WD hitch on while backing up?

[rwoods61]

We recently upgraded from a hybrid to a full TT. At the dealership, the salesmen made sure to reminded me NOT to back up with the WD hitch installed.

I have been towing with a WD hitch for 4 years and have never removed the WD hitch prior to backing up. Mainly because I forget and there have been no adverse effects. If there would have been consequences then I would have remembered!

Now that my camper is heavier and since the salesman reminded me again, I have to ask WHY? Are the physics different going backward then they are forward? I need help understanding. Do I need to remove my WD hitch bars prior to backing up?

If it is needed, I have a inexpensive Curtis WD hitch with Torsion bars and chains.

rwoods61

[dougford]

gijoecam: You have to listen to the dealer. He knows you have to remove the WDH, becasue as soon as you put the TV in reverse, the WDH reads the "R" in your shift display on the dash and sends a signal to the flux capacitor in the dihydrogen monoxide regulator. At that point it knows it is going to have weight "pushed" against it instead of "pulled." I have seen many muffler bearings burnt out because of this.

rwoods61: Hopefully the dealer also sold you the plastic lightning rods for your camper...those are a must have!!!
By now, you've all figured out that I'm full of the stuff that goes in the black tank....:B

[gijoecam]

rwoods61 wrote:
We recently upgraded from a hybrid to a full TT. At the dealership, the salesmen made sure to reminded me NOT to back up with the WD hitch installed.

I have been towing with a WD hitch for 4 years and have never removed the WD hitch prior to backing up. Mainly because I forget and there have been no adverse effects. If there would have been consequences then I would have remembered!

Now that my camper is heavier and since the salesman reminded me again, I have to ask WHY? Are the physics different going backward then they are forward? I need help understanding. Do I need to remove my WD hitch bars prior to backing up?

If it is needed, I have a inexpensive Curtis WD hitch with Torsion bars and chains.

rwoods61

Your first mistake is listening to anything the dealer told you with regards to towing. It amazes me how someone who sells travel trailers for a living can be so clueless as to the function of the hitch.

When I was told this once in a campground, I asked two questions:
1) How does the hitch know which direction I'm travelling?
2) What damage could occur if I don't?

No, the afore-mentioned sway control interference can be a concern depending on your particular rig. If the sway control was not installed properly, or if the trailer tongue has a protrusion for the safety chains that can contact the sway control at certain angles, then yes, it may be possible to damage the sway control, but that can happen in reverse, or while going forward because, again, the hitch components have no idea which direction they are traveling.

[pappcam]

Terryallan wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
Use a standard old fashioned Reese WD bars and never remove them. I do remove the sway bar. First one I purchased, the dealer say, when backing up, it could cause the little ball on the hitch to break off. Not good. So I never took the chance ... 3 TT later, still doing that! I NEVER back up with the sway bar on. WD, no problem there.

I remove my swaybar at the office when I check in. As for the WDH bars. Nope. Removing the bars will over load your receiver. Read it. Weight carrying, (No WDH) 500lbs. WDH 9500lbs

That's exactly what I do. I've never removed the WD bars parking my trailer.

[OhhWell]

I know you are definitely supposed to take off the friction bar but I have even gotten lazy and left that on if I didn't have to cut it too hard to back in. I don't see any reason to take off the tension bars as long as you don't have the chains so tight that the bars will hit the A frame.

[LynnandCarol]

I think he meant the sway bars. I remove them while DW is checking at the office.

[owenssailor]

Our first trailer came with an ezilift WD system complete with a bent antisway bar. I bought a new bar. The instruction sheet to remove when backing up and also to not use it in slippery conditions. I often backed up with the bar on but never when making a sharp turn in reverse. The bars and chains always stayed hooked up.

With the new trailer I put Equalizer system on. No reversing or bad weather concerns.

[Gsturner]

dalehelman wrote:

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
Agree. I take friction sway bar off when backing but never the bars. 5 trailers doing this with never a problem.

X2

X3 I usually remove, or at least back off the friction on the anti-sway bar before a tight-turn back up. The worst I've ever done in a ridiculously tight turn was to shear the hairpin spring pin on the WD bar (EazLift). I always carry spare pins, so no sweat there.

[trail-explorer]

Never heard such a thing as to needing to remove the weight distributing hitch while backing up. In fact, if the hitch is "removed" then how is one supposed to back up with the trailer?

[samsontdog]

I have been towing TT for about 55 years and not once have I removed the sway bar or WD hitch when backing up !! I tow about 10 to 12,000 miles a year

[skipnchar]

Everyone backs up without removing the wd hitch. Your dealer was probably talking about a friction bar anti sway which is universally advised be removed for backing (though I never once followed that advice and never had an issue) just be careful not to Jack knife when backing so the bar is either over compressed or over extended

[JBarca]

rwoods61 wrote:


Now that my camper is heavier and since the salesman reminded me again, I have to ask WHY? Are the physics different going backward then they are forward? I need help understanding. Do I need to remove my WD hitch bars prior to backing up?

If it is needed, I have a inexpensive Curtis WD hitch with Torsion bars and chains.

rwoods61

Is this the WD hitch you are referring to? http://www.curtmfg.com/Category/80/Weight%20Distribution

If so the salesmen mixed up his wording and odds are high he was "not" referring the physical WD hitch. The physical WD hitch with the WD bars does not need to come off when backing up or going forward. The truck and trailer does not distinguish between directions.

He may have been referring to the friction sway bar which is part of the anti sway system. http://www.curtmfg.com/Category/78/Sway%20Control%20Units

Again the truck and camper do not know the difference going forward or backing up. A slight back up with the friction bar on it not a concern. The recommendation often times stems from that you can by accident back into a tighter turns backing up then when going forward. And in those tighter turn situations in some case you can bend the friction sway bar on the ball coupler or in a fast backup, pinch the friction pad by quick retractions and bend the bar. So they throw out the one size attempts to fit all and have you only remember , "never back up" with no explanation behind it.

The dealer did this to us when we bought our pop up years ago. My wife was convinced the sway bar was going to explode the minute I put the truck in reverse... and as such she reminded me of it every time...

Good luck with your new rig.

John

[rwoods61]

That's is what I thought! The physics does not change so why remove. Thanks to all for the confirmation. I will consider removing my sway bar!

rwoods61

[Mvander]

I think that is one of thoses myths that wont go away. Like once you use synthetic oil you cant go back to regular dino oil. I dont remove anything to back up.

[dalehelman]

Jack_Diane_Freedom wrote:
Agree. I take friction sway bar off when backing but never the bars. 5 trailers doing this with never a problem.

X2