# Weight Distribution Hitch



## mikey

Ok, lets talk hitches.

I was told by several that I should invest in a good weight distribution system for more effective handling and towing.

If I were to get one, what would be the best to get? I have heard good things about the equalizer hitch and I have heard mention about the Hensley hitch. What is better, pros and cons of any hitch you use or know about?

Will a weight distributions system make that much different when towing a travel trailer?


----------



## l2l

The system will MOST definatly help in towing especially with sway on the highway. 

As for which one is better I will leave that up to the more knowledgable people here but I would recommend one for sure!


----------



## ctfortner

Here is some info on this also. I dont have one for my current camper, but is tops on the list to buy this year. I get a good bit of swaying when towing, especially beside 18 wheelers. I have been researching the different brands, and here are my thoughts.

The equalizer costs around $500, last time I checked. They are not the cheapest, but they are not the most expensive. This hitch is nice because it works as a Weight Distributing Hitch and Anti-sway bar all in one and one of the few I know of that don't require holes drilled into the trailer hitch.

I havent used this one before, but its what I plan to buy. Maybe some others here could share their experiences with this brand, or others they have used.


----------



## outbackshack

I have one and don't have any complaints. But I don't have anything to compare it to because this is the only one I have ever used.
I found one here for about $400 and I believe free shipping. RVWholesalers.com , Towing , Equal-i-zer Hitches and Accessories , Equal-i-zer Hitch


----------



## heruide

Mikey, There are a couple questions that you need to address.

First, are you currently having problems with sway while driving on the highway? If that is the problem then adding sway control like this might solve your problem. Of course if your tongue weight is 10 to 15% of the trailer weight you might not even need a sway bar.

Second - is the issue that the tongue weight of the trailer is depressing the rear of your tow vehicle so it is not level? If that is happening then a WDH is one answer. Of course you have to first determine if your trailer AND hitch is capable of having a WDH attached to it. Check with your trailer dealer and look at the TV receiver. If you can use a WDH you will see two set of weight numbers on the receiver. I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH which has built in sway control. It is very heavy duty but it also more expensive than some of the other units on the market.

Ruide


----------



## mikey

Thanks for the info guys.

I do tend to feel it swaying a bit, but only when passing an 18 wheeler or something big like that. It doesnt do this all the time.

It is definitely not level, when I hook the camper up, it squats it down pretty good. The dealer I said I should get one, but I didnt want to spend that kind of money then, but I do need one.


----------



## heruide

Mikey, I agree that you do need a WDH with sway control. If you have not done this already you need to weigh the trailer (fully loaded) and find out your tongue weight. You will need that in order to determine what WDH bars you need to order. Of course you should also check and make sure you are still under the WDH weight limit for your hitch.

Ruide


----------



## happiestcamper

I agree, a WDH makes it a lot better when towing. But don't make my stupid mistake. Whenever I check in, I remove the WDH because I don't want it on when I'm backing into a site (same with sway control - the jack knife effect of backing in will bend them). Anyway, one time I raised the jack, and removed the bars. So far, so good. I missed the crucial step before I drove off - RAISE THE JACK!

Fortunately, I was able to use the spare tire jack to raise it up and remove the bent jack. And the campground had just done some tree cut downs, so I was able to roll a big log under the trailer at the site and put it down (almost perfectly level).

Now I have a new jack, and always double check before driving off.


----------



## mikey

Man, thats terrible happiestcamper. Welcome to the site too by the way!

Sounds like you had a bad break, although many things in your favor working for ya, could have been much more of a challenge.

I didnt realize you would need to remove them to prevent jack knifing. How much trouble is that, to remove and put back on? I thought it was quite a process installing these things, or is that just the initial install?


----------



## happiestcamper

The initial setup is the most work. You want to get your vehicle and trailer on a level surface. Unhitch, then get your trailer level. Adjust the hitch on the truck so that it is level to where the tongue hitch is, use a yardstick to measure the distance of your rear wheel well to the ground. Raise the trailer, and couple. Once you have the coupling secured, raise the trailer as much as needed to attach the chains (yes, it will raise the rear of the truck at the same time). Once you have the chains on, raise the jack. Measure the wheel well height again - it should be as close as possible as when there was no trailer. If still too low, raise both again and move the chains up another link.

Once you know which chain link to use, it's rather quick to put on (and quicker to take off).

The advantage is you have now the tongue weight to all four tires instead of the just the rear.


----------



## bramm

mikey said:


> Thanks for the info guy.. The dealer I said I should get one, but I didnt want to spend that kind of money then, but I do need one.


The dealer we saw Mikey explaied we would probably need a WDH but he didn't mention the Hensley Hitch, and thank goodness at the price of them :shocked: ..after doing some research on WDH's...

Stephen


----------



## pjeffreysr1

We recently picked up a new Wildwood Xlite rig at RV-Wholesalers. LOVE it and the Equal-i-zer WD hitch. Only one thing is bugging me: seems like with the rig hitched the truck (07 Sierra, ext cab, short bed, 5.3 Iron block V8) seems to 'pull' to the right. W/O the rig, no 'pull'. The hitch makes some really LOUD popping and scraping sounds, especially from the left bar. Could the friction on the left bar be set too tight?


----------



## l2l

Sounds to me like you have the hitch too tight, try losining the chains one notch :thumbup1:


----------



## meredog

I found that if you are having difficulties backing with the sway bars attachec that the small ball it attaches too on the trailer hitch is not in the proper place.
the measurement on my sway bars were 24" ball to ball


----------



## meredog

the tension chains should be the same on both sides/ do you have sway bars / they will often "pop" if the balls they are attached to are not properly spaced


----------



## coachbob

*weight distribution hitch*

I've been campiing for many years in everything from a tent camper to a 16 foot hard side to my current 33 foot Puma. Regardless of size I would not pull a travel trailer without a weight distribution hitch. Recently in travelling from Ohio to Florida pulling a 20 foot rockwood mini lite we drove through winds with gusts up to 50 miles an hour...absolutely no sway! We only stopped because we were getting about 3 miles to a gallon of gas. 

In all of my trailers I have used the Equalizer hitch and it is worth every dime invested in it. The equalizer has heavy steel bars that sit on an "L" clamp on the V bars at the front of the trailer, it has no chains just steel on steel. Equalizers can be a bit noisy at first until they are broken in...don't worry about it, nothing will break and you are in no danger. Even after they are broken in they may squeak and squawk a bit when you round corners but to me it is a good noise, the sound of safety! The weight distribution hitch is so good that when my nearly 7,000 pound trailer is connected to my Chevy Express 3500 van it looks as though the van has nothing attached to it. It is perfectly level and pulls like a dream.

While I can't comment on other hitches I think I do have enough experience with Equalizer hitches to give them a resounding vote of confidence. With the price of the hitch you get total peace of mind. That alone makes it number one in my book. 

Additionally I have talked via email and over the phone with the Equalizer people at their home office in Utah and found them to be exceptionally helpful and pleasant. Equalizer is a winner all the way around (and no, I don't work for them, never have and don't know anywone there).


----------



## badbowtie

This is the one I have and I have no problems with it all works well. You can go to ebay and put this in and it will come up
Trunnion Bar Weight Distribution Hitch+Sway Control


----------



## andyj1006

well Jon the happiest camper helped me again. thank you (wdh)


----------



## happiestcamper

BTW, I have found out since that it is okay to back up with the WDH. Still, you need to remove any sway bar control before backing up in case of jack knife.


----------



## iflyskyhigh

*2007 Tundra CrewMax 4x4 5.7L w/ 2010 Keyston Cougar 298BHS*

I am going to purchase the Cougar and need to a WDH/Sway control setup to match.

I have never owned or towed an RV, but do have experience operating heavy duty tow vehicle/trailer combination's. 

Dry weight of the trailer is 7900#'s. Max trailer weight is 10,875#'s. Tongue weight is 715#'s. My vehicles max tow rating is 10,100 so obviously I will not ever reach the GTWR with my current tow vehicle. Max payload is 1495#'s and must take into account ALL occupants, cargo, and tongue weight (a full tank of gas, spare tire, and all fluids are accounted for and do not need to be included when calculating payload according to Toyota documentation).

I have done all the calculations and 3 and half months of research and feel comfortable with the truck/trailer combination. So please don't bash me and tell me that the Tundra CAN'T pull this trailer. I'm sure a 3/4 ton Chevy/Ford/Dodge would pull it easier, but again, I don't plan on maxing out the towing/payload capacity of the truck and am comfortable with the setup. 

I'm strictly looking for info on the WDH/Sway setups.

What is the difference between dual cam and friction setups?

What are the advantages of and disadvantages of each?

Do I really need to spend $2000+ on a ProPride or Henley hitch? I don't doubt they are worth it, but will the Equal-i-zer do the the job?

There is very little price difference between the 1000/10000# and the 1200/12000# versions. Will I see a performance increase if I step up to the 1200/12000# version even if my tongue and trailer weight never exceed the 1000/10000#?

It seems like the versions offered by Curt, Reese, Blue Ox, and Equalizer are all very similar. I would like to hear personal experiences from use of the different brands, and what you like and dislike about that particular brand. Right now I'm leaning toward the Equal-i-zer brand. Seems like it's got a solid reputation/track record with a reasonable price.

Thanks for your help and time. It is greatly appreciated.

Ryan


----------



## iflyskyhigh

*Not sure if you are still looking, but...*

I picked up my new TT on Tuesday morning and the whole experience was a hoot.

I arrived at the sellers house around 10 in the morning. I had had the hitch I ordered (Reese Straight Line Dual Cam) shipped straight to the sellers house to make sure it was there when I got there, and to save me from hauling the extra weight all the way across the country. We started installing the Reese Straight Line DC WDH/Sway control hitch after he gave me a quick tour of the trailer to make sure it was as describe. Well...Okay... the guy I was buying the trailer from started to install the hitch and I just helped hold stuff. This guy was a pro. It was obvious he possessed this skill set and knew exactly what he was doing. A few disclaimers. This guy was a machinist, a mechanic, and a carpenter. He was completely set up and ready to go when I got there. And he had had the hitch to look at over the weekend, so he had already read the instructions and formulated a plan of action. Not to mention he had every type of professional tool you could think of. He had the whole hitch installed and perfectly set up in about an hour and a half, it may have even been a little less than that. Would I have been able to install the hitch by myself? Yes, but it would have taken MUCH longer and I would have had to buy some new tools. If you plan on doing this yourself, figure out exactly what you need before you start or this could turn into a really expensive hitch by the time you factor in all the new tools you need to buy to install it. Not to mention the time involved running back and forth between the hardware store. Spend some time reading about the mechanics of the hitch and how it works. It will make it seem much more intuitive when you go to install it.

If anyone is interested, I ordered the hitch from rvwholesalers.com. The whole set up (1200/12,000 pound version) cost me $615 to my door. They weren't very helpful, but the price was right and the shipping was quick. If you get the Reese, make sure you order a shank and ball, as neither is included in the kit.

With the hitch installed the front of the truck stayed perfectly level and the rear squatted about a 1/2 inch. There was nothing in the trailer except for some water in the holding tanks, maybe about 60-65 gallons total in the various respective tanks (500 to 600 pounds). The tongue weight of the empty trailer is stated as 715. Logic would dictate that as the trailer weight is increased so does the tongue weight. Using the same ratio, at 8500 pounds, the tongue would be around 800 (realistically probably somewhere between 1000-1100, maybe a little less). The truck, however, was evenly loaded down with all my******(probably 200-300 pounds) for my extended stay in the trailer. There is also a hard tonneau cover on the bed which I'm guessing weighs 100 to 150 pounds, and the Toyota rubber bed mat (it's a heavy SOB), and a spray in bed liner. What I'm trying to say is I have no idea exactly how much payload I had in the truck. I'm probably estimating on the high side for everything, but again who know for now.


On the road, the Tundra, the hitch, and the TT performed perfectly. If I didn't say it already, I'm using the Prodigy brake controller set at 7.5 (it may need a little more as the trailer weight increases) and the boost setting at number 1. The Tundra pulled the trailer effortlessly. It was solid, smooth, and never once did it feel overwhelmed. The braking was superb as well. At one point some idiot talking on her cell phone cut me off as she tried to merge from an on ramp forcing me to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting her. Not even a hint of upset. The Tundra's brakes combined with the brake controller bled off the speed flawlessly, and more importantly, in a straight line. This can also be attributed to the Reese hitch. The Reese is one beefy setup. Yes it adds weight, and yes it's a little more than the Equal-i-zer, but man am I glad I ponied up and got it. After 250 short miles I will tell everyone who will listen to use this hitch. I know I have nothing to compare it too, but I can't imagine anything else would do any better, especially for the price. I drove on paved and unpaved roads yesterday. I drove on highways, city streets, and rural two lane highways and back roads. It was wet, dry, and even muddy at some points. It rained for a little while, and there were moderate wind gusts. I kept watching my mirrors, waiting for this white knuckle trailer sway phenomenon I kept hearing about for the past couple weeks, but it never came. The Tundra, hitch, and trailer just tracked straight as an arrow the whole way no matter what. I do not think I could have artificially created a better test run environment than I had yesterday.


----------



## armandjones82

I think having a good Hitch like CT Johnson Brand and the like would really be a good way to use for that matter. Would you like to try that in order to really get things done? Hope things are well by now.


----------



## artmart

Warning to iflyskyhigh... I realize your post is from some time ago, but I hope you've checked a few things.

Are you sure about the tongue weight? If your trailer GTWR is 10,875, then your tongue weight should be 10% to 12% or as much as 15% of the GTWR (depending on where you put your cargo). This translates to 1,088, 1305 or as much as 1,631lbs!

I expect you'll be around 1,100-1,200 and there are plenty of WDHs to support that weight. I hope you have since weighed your rig to confirm. If you are over the only way to solve your problem is carry less cargo or move it to the rear so the weight is carried by the tires and not the tongue. Whatever the case both the GTWR and GVWR should be maintained.

Carrying overweight in time will weaken or wear out components much quicker than not. There's also the horrible chance that a component will fail and that could be even worse to your gear or yourselves.

Remember the maximum ratings for the rig and vehicle consider more than the engine, transmission and springs, there are also shocks, brake assemblies, axles, differential, drive shaft, wheel bearings, tires and wheels, probably other stuff I haven't mentioned, too. All of these together must be considered. Just adding higher capacity wheels and tires will do no good because you don't know if this was the weak point.

In my case I had an overweight problem. But I was fortunate that I had a Ford F-250 and the only difference from a higher capability F-350 was a FORD overload spring, brackets and larger wheels and tires. Most other vehicles cannot be upgraded this way and get a "certifiable" increase in GVWR. I was able to add the upgrade the suspension and put on the larger wheels. The last step is to get to a certification station and have the truck recertified. But since I am not a commercial vehicle and only use this for private use, I don't have to incur the cost unless I want to. Trust me, it took 4 months of research and for all you naysayers out there THIS IS COMPLETELY LEGAL! I know more than most DMV clerks and many CHPers out there on how weight compliance works.

Aftermarket springs, air bags, helpers, etc. will NOT cut it - I guarantee that there will be fine print that says so. Do not believe their salespersonnel. I have proven every salesperson WRONG when I dug out THEIR documentation and SHOWED them. Their eyes widen as expected with that "Oh crap" look on their face, but they'll probably sell their stuff anyway saying it solves your overweight problem because they are about sales, and compliance is the user's responsibility.

Be safe everyone. I would agree that any trailer above 4,000lbs should use a WDH. Because it helps shift the towed load to the total of the truck this helps take the weight off just the rear end. The truck will tow more level (and you don't blind oncoming traffic at night) and you will have more control. You will still some kind of sway control (incorporated or separate gear) to prevent the blowbys from fast traffic or from driving in crosswinds.


----------



## WV Camper

I have had both the equalizer and the reese dual cam. I prefer the Reese but they both work fine. With the Reese, you can start with just the WD and add the dual cam later. That is what I have done with my current hitch (spreading the cost out a little) and camper and while I will likely add the dual cam this spring, it does not sway now. As others have said, if you keep the weight forward, it will tow properly. One lesson I seem to have trouble learning is to not sell the hitch with the camper.

Mike


----------



## reinreb

Mikey, yes as many have said, you should invest in a Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH). The money is money well spent. The WDH will make a big difference. Over and above the WDH, which contributes to sway control, there is a the anti sway mechanism or kit. This further contributes to the smooth ride along side 18 wheelers.
In my case with Gulf Breeze Ultra-Light the WDH doesn’t cut it alone, so I bought the anti sway kit (friction model). It helps greatly and is worth the money (($100 Canadian). 
The best way to envision the WDH mechanism is that it serves as a solid connection between the tow vehicle and the towed (toad). It makes it one solid horizontal mass so that weight is not focused on the connection but through from the front wheels of the tow vehicle all the way back to the wheels of the TT.
A really important note: yes the chain links must be equal on both sides when hooking up the WDH. Always be extra cautious when releasing the chain hitch with the bar handle extension as it will kick and bite down hard with the release of the chain and if your legs are not in the right place will take a chunk of skin from your leg on its way downward. Stupid lesson I learned the hard way.


----------



## alexramsey

I've used this setup for every TT we've had. No issues and no complaints. I went on the beefy side when ordering and got the 1200lb setup.


----------



## alexramsey

I've used this setup for every TT we've had. No issues and no complaints. I went on the beefy side when ordering and got the hitch 1200lb setup.


----------

