New trailer: WDH, Generator

canuckystan wrote:
I'll be picking up a new Rockwood Geo Pro 16BH in May. Dealer said I should try without a WDH. Also said solar panels can keep batteries topped up.

Trailer is 3000 pounds dry. Towing with 2014 F150 with tow package to 13,000 pounds. Thoughts on WDH?

Also, do you think I should invest in an 800w Generac generator? How long would that take to re-charge 2 6 volt batteries? No TV, no air con, no intention to run anything off a generator, strictly using batteries for basics like water pump, furnace fan, maxxair fan, etc.

800W is IMHO way to small a generator to charge batteries in any reasonable time, and depending on the converter you may find it overloads the generator and your SOL. 1000W is marginal and will work with a 35-45A converter. To reasonably quickly charge 6V that are well discharges IMHO means at least a 55A preferably 75A converter, which also means a 2000W generator. A 50% discharge pair of GC needs 100AH to get to full charge. at about 80-85AH it's time to shut off the generator since charging current will drop. So a 45A converter will take over 2 hours to get you the 80ish AH after accounting for losses. A 75A converter will get you there is about an hour.

Solar is nice, but IMHO it doesn't eliminate the need for a backup generator. Properly sized it's great when
1) your parked in the sun
2) your solar setup is properly sized.

Now, park in the shade either because that's all the campsites, or you want the shade to stay comfortable, or the days are cloudy, and your out of luck.

I have solar on the roof (360W) and 360W of portable panels. between the two, if the suns out it more than keeps up with our needs. But give me 3 or 4 cloudy days or late fall/early spring camping and generator eventually needs to come out.

Tow it home without the WDH. Full size pickup with towing package has no probs with 3K# towed. See how it feels. My overall opinion is get a WDH.
SWAY is another matter, especially from winds.
Just bought my first real TT, similar to what you are getting, about 3100# dry weight. Have cargo trailers 3.5K# and had a tent camper before.
I was on the fence on getting a WDH. Dealer strongly recommended one and had a used one from somebody upgrading their TT and needing a stronger WDH. Got it installed for $250, Husky WDH rated for 400 to 600 tongue weight and 4K-6K tow weight. After driving the 150 miles home, I am SOLD on using a WDH. This type has the solid brackets on the trailer A frame vice chains so it is also anti-sway. The tow vehicle stays leveled out. Overall, except for my tow vehicle's power, it was a dream towing. No sway, stable ride, no bouncing, trailers brakes worked super. Driving down the interstate, you only knew you were towing was the blockage in the rear view mirror and slowing down (a lot ;( on hills. My tow vehicle is a 2008 Ford Explorer 4.0L V6 with factory tow package. I hope to get a year or two towing with this.

canuckystan wrote:
I'll be picking up a new Rockwood Geo Pro 16BH in May. Dealer said I should try without a WDH. Also said solar panels can keep batteries topped up.

Trailer is 3000 pounds dry. Towing with 2014 F150 with tow package to 13,000 pounds. Thoughts on WDH?

Also, do you think I should invest in an 800w Generac generator? How long would that take to re-charge 2 6 volt batteries? No TV, no air con, no intention to run anything off a generator, strictly using batteries for basics like water pump, furnace fan, maxxair fan, etc.

Unfortunately you haven't provided anywhere near enough specific information about your new Rockwood Geo Pro 16BH nor your F150 for anyone to say for sure what your best answers are but based on experience I'll give it this go ...

With a brochure listed dry weight of 2874 lbs chances are this trailer's actual sticker weight as it arrived at the dealer could be 3000 lbs, to which you would then have to account for the weight of those two 6 volt GC-2 batteries you want to add plus the weight of any water you may travel with. With a CCC of just 1046 lbs, some of which will be lost to these aforementioned items, your actual remaining CCC will be much less, which in turn means that chances are this trailer's GVW loaded & ready to camp could easily reach it's maximum GVWR of 3900 lbs. That in turn means that it's gross tongue weight at a minimum 13% could easily exceed 500 lbs which is likely the maximum load you should put on your F150's hitch without the benefit of WD. That being the case I'd personally recommend you do invest in a properly sized and adjusted WD system. With this size of trailer and considering your F150's decent wheelbase I'd probably not bother with a separate friction sway bar, just as I don't with my own setup pulling a 4800 lb trailer with my Silverado, using just a trunnion bar Reese WD, no sway control.

JMO but if you're considering a genset like this 800 watt Generac I'd suggest you instead invest in 2000 watt Champion inverter genset that will easily handle the tasks you have in mind. It's often on sale at Canadian Tire and you'll find that factory parts and support are far more readily available than for Generac.

Solar? Nothing wrong with the idea BUT if you plan to camp on well shaded sites as many of us here in Canada do it won't do you much good. Unfortunately you haven't indicated where in Canada you are or where you intend to camp but I wouldn't underestimate the impact of camping in shade will have on any plans you may have for solar, not to mention that solar just isn't as effective this far north as it would be in much more southern, desert areas of the US.

Congrats on your new trailer. :B

Keep in mind that dry weight is not going to be your actual weight. Your hitch without a WD setup is probably limited to 500#. At 13% tongue weight I think you be close to your weight limit. Also as previously mentioned with a WD hitch you will add sway control

This is a very simple quick test to see if you need a WDH. Before hooking up the TT to the TV, measure the distance from the ground to the fender above the front wheel. Attach the TT to the TV and measure the same location. If attaching the TT raises the front end of the TV by more than 1/4 inch, then you need a WDH.

canuckystan wrote:
Thanks - if that's the case, will solar do much better? Trailer does come solar ready with a zamp type plug in near the tongue.

time2roll wrote:
800 watts is probably too small to properly charge the battery. A Honda 1000 (rated 900va) will barely put 40 amps into the battery. Most converters now are 55+ amps and frequently operate at a fixed voltage giving the battery just a trickle charge.

Get the trailer and post the actual converter model number for best answers.

Solar is great down south parked in the sun. Hard to know if you need 200 watts or 400+ while camping.

Get the trailer first. Go on a few short trips. Two golf batteries will get you through a couple nights on the weekend with moderate conservation. Recharge when you get home. Watch your battery voltage. Or find an electric site and see how that goes.

Then revisit the solar vs generator debate. You will have plenty of other stuff to worry about during the first few trips.

The 12 Volt Side of Life

Even if you don't need a WDH for sag they're great for sway control. I've towed with and without and other than out little 12' utility trailer I won't tow without.

I agree with the dealer; try it w/o WDH first.
I pulled a 4500# TT for years without one - just didn't need it.

canuckystan wrote:
Just wondering if I even need a WDH, dealer says no.

Not enough info.

What is GVWR of trailer, dry weight is worthless?

What is payload capacity of truck, what gear will be in truck, how many people in truck?

Your tongue weight will be 12 - 15 percent of the trailer GVWR. The tongue weight, gear weight, and passenger weight will all be subtracted from the payload capacity.

Sizing a solar system

You might try things without the WDH. Do make sure the trailer is level and the tongue weight is 10-15% of the trailer weight. Add a WDH if the rear of the truck squats very much, or the steering is squirrely.