I have about dialed in my preferred "rig" to be assembled. Have a new 2014 Ridgeline. Will get a brake controller installedWill most likely purchase a 14db Livin Lite at 2500# dry weight, and add no more than 1000# of additional weight including water and everything, basically putting my lightweight backpacking gear in the trailer. 3500# is my target max weight. Hopefully much lighter as we are looking to be upscale backpackers.Questions: is there a brand of brake controller that is preferred. Next, it comes with electric brakes with surge brakes listed as a $910 msrp option. Which do I want/need? My Ridgeline book notes to NOT use a weight distribution hitch. Anyone with experience in this area with a Ridgeline?Does an anti-sway controller system even exist, and is this recommended or different than a weight distribution hitch.Constructive comments and links to more info welcome. Thank you.

Surge brakes do not require a brake controller in the tow vehicle. They activate when the trailer pushes on the tow vehicle as the tow vehicle stops. I have no experience with them, but I don't think they are the way to go.I'd suggest a Prodigy P3 (~$200) as a brake controller. I had one, they work well.There are many types of anti-sway systems, I'd look into a friction bar type. They are about $100 or less.Here is one installed, the other bars you see are the WD system.

Welcome to the forum!!! I see that you're fairly new.Brake controllers, there are several types. 1st, the most expensive, are the types that hook up to your vehicle and know how much brake pressure you are using and applies a proportionate amount of brake pressure. The DirecLink brake controller, at over $300, fits this.2nd type uses a sensor to determine how much you are slowing down, and to give a proportionate amount of trailer brake. The old ones used a pendulum, and the new ones use potentiometers (spelling??). The good ones are the ones made by Tekonsha, mainly the P2 and p3.3rd type, which I would avoid, are the time based ones. These slowly give more trailer brakes the longer you hold your foot on the pedal. These are the cheapest, and I suggest not to use.Electric vs Surge Option, I would go electric. I don't like surge brakes. There is no way to control them. As you slow down, the trailer coming into your tow vehicle activates a master cylinder and gives you some braking.As far as using a WDH, I would go over to the ridgline forum and talk to people there. Quick google search shows people using a WDH. I think they can best answer you.You can get anti-sway without a WDH. eTrailer.com is a great source for all of this stuff. It is basically a friction bar that helps to prevent sway.

No experience pulling a small TT, but did pull a tandem axle U-Haul box trailer loaded to the max (about 4,600#) 1,200 miles to Bolder, CO form Portland, OR with my daughters 06 Ridgeline. Truck did fine i was quite impressed about 500# hitch weight, her and I traded off driving and it did great no WD no sway bar just correctly setup for the trailer. The U-Haul had surge brakes that did fine, though I would lean to the electric with in TV controller.

HOW A WD HITCH WORKS & WHAT IT IS - VIDEOWD and SWAY CONTROL FAQThis should answer a few of your questions.

Having pulled trailers with both electric and surge brakes, I much prefer the electric for a TT application. If it were a boat trailer going in/out of the water, especially salt water all the time, it would be a different answer. I certainly wouldn't pay extra for surge brakes in this case.As far as controllers go, I have a Tekonsha P2 in both my vehicles and have been very happy with them. For me, they offered the best of both worlds in that they work great but are still reasonably priced.I can't answer for the WDH system for a Ridgeline except to say that if you need a WDH to transfer some of the tongue weight from the rear axle to the front axle, there isn't really a substitute for it. With our setup that is about the same weight you are looking at, we don't need a WDH because I have little to no unloading of the front wheels when hitched. But I'm also towing with a much heavier duty truck with a much longer wheel base.I do run a friction sway control like the one pictured above mainly as cheap insurance. I've never experienced any sway with our set-up even without the sway control, but given the relatively low cost (as low as $40-$50) of the system and ease of using it (adds maybe a minute to the hitching process), it didn't make sense not use it. It only has to prevent one incident involving damage to more than pay for itself.

2014 Ridgeline towing Livin Lite 14db questions.

rhagfo
Explorer III
Apr 01, 2014
No experience pulling a small TT, but did pull a tandem axle U-Haul box trailer loaded to the max (about 4,600#) 1,200 miles to Bolder, CO form Portland, OR with my daughters 06 Ridgeline. Truck did fine i was quite impressed about 500# hitch weight, her and I traded off driving and it did great no WD no sway bar just correctly setup for the trailer. The U-Haul had surge brakes that did fine, though I would lean to the electric with in TV controller.
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Apr 01, 2014
Welcome to the forum!!! I see that you're fairly new.

Brake controllers, there are several types. 1st, the most expensive, are the types that hook up to your vehicle and know how much brake pressure you are using and applies a proportionate amount of brake pressure. The DirecLink brake controller, at over $300, fits this.

2nd type uses a sensor to determine how much you are slowing down, and to give a proportionate amount of trailer brake. The old ones used a pendulum, and the new ones use potentiometers (spelling??). The good ones are the ones made by Tekonsha, mainly the P2 and p3.

3rd type, which I would avoid, are the time based ones. These slowly give more trailer brakes the longer you hold your foot on the pedal. These are the cheapest, and I suggest not to use.

Electric vs Surge Option, I would go electric. I don't like surge brakes. There is no way to control them. As you slow down, the trailer coming into your tow vehicle activates a master cylinder and gives you some braking.

As far as using a WDH, I would go over to the ridgline forum and talk to people there. Quick google search shows people using a WDH. I think they can best answer you.

You can get anti-sway without a WDH. eTrailer.com is a great source for all of this stuff. It is basically a friction bar that helps to prevent sway.
ib516
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2014
Surge brakes do not require a brake controller in the tow vehicle. They activate when the trailer pushes on the tow vehicle as the tow vehicle stops. I have no experience with them, but I don't think they are the way to go.

I'd suggest a Prodigy P3 (~$200) as a brake controller. I had one, they work well.

There are many types of anti-sway systems, I'd look into a friction bar type. They are about $100 or less.

Here is one installed, the other bars you see are the WD system.

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2014 Ridgeline towing Livin Lite 14db questions.

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