We have a recreational trailer that we take off road for camping. Should we unhook the weight distributing bars when traveling on rougher roads?

 

I never unhooked mine before on bad roads and never had a problem.

 

The only time I would unhook them is when you are going to drive through an extreme dip where the truck will be nose high and the trailer tail high. That puts tremendous stress on the hitch and trailer frame and can unload the drive wheels enough to cause spin on gravel. otherwise leave connected is ok.

 

The idea of dropping the EQ bars comes from the concept that climbing on a dirt road would possibly require a bit more weight on the rear wheels for traction. Disconnecting the bars would drop the weight back on the rear wheels.
As stated above this is actually rarely ever necessary.
I drive a 4WD, so if I really am worried about traction on a steep dirt road, I engage the front wheel drive.