can tongue weight be too light for WD hitch?

[tomo1250]

Hello all, I have decided on what RV to get and will be purchasing my first travel trailer this week. I just ordered my truck last week. So now I need to decide on a hitch. My questions are: can a tongue weight be too light for a WD hitch? Are there any benefits to using a WD hitch with a very light tongue weight?

Thanks

[beemerphile1]

Ignore the trailer dry weight, at best it is meaningless and probably is nowhere near accurate.

At 5,700# gross the tongue weight (TW) should be an absolute minimum of 570# and will tow better if between 684# and 855#.

Minimum TW of total weight 10%
Suggested TW of total weight 12% - 15%

[Ivylog]

So you are saying a F250 is NOT designed to have a load of 1500+ lbs put in the bed. That the steering geometry is only correct at the unloaded state... nothing in the bed. That a PU handles better with a 60/40 weight ratio than a 50/50. In the winter time some extra weight in the bed will not help the traction/control in the snow.:S
OP, your 440 max lbs of tongue weight is 73% of the NON WD rating of your hitch. I think Ford knows more than some on here who never haul anything in the back of their PU.

[westend]

Ivylog wrote:
You DO NOT NEED WD as the rear axle will still be lighter (have less weight on it) than the front axle. Why would you want to make the front axle even heavier and put more weight on the trailer tires? Why does Ford rate the hitch for 600 lbs WITHOUT WD? I'll answer that difficult question...BECAUSE YOU DO NOT NEED WD!

All of this is incorrect.

[owenssailor]

Ivylog wrote:
You DO NOT NEED WD as the rear axle will still be lighter (have less weight on it) than the front axle. Why would you want to make the front axle even heavier and put more weight on the trailer tires? Why does Ford rate the hitch for 600 lbs WITHOUT WD? I'll answer that difficult question...BECAUSE YOU DO NOT NEED WD!

The rear will have more weight and the front less when hooked up to the trailer than it has not towing. A WD hitch will let the truck - and the steering geometry return to the unloaded state. Also many WD hitches incorporate sway control. Can the OP tow without a WD hitch? You. Will it be more relaxing and comfortable with one. I thinks so - esp if it has sway control

[Ivylog]

You DO NOT NEED WD as the rear axle will still be lighter (have less weight on it) than the front axle. Why would you want to make the front axle even heavier and put more weight on the trailer tires? Why does Ford rate the hitch for 600 lbs WITHOUT WD? I'll answer that difficult question...BECAUSE YOU DO NOT NEED WD!

[TXiceman]

You will still need a WD hitch just to put some weight back on the front axle. Plus the truck will ride better with the WD hitch. You will also need a sway control.

Once loaded, your hitch weight will be closer to 10 to 12% of the trailer GVWR. Too light on the hitch and it will tend to sway.

The poster saying he adjust hitch weight and does not use WD is looking for an accident. Best to have the hitch weight closer to 12% of the trailers loaded weight.

Ken

[tomo1250]

The truck is a 2015 F250, crewcab, 6.5' bed. The trailer is a Lance model 1995 23'9', GVWR 5700 lbs, dry weight 3700 lbs, hitch dry weight is 260 lbs. I calculated the tongue weight to be between 380 and 440 lbs. Can you tell me if I am calculating the tongue correctly? And if the tongue weights are correct, should I use a WD hitch?

Here is how I figured min. and max.tongue weight
minimum tongue wt. = Dry hitch weight + ((max cargo weight * 60%) * 10%))
260 + ((2000 * .60)*.10)= 380 lbs.

maximum tongue wt. = Dry hitch weight + ((max cargo weight * 60%) * 15%))
260 + ((2000 * .60) * .10)=440 lbs.


The 60% is what I understand the trailer weight distribution of cargo front and 40% back
The 10% and 15% is the range the tongue weight should be

Should I add the weight of the hitch to this? (but I don't know what hitch I will get)

The maximum truck tongue load is 600 lbs. with a non WD hitch and 1250 lbs. with WD hitch

[ChooChooMan74]

They make light weight systems for that.

[Golden_HVAC]

2,000 pound pop up, and 300 pounds on teh hitch, yea, it is a little to light to use a weight distribution system, in fact you might bend the frame on a really light pop up. .. .

What do you have?

Really?

Fred.

[old_guy]

the manufacture will tell you the tongue weight. if under 1000 lbs get a 10K WDH.

[Ivylog]

What truck and how little tongue weight? I rarely use WD as I can adjust the amount of tongue weight by where I place the load/ machine. WD is used to take weight off of a overloaded rear axle and shifts it to the front axle and the trailer.