loaded with our stuff and a full fresh water tank) and with my 550 lb motorcycle in the bed of the truck, a full tank of fuel, and the entire family in it (me, wife, daughter, and dog):



-------------rated--------actual

GCVWR-------18000--------16060

GVWR----------8800---------9460

front GAWR---4850---------4580

rear GAWR----6084---------4880

trailer axles---7000---------6600



I have a Class V Draw-tite hitch (rated to 1,000/10,000 lbs weight carrying) with a Draw-tite 8" drop (rated to 1,000/10,000 as well) and a 2 5/16" ball (rated to 9,000 lbs) with a friction type sway bar ball that is attached (welded) to the side of the drop hitch. This combo pulls great - very little sway at all, the truck sits level if the motorcycle is in the back (drops the suspension about an inch and am still about an inch and a half off the overloads), it sits slightly tail high still if just the trailer is hooked up. I've pulled it in wind gusts up to 55 mph (headwind, tailwind, crosswind, quartering headwind, and quartering tailwind from both sides) with very little sway. Usually I have no sway at all. The friction sway controller IS a necessity though, a clip fell out of it one time while I was driving down the road and the sway was BAD! I agree with you that with the amount of weight on the front of our trucks that there isn't much of a need for a weight distributing hitch as long as you have a hitch that's rated for the weight you're trying to pull - JMHO. I towed it approximately 5,000 miles this summer and never had a problem with it except that one time that the sway bar came off. Here's a pic of the rig on it's maiden voyage:



#ad

 

[gwdouglas]

Thanks guys, for your input. I think the thing for me to do is decide on the trailer I want and then, if necessary, upgrade my hitch to a weight carrying hitch with sway control.

 

[klenger]

Excellent post Steve.



In my limited experience pulling a TT with the CTD, the weight distributing would be counter-productive. In order to unload the weight from the rear axle and put it on the front, you would need to tighten up the WD bars, which would only raise the rear end of the truck even more, which is already too high. It might be OK if you modificed the truck to drop the back end a couple of inches when empty.

 

[BV]

WD Hitch/Bars

I tow a little Travel trailer (4,700#) and found that rear end would bounce quite a bit without the bars helping to limit the flex between truck and trailer. Another thing - I think the sway control works much better with the weight distribution bars in place.

 

[FAB]

George25 your weight formula (800#) only works if you place the weight directly over the rear axle. Place 800# on the hitch ball (which on my truck is over 4 feet from the axle) and you have levered the front end up considerably! This could be a serious problem on a lighter truck, thus the WD hitch to get the weight transfered back to the front end.

 

[gwdouglas]

FAB,



My calculations assumed that the 800 pounds tongue weight is applied a little over 5 feet behind the rear axle. This results in 4041 pounds on the front axle and 4179 pounds on the rear axle. This takes into account the moment (torque) produced by the tongue weight acting behind the rear axle.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

FAB, given my actual measured weights (on a CAT scale) with my bike in the back I'd say that George's calculations were close to or dead on. All I know is that given my actual weights and after 5,000 miles of towing the trailer around I'm not planning on adding WD bars to my truck - it's very well balanced as it is. To be fair though I have been told by a number of people that their trucks rode much better with WD bars - mine rides so great without them I can't imagine it being any better with though.



-Steve

 

[WCrovo]

Steve the WD hitch also acts as a platform so the truck and trailer are stiffer vrs two independant vehicles bending in the middle. I could not imagine towing with out them. I run at about 18,000 to 18,500 lbs.

 

[whiteknight]

I don't think a WD hitch puts more ofthe tonge weight onto the front axle. It distributes that weight between the front axle of the tow vehicle and the trialer axles.



MY $0. 02

 

[FAB]

Ok guys, I'll pay closer attention to the equation next time!!

 

[georgej]

One more thing that has'nt benn considered is that your always in a dynamic mode driving down the highway. I recently took my trailer to CoureD'Alene for a rally and as I approached the city traffic speed increased ,the lanes got narrower and traffic was detoured around some road construction (pretty typical scenio) ,all the sudden a dip in the road had my 3500 almost airborne. I'm afraid to think what could have happened if I'd lost control since ther was no room to manuver!!

 

[Sixspeed]

I have pulled my trailer both ways. WD is the best setup for me. It has the feel like the truck and trailer are one. Not like it moves the weight to the front axle. More like the weight spread from the front of the truck to the back of the trailer. JMO.



Les

 

[BIG BOB]

georgej,



Welcome to TDR.



Check your email.



Big Bob