Tongue weight reduction wheels

woodlandfarms · Oct 8, 2012

I have no idea to what it was called, but I am working in Miami and saw this van pulling a trailer way to big for the vehicle. As I came along side, I saw there was this device off the hitch, a pair of wheels and an axle that were taking the tongue load off the trailer.

It is Miami, where anything goes, but anyone know of this? I can't assume it is all that legal. It did look safe from a driving distance, I mean it was heavily chained and the construction looked legit.

Carl

Diamondpilot · Oct 8, 2012

I have seen them before. They have been posted on this site also before.

Chris

OKnewguy · Oct 8, 2012

Here is one, I used to see one that had the wheels very close together but can not find it anymore.
Dave
Hitch Helper Tow Dolly - ACC Towing Hitch Helper Tow dolly

California · Oct 8, 2012

That is a strange device. Their photo shows the hitch ball on the dolly is more than a foot behind the dolly's axle. This would unload weight off the back of the tow vehicle, especially when braking hard.

I had expected geometry more like a fifth wheel hitch with the trailer nose weight loaded slightly ahead of the dolly's axle.

I don't remember where I read it but as I recall dollys like that aren't allowed on the road here in California, and I've never seen one on the road.

JDgreen227 · Oct 9, 2012

Reading this thread reminded me of that old movie from the 50's "The Long, Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, they were towing a 3 ton New Moon travel trailer behind a car and they used some kind of two wheeled dolly to handle the tongue weight.

nahfwt · Oct 9, 2012

That looks like it would be fun to back up.

GLyford · Oct 10, 2012

Actually, I don't think backing would be a problem...looks like it pins in the receiver to replace the ball mount, so it's basically a really long ball mount with its own wheels?

California · Oct 10, 2012

I looked in Google Images for more photos of the AC Hitch Helper. Here's one. (This is Google's picture that they copied from somewhere. Clicking through Google's link, the source website seems to be unavailable.)

I can't tell if this photo shows a flexible or rigid connection from the dolly to the tow vehicle. The dolly is not quite straight behind the tow vehicle. This one seems to have the hitch ball even farther back than the first photo.

Has anyone found more pictures of this device?

woodlandfarms · Oct 11, 2012

California is sort of the version I saw. The wheel stance was quite wide, less than a tailer axel but a lot wider than the narrow one in the other links.

slowzuki · Oct 11, 2012

There is a huge cabinet shop trailer locally that has a spring loader caster wheel on the nose to carry tongue weight. I assume it is unbraked.

284 International · Oct 11, 2012

I have seen several RVs with some assembly like that on back, to tow large enclosed trailers. The hitches on a motorhome are weak, and the stresses of pulling an overloaded trailer can distort the body, and foul up the slides and cause other problems. A guy down the street has one of these: TrailerToad.com

He uses it behind a big motorhome to pull his race trailer. It seems less dangerous than some other designs I have seen.

Diamondpilot · Oct 11, 2012

I would not say the hitch on a Motor Home is weak. Its the long distance from the rear axle to the rear bumper/hitch area. That creates a long arm and its forces applied from a trailers tongue weight can severely alter the handling characteristics.

Chris

284 International · Oct 12, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
I would not say the hitch on a Motor Home is weak.

I shouldn't have made such a blanket statement. Not every motorhome hitch is weak.

I have seen several hitches on motorhomes that are not strongly designed, and are insufficiently strong to handle loads well within the rig's GVWR and GCWR. The most egregious example is an uncle's motorhome on a Chevy C6500 chassis. It came from the coach builder with a 5000 pound rated hitch, though the tow rating for the chassis is several times that. After the first trip (to the gas station, thankfully) with a 4800 lb trailer (documented on scales) the hitch tube had bent several inches. Other family members have had similar experiences, though none as bad as this.

homedad · Oct 12, 2012

GLyford said:
Actually, I don't think backing would be a problem...looks like it pins in the receiver to replace the ball mount, so it's basically a really long ball mount with its own wheels?

If it's rigid and the wheels are on the ground they will scrub sideways while turning the front wheels on the tow vehicle while backing. If it is a ball it will jack knife while backing. I've been towing a car (4 down) and a car on a dolly behind a motor home for years. You can back up but only straight and for a short distance before the trouble starts.

JDgreen227 · Oct 12, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
I would not say the hitch on a Motor Home is weak. Its the long distance from the rear axle to the rear bumper/hitch area. That creates a long arm and its forces applied from a trailers tongue weight can severely alter the handling characteristics.

Chris

Concur with you there....my '94 Airstream 34' has a hitch on the rear that appears to be as strong as the OEM 6000 lb. weight carrying hitch on my GMC, but the MH hitch has a rating of only 2000 lbs although the MH is capable of towing 5000 lbs. according to the GCWR specs GM publishes. The prior owners towed a 3000 lb Saturn all the time (no brakes on the toad) but they never had any issues with the hitch. When I purchased the MH I told them they were overloading the hitch by at least 50% and they said "But the dealership who sold it to us said it was okay...."

Viperdave · Oct 12, 2012

what came to my mind was a product called tuff tow...

PapaPerk · Oct 12, 2012

284 International said:
I have seen several RVs with some assembly like that on back, to tow large enclosed trailers. The hitches on a motorhome are weak, and the stresses of pulling an overloaded trailer can distort the body, and foul up the slides and cause other problems. A guy down the street has one of these: TrailerToad.com

He uses it behind a big motorhome to pull his race trailer. It seems less dangerous than some other designs I have seen.

Wow what happens when you drive it through a dip in the road or into a drive way! Looks like a big bandaid to me for not having the right equipment.

PapaPerk · Oct 12, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
I would not say the hitch on a Motor Home is weak. Its the long distance from the rear axle to the rear bumper/hitch area. That creates a long arm and its forces applied from a trailers tongue weight can severely alter the handling characteristics.

Chris

Your avatar is about as factual as Paul Ryan! LOL! :laughing: :jump::rotfl::sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:

Diamondpilot · Oct 12, 2012

PapaPerk said:
Your avatar is about as factual as Paul Ryan! LOL! :laughing: :jump::rotfl::sarcastic::sarcastic::sarcastic:

I guess the truth hurts?

I have plenty more liberal border line communist ones I can post but feel its unnecessary since we get a full dose of it via the Obama loving liberal media.

Chris

PapaPerk · Oct 12, 2012

Diamondpilot said:
I guess the truth hurts?

I have plenty more liberal border line communist ones I can post but feel its unnecessary since we get a full dose of it via the Obama loving liberal media.

Chris

I'm sure there's many on here greatful to still have a job at GM. GM is too large to fail and an asset to the country and it's security. Is it the best scenario for the gov to own 26% of GM? No. Is it best for long term stability?... yes. Was GM poorly run? Absolutely!