About Weight Distribution Hitches...pics etc.

[Redbug]

I thought I would post some information about weight distribution hitches. A WDH will allow you to carry a heavier tongue load by spreading the trailer weight more evenly on the truck's frame. The front axle gets more weight, and the truck does not sag in the back. The WDH arms, (with chains), flex and keep the load from sagging from the tongue weight.

1st pic shows most of the parts which goes on the truck.
Ball, shank, WD head, spring arms with chain.

2nd pic shows parts which stays on the trailer tongue.
It just stays there permanent, with light loads I use a regular hitch without the WD shank, head etc.

3rd pic shows getting things assembled on the truck.

4th and 5th pics shows getting things hooked up.
You use a short length of pipe to lift the spring arm chains which attach to the trailer tongue clamps. A lot of tension is on those arms and chains when the trailer jack is cranked off the ground. The chain length is adjustable, and so is the angle of the WD head, (shims), depending on your load and how much weight you want deflected to the front axle.

6th pic, all hooked up.

I hope a few pictures will help in understanding the concept. Questions? Comments? Do any other folks also use a WDH? These things make a world of difference in towing. The RV bunch uses them a lot.

 

[Egon]

Very nice set of pictures. Thank you.

 

[jsborn]

Thanks for the pictures.

You are showing the Trunnion style bars in your pictures can you shed some light on the difference between these and the round bar style other than the obvious one is round and the other is square?

I am considering buying the WD components for my rig and would like to get it right the first time for a change.

 

[heymack]

Nice job explaining and great pictures.

In the last picture, I hope that "bullet hole" is a sticker, not the real deal.

 

[George2615]

I have the round bar style. I believe the round ones are for higher rated tongue weights since I got mine with my 32' camper. I also have a set like the ones pictured for a lighter trailer.

 

[Redbug]

No...alas, the bullet hole is just a decal.

I am not sure which is rated more...the square, (trunnion) or the round style. You can get them rated for different weights. Most of the round ones I looked at were rated for less tongue weight than what I got. George must have investigated, researched and gotten a good set.

George...What brand etc., is the round one you got?

Mine are rated for 1200 lbs. I looked around on the internet, then compared downtown's prices. The internet was cheaper. This is what I got....

I got the Draw Tite WD hitch...1200lb...item 7903...for $270. The lighter rated ones are the same price.
I'm not sure why someone would not buy the heavier...
DrawTite-Hitches.com

I got the class 5 14000lb ball...item 63836...for $22.
DrawTite-Hitches.com

You must also get a shank which bolts onto the WD hitch head and pins into your reciever...different drops/rises depending upon your vehicle and trailer. I got the style 1, item 3210...for $86.90.
Weight Distribution Hitch Balls, Shanks And Sway Control

 

[George2615]

Dave, I don't remember the brand name. I dont see it on the head but it looks similar to the Valley #70230 round bar hitch rated for 1200# tongue weight and 12,000# trailer. Equal-I-Zer makes one similar as do others.
Mine is stamped 1200# tongue on the head. I got it back in 1983 with the 32' camper. I will look on the bars tomorrow to see if they have the name.
George

 

[Bird]

I have the round bar style. I believe the round ones are for higher rated tongue weights since I got mine with my 32' camper. I also have a set like the ones pictured for a lighter trailer.

They do make the bars for different weights, and I haven't kept up with them in recent years, but in the past, the difference between the round bars and the square bars was simply the brand. My first ones were Reese and were square. Later, I had Eaz-Lift and they were round. And in either brand and style, you could get 750#, 1,000#, and 1,500# bars.

 

[project]

I purchased a WDH with my RV recently was was told to leave the part that fastens on th tongue loose so it can move. Is that correct?? Tony

 

[Redbug]

Hi Tony,

The part that clamps on each of the arms of the trailer tongue should be snug/tight...by tightning a bolt which holds each on the tongue arms. (The parts shown on picture #2 in my pics). Besides, if they are loose and you want to use your trailer without using the WD hitch arrangement they would fall off! I just leave mine on all the time...and tight.

One thing to be aware when figuring your adjustments on your WD hitch, is to make sure your spring arms are lower than your trailer tongue. When you make a sharp turn, the WD spring arms turn also with the trailer. Too short of a chain length on the spring arms will cause the arms to hit the trailer tongue. When I got mine, I played around with it trying different adjustments to figure things out. The instructions don't tell you everything.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bird]

was told to leave the part that fastens on th tongue loose

Not unless they've come up with something new that I haven't seen. I never heard of anyone doing that. I agree with Dave.

 

[schmism]

hear you can see the various styles and shapes of WD hitches as well as what it costs to get a setup.

Weight Distribution Trailer hitch bike rack and trailer hitches - etrailer.com

just as a FYI sometimes you see a little baby ball stuck out on the side of the hitch, its for sway control device.

 

[orezok]

Here's a great tutorial from over on the RV forum.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Towing: Travel Trailer Hitch Set-up Procedure

 

[Renze]

Thanks a lot !

I'm interested in the concept, as we dont have anything like it in Europe. We do have 5th wheel trailers to put behind small drivers license vehicles, but no such thing as weight distributing hitches.

How much more weight can you put on the ball coupling vs. no weight distributing hitch ?

For what types of vehicles does it make sense ?
Do you need an extra heavy drawbar mounting bar, because the bend force that the WD hitch puts on the rear end of the vehicle ?

Would a Mercedes Sprinter delivery van (aka Dodge Sprinter in the USA) benefit from it ?
Now i'm getting naughty: Would it help on my Volvo 850 to transfer a 300 kg coupling load to the car ?
I'm in the light and medium trailer business, and maybe this is something we should sell in Holland... ????

 

[project]

Hi Dave Thanks for the help. It brings up other issues. The dealer also told me the use the 3rd link and never mentioned any adjustment. (this is the 2nd dealer that gave me the same instruction) Maybe they are instructed to keep it simply. I rather have it be right. The other replies were helpful. My Ford is a 350SD, 2wd. I also increased the rear tire pressure to 80, when towing, from 55. After hooking up the trailer, the rear of the truck drops about 4 inchs without installing the WDH. I looked at the whole unit in a level parking lot, WDH hooked up, the trailer was pretty level, the rear of the truck had some sag. Should I try adjusting, within reason, to raise the truck or am I looking at installing some form of airbags?? The dealer also told me, before installing the WDH, was to raise the hitched trailer some to ease the installation of the WDH. thanks for bringing this up. ( I was getting ready to) Tony

 

[Bird]

Tony, you'd like the entire rig, both truck and trailer, to be sitting level when hooked up. It's possible the dealer said to use the 3rd link because they had already checked the adjustment and found that to be the proper link. If not, once you get everything adjusted properly one time, then in the future you do simply use the same link in the chain (unless you have a pretty drastic cargo weight change). And yes, once you attach the trailer tongue to the hitch ball, then raising the trailer tongue does two things: (1) it makes sure they actually are coupled together, and (2) it makes it much easier to hook up the spring bars.

With a one ton truck, I'd say that must be a heavy tongue weight on that trailer for it to drop the rear of the truck 4". Normally, with properly adjusted weight distributing hitch, you want to drop the front bumper almost as much as the rear bumper of the truck; assuming of course that the truck was sitting level without the trailer. You might drop the rear of the truck an inch or so more than the front, but not much more than that.

 

[Redbug]

Hi Tony,

What Bird said is right on the money. The only thing I can think to add is a little information about shimming, (mine came with a bunch of loose washers), which goes between the WD hitch head and shank portion of the hitch. You can add multiple washers to the "head" which will angle your trailer ball downwards. How much depends upon how many shims you put between the shank and head. This affects your chain length.

Tony, you don't need to add air bags or any of that. Your WD hitch just needs more adjusting. You need to add more shims, then you can shorten up on the chain length. It will cause the spring bars to take more of the weight, which in turn will transfer more weight to the front of the truck, making it more level. That is what I had to do with mine, also.

If you are confused...don't be afraid to ask and we will get you through it.

 

[Renze]

What will happen if you keep increasing the tension on the weight distribution springs ?
No risk of bending the drawbar, or the rear end of the truck upward ?
I know your pickup trucks are a bit stronger than what we use in Europe, but doesnt this somewhere have a limit ???

 

[Bird]

Renze, they make the spring bars for the weight distributing hitches in different strengths for different trailer tongue weights. I know they used to make at least 3 different sizes, but I think the most common were the 750# and 1,000# ones. And many years ago, when the Oldsmobile Toronado was about the only front wheel drive car around, they ran commercials showing how they could pull a trailer with no rear wheels on the car.

 

[Bird]

The only thing I can think to add is a little information about shimming, (mine came with a bunch of loose washers), which goes between the WD hitch head and shank portion of the hitch.

Dave, some will have that and some will not. My first one was a Reese and did not have those washers. I later had an Eaz-Lift and it did have. In fact, I had bought a new little 18' travel trailer, but pretty heavy for its size, and let the RV dealer install the hitch on a 1970 Olds 88. When I took off, the thing was surging going down the road. The RV dealer couldn't figure out why, and back then, I didn't know either, so he sent me to a place that specialized in hitches. The owner of that place just took one quick glance and said to raise the hitch head one notch (one inch) and add one more washer to tilt the ball back a bit, and that fixed the problem.