Anyone else still using old style WDH.

I know what the problem is with mine, just trying to get it corrected. I have too much transfer forward and back, making the ball light. I have the ball at the proper height, trailer is level, but my front fender well is 1/8" below unladen, and adding a link doesn't transfer much at all, so pulling a shim. The TW on my trailer is 11% with a full FWT and there really isn't anything I can take out of the rear that will reduce tail weight. Besides that, on the 14, with the same hitch, it towed perfectly well with 11% TW. The only time I had an issue was when some moron in a Sprinter passed me at high speed on a curve, and was so close that our mirrors almost touched.

Camper G wrote:
If you have sway your hitch is not set up right. You may need more tongue weight or a deeper drop shank for the f150 to get the trailer level. I doubt its a problem with your hitch unless the trailer is too heavy for the 800 lb bars good luck.

I think you meant to say - If you have sway your trailer is not set up right. :W
Barney

If you have sway your hitch is not set up right. You may need more tongue weight or a deeper drop shank for the f150 to get the trailer level. I doubt its a problem with your hitch unless the trailer is too heavy for the 800 lb bars good luck.

Been using a Husky RB with 800 pound bars since 2000. Bought it to tow a horse trailer with an Exploder. Last year I bought a Coleman CT274BH and transferred it to that trailer. Once I got it configured for the 2014 RWD F150 it pulled fine, but had to add one friction bar to it. No sway, just a light push when a semi passes, which is expected, and no bounce.

Last Jan, my 14 got totaled and made the mistake of replacing it with a 2016 F150, and now I am having a heck of a time getting it dialed in to work with the new truck. Now the friction bar is too tight and cocking the steering wheel left or right after making a turn, yet, still getting sway above 65 MPH, and a little bounce up when going over a large bump.

Considering upgrading to one of the newer style hitches if I can't work it out on attempt #3.

Thanks for everyone's input. I have no plans of changing my setup either, because it just works. If the design didn't, it wouldn't have been around as long as it has. Safe journeys to all.

BTW, if any of you have seen the "Long, Long, Trailer" movie with Lucille Ball, you might notice they HAD TO USE a dolly with wheels under the trailer tongue to carry the tongue weight of the trailer because there was no WD hitch at the time, and even if there was, the WD system would wreck the frame on the sedan like the one that was used in the movie. The WD system by EZ Lift was pure genius.

TexBohunk wrote:
Have been using the same old style round bar WDH and a single friction sway control for almost 7yrs now. Its a Pro Series with 800lb bars that I got from e-trailer. My new F250 doesn't require WDH for towing. I still use it because I have it, and tends to help with porpoising. Have heard about the dual cams, and Equalizer setups. Just curious how may others still use old school WDH. If anyone is using the newer types what benefits have you experienced over the old style WDH.

I don't use it now, but I towed with and old EZ Lift system like you describe for about 9 years. When I first got into this game, we bought a 25 ft TT and i bought the EZ Lift off a friend for $100, as he'd moved up to a 5er and just had it sitting in his garage. Properly setup, the system works fine. We went all over the country with it. Only reason I don't have it now is I threw it in with the deal when I sold the old 25 ft trailer.

EZ-Lift invented the WD hitch back in the 50's or 60's and it's basic design is still the most commonly seen system on the road! That's because when the EZ Lift patent ran out, everybody copied the design, ie, Husky, Reese, Drawtite, and many others. Simple design that really works.

The only "sway" I have ever experienced with any of my trailers with the original Eaz-Lift is the little jiggle that sometimes can be felt when being passed by large vehicles on four-lanes. That sensation only happens if I forget to tighten the friction sway bars. After I tighten them properly, no more jiggle.

The old-fashioned, original-solution hitches still work well.

Old style? You can still buy them new. Reese trunion style for me, see no reason to change.

We towed our first TT with an old Quality S trunnion style WDH with no sway control. Eventually left the spring bars off and it towed fine for seven years. Three 5th wheels later, we're back in a TT. I bought a Reese HP trunnion style with integrated cams in case I felt we needed some sway control. Only with a cross wind and constant trucks passing like we have on I-75 and I-10 does the minor steering corrections get tiring. I recently picked up a barely used Equalizer 4 point for a song and it takes all of the waggle out of the rig. We don't need it but it's nice to have. I didn't want to drill into the trailer's frame or I'd have added the sway control arms to the Reese.