Are they worth it?

I've heard they are worth it if you're pulling a travel trailer, but I'm just towing a jeep on a 16+2 dovetail flat bed.

They're about 200 on Ebay.....are they worth it? Will the traile pull that much better or is more of a prevention of overloading the rear?

TIA

 

They are worth it. You won't really need the anti-sway seeing as your rig won't catch much wind but the WD aspect of it really is amazing.

 

oh yeah, the wd hitch is worth it. but they come in sizes by tounge weight, and if you get too stiff a one it does not work well. estimate the tounge weight and get a hitch with the spring bars for that weight. If it matters, one thing the equalizing hitch does is makes the rig ride better.

 

I agree 100% with what woodperson and LFD2037 said.

By the time you add the weight of the trailer (~2500lb) and the Jeep (~3000lb), you are towing 5-6000lb. That will sag almost any truck. A WD hitch helps shift some weight onto the front axle and raise the hitch close to factory height, making it easier and safer to tow.

Tony

 

Load your trailer up and then when your wife isn't looking grab the scale from the bathroom and weigh your tongue. Sometimes I've had to borrow my neighbors too.

 

I use it towing my rig around, and it helps. Its also made a few of my friends put them on their rigs as well.

For a better price, look in Craigslist, they are cheap on there.

 

Best weight-dist hitch made:

www.equalizerhitch.com

Have had one for years. Love it. Has built-in sway control too.

Rob

 

What kind of brakes are on the trailer?

If you have surge brakes,you need to be sure and buy a W/D set-up that will work with surge brakes.

 

Good point too. And the Equalizer works with surge brakes too (they even advertise that).

I really hate surge brakes.

Rob

 

This is a picture of our 14K GVWR, 20' steel bed, tilting equipment trailer (weighs about 3K) and our old Kubota B26 (about 5500lbs+/- with hoe and loader), so right at 8500lbs +/- and my little old 2500 is sitting just at level...I don't have airbags on her yet either. I think that a lot of the problem is how people load their trailers. I'm not talking about anybody specifically on DTR, I am talking about even my friends at home that I have seen first hand load their trailers incorrectly, such as driving their cars all the way to the front of the trailer just because it seems to be the best idea at the time. WHERE you load the vehicle on the trailer is a big factor in whether or not you need WD or not. If you have a 20' trailer and can move the load forwards or backwards to distribute the weight YOURSELF, why not save the couple hundred bucks it costs for a WDH? Now, I'm not saying pull all the way to the front of the trailer and squat the heck out of your rig...NOR am I saying pull all the way to the back and lift the rear end of your rig off the ground...but if you have a stock truck that naturally sits a little lower in the front like they come from the factory and your truck is sitting level like mine in the pic below, chances are you have distributed the weight properly...

Although I am buying a weight distributing hitch because we upgraded from the B26 to an L39 which is at 7,000lbs so that I can get a little more stability...it was not needed in this case at all. Trailer pulls great behind the truck, even at 65mph...pulls straight as an arrow, zero sway, maybe a little herk and jerk when going over speed bumps, but that's it. I have made 200 mile trips with this setup without weight distribution with fantastic results.

I'm not bashing weight distribution at all...I just don't think that it's needed until you hit the 10K mark with equipment or vehicles behind you...HOWEVER, and this is a BIG however...if you are pulling an ENCLOSED car hauler or a travel trailer/toy hauler and it's bumper pull...I think that you NEED them PERIOD, not matter what the weight...simply because of all the added wind resistance. I have pulled my buddy's enclosed car hauler with his Mustang in it (about 6K total max) and I must say, I would have LOVED to have had WD as I was getting a little sway any time the wind would gust...same went for our old 24' travel trailer, and it only weighed about 5K with all of our stuff in it...wind resistance is a HUGE factor in weight distribution and sway control, I believe.

 

I agree with everything you said...when you have a variable load. i.e. a tractor, car, rocks, etc.

However, when you have a camper in the bed of a truck that weighs 3000lb, you don't have too much choice about weight distribution. Now, add a trailer that gross's more than 5000lb and you can really be setting yourself up for an imbalance that can lead to a roadside catastrophe.


Agreed!

Actually wind resistance and side wind plays almost entirely on side-to-side sway. That what sway controls are for.

Imagine a properly set up trailer, with the load offset for just the right amount of tongue weight and tows in a straight line just fine: no porpoising (up-down) or sway (side-side). Now put the same vehicle in a 20-30mph cross wind on a smooth road. The whole rig starts swaying, until something gives or brings it back under control. There are a lot of different sway control methods out there.

My point is that even if the tow vehicle and trailer are set up right, sway and porpoising can still happen; it takes an experienced and educated driver to tow and tow right.

Tony

 

The way I see it is the factory hitch is rated at 500 or 600 lbs, keep it at that and you don't need a WD hitch. If the hitch weight is over then you should have one. With an equipment/car hauler trailer you can position the load to achieve the 500 or 600 lbs but with a RV type trailer it's not so easy and pretty much the hitch weight is what it is and most likely you will need a WD hitch.

 

My truck only squats 1.5" with the 1,500# tongue weight of my trailer, and the hitch is rated for that weight. But I do use 1,400# WD and find that it helps suppress vertical hinging motion on the ball that sometimes sets in when you are on the highway and hit seams on the road at some resonant frequency. The whole rig feels a bit stiffer and more stable with WD.

 

Definately worth it. I had my receiver stolen in CO. one summer. I couldn't find a replacement. I bought a 2 5/16 ball and put on a regular reciever. It really Ved down my truck, even with overload leafs on it. Get one, they are worth it.

 

There is much more than just a level truck when talking WDH...

I was never a huge believer since a properly loaded trailer wouldn't dip the truck... well I tried on on my little 18' TT with a max TW of 600lbs.... WOW what a HUGE difference... the trailer just tows better, period... Safer, easier, less bounce, more control...etc.... And thats just a little trailer with a light setting on the load leveling, with sway control...

They are worth every penny.. Based on my experience my dad is adding one to a horse trailer, which is not common... but they work like a charm....