Short Tow with WDH

[Ridger]

Hi all,

I'm looking at purchasing a private used trailer (24') long and it doesn't have a WDH and sway control with it. My TV is a Toyota 4runner which has a short wheelbase (109"). There is a trailer dealership approx 20km's (12 miles) away from the guy I'm buying from, but it's all Highway (no other way to get there) with a speedlimit of 110kph (70mph)... but I can of course drive slower.

Would I be okay to pull the trailer without WDH and Sway control to the dealership where I am getting them to install a WDH with sway control?

I may be able to have the dealership tow it with a bigger truck to their shop for me (I haven't asked) but arranging the timing and such will be a bit of a pain perhaps as I don't know how long it will take to go over the trailer functions with the seller. To add to this, is that the location is 2.5hrs away from me, so not easy to go back and forth.

Thoughts?

[camp-n-family]

Still looking eh Ridger? Just thinking about you the other day when I perused the old forum.

Not really recommended to tow without the WD hitch as you can guess but you'd likely be ok as long as the tongue weight doesn't exceed the receiver rating. I used to drag mine home from storage just with the ball (about 10k) and never had a problem but then again they say most accidents happen close to home. Why not just go a little early and install the hitch yourself? It's not that hard once you understand the basics and only requires basic tools. Most dealers don't install them correctly anyways and they'll need to be adjusted once you load the trailer up so you should know how to set them up yourself.

Glad you finally found a camper.

Jet

[Road_Ruler]

Even with an average WDH you will have a marginal set up.

You really need to be installing a "Hensley or Pro Pride" level of connection system.

[TomG2]

What does Toyota say? Check your hitch rating. See what the owner's manual says. Someone on here will probably tell you that you are good to go. What would that prove? Towing without WD and sway control when it is required is not a good idea.

[Ridger]

I do have rear air-suspension in the 4runner so that would help the rear sag, but I hear what your saying about the potential for sway.

[carringb]

No way. Short wheelbase is really a killer for towing without WD. You probably won't even be able to see the roadway because it will be that nose-high. You'll have very little steering control because it'll pull so much wight off the front. Even though you aren't going far, the first gust of wind or passing truck on the highway could really unsettle things at those speeds.

Do yourself a favor and just rent a U-haul. All the new ones have a 2" receiver so you can tow with any size ball, and they have 7-way connectors now.