Question about WD Hitch

[4x4FF]

Guys, I have a question about weight distributing hitches. FWIW, my question concerns a 26' cargo trailer weighing about 9k loaded but I figure you guys are the experts in this area. I have an F250 but have airbags installed on it because I also haul a 5th wheel. When I hook the cargo trailer up to my ball hitch it droops the back end of the truck a little bit but nothing really bad because of the air bags. Is it really necessary to use the load bars or not(I'm not talking the anti sway bar...I mean the weight distributing bars)?

I figure it probably is best to use them but just wasn't sure. What do you all think?

Steve

[Community Alumni]

MudChucker wrote:
Found a decent youtube...

Youtube Video.


the epiphany moment is at 6:20.

Wait, I'm really confused. Did you just post a video validating what the others were saying? I mean when you look at the results it clear that the WDH is distributing weight while the airbag system still has the weight concentrated on the rear axle of the truck.

[myredracer]

One big reason alone that you will need a WDH is because the receiver is only rated 600 lbs tongue wt. and 6,000 lb tow capacity without a weight distributing hitch. We have an F250 and our TT has a tongue wt. of about 950 lbs. There's absolutely no way I'd tow without one because of the amount of weight that is removed from the steer axle making it far too light and unsafe. I towed our TT for a while without the sway control installed (Reese dual cam arms) and the handling was awful despite having the WDH properly set up. A cargo trailer isn't as tall as a TT and you may get away without sway control.

Do you have any idea what the tongue weight is when the cargo trailer is loaded and ready to tow? You might want to invest in a tongue scale. One problem with flat deck and cargo trailers is that it is easy to load too much weight ahead of or behind it's axles. With a TT, once it's loaded for camping, the tongue wt. doesn't vary a whole lot. A 9,000 lb cargo trailer should have a tongue weight of absolute min. 900 lbs and up to 15 percent, or 1350 lbs is what you want to aim for. Can go a bit higher than 15 percent as long as the truck has the payload capacity.

I've noticed our F250 does sag a bit more than I would expect for the amount of payload it can carry but have never felt the need for air bags. You also want to make sure the trailer is level to slightly nose down and the use of air bags can affect this. I ended having to get a ball with a 1" rise to get from slightly nose up to slightly nose down and it made quite a difference.

[LIKE2BUILD]

4x4FF wrote:
.....26' cargo trailer weighing about 9k loaded....I have an F250 but have airbags installed .....Is it really necessary to use.... weight distributing bars)?

Steve,

Here's the short answer: If your receiver is rated for the tongue weight, it's no problem to just use air bags. If not, you need the WD system so that you're within ratings.

The real thing to look at is the ratings on your receiver. That 9K trailer probably has 1,000lbs tongue weight or more. Is your receiver rated for that much WC (weight carrying) capacity? If not, you'll need to use the WD bars so that you're within the limits of the receiver.

My old truck was a chevy 2500HD and I installed an aftermarket receiver with 1500lbs WC, 15,000lbs WD rating. My TT has about 800lbs tongue weight. Technically, I could pull the TT without weight distribution and be well within the limits of the receiver and the truck. I did that a few times and found more bounce and spring action than I preferred. When I used my WD system (nearly always) the connection between truck and trailer felt much more secure and made bumps and bridges much easier.

KJ

[MudChucker]

Found a decent youtube...

Youtube Video.


the epiphany moment is at 6:20.

[MudChucker]

Doh..

[TomG2]

To the OP: What does Ford have to say on the requirements for WD on your F-250? I would follow their advice.

[Durb]

Below is a post I made in the towing forum yesterday in response to an OP that had severe sway problems with a moderate sized trailer on a decent truck. I thought air bags could be his problem.

Do you have air bags? I've seen the scenario more than once ( especially with on board compressors) where the driver loads the weight distribution with the bags under low pressure. They then air up the bags to level the truck and go higher than the unloaded height. This has the effect of unloading your weight distribution bars. If your hitch has anti-sway incorporated with weight distribution then the anti-sway effectiveness goes away. It also stiffens the rear suspension creating a fulcrum which unloads the front tires. The trailer is now nose high and starts to sway, the driver freaks and adds more air to the air bags making things worse.

Your weight distribution system should bring your hitch up to 1" below your unloaded height. Your air bags should be deployed to raise the truck to unloaded height only.

I was following my son and his trailer was dancing all over the place. I called him over to the side of the road where we unloaded the air bags and increased his WD springs by a link. Completely different tow. Many think air bags are a panacea, they aren't.

[4x4FF]

Thanks guys!!!

I think you pretty well answered my question. I'll go ahead and use them.

Steve

[nike_holley]

MudChucker wrote:
Funny...so let's firs think about this. You hook up your trailer your front wheels are in the air, 4x4FF and I hook some pipes to the rear bumper and we lift as hard as we can to level the truck back out. Westend wants to drive away, 4x4FF and I would rather drink beer than ru n with these pipes in our hands so we chain them to the A frame of the trailer

That's your WD bars I action.

So...if all your doing is lifting the back end to level out the trailer, corecting the geometry and redistributing the load on the tow vehicle...

What will the bars do the the air bags won't ?

Exactly nothing.

Sorry... but nope...

with airbags... the pin-point center of the load is still centered behind the rear axle...

With bars... the load is transferred somewhere forward of the rear connection point... thus loading the front axle more...

Air bags would actually make it slightly worse... raising the vertical height of the fulcrum point of the load... causing more 'prying force' on the truck frame... especially in a turn or side load...

It's geometry...

Nate

[Yabbut]

MudChucker wrote:
Funny...so let's firs think about this. You hook up your trailer your front wheels are in the air, 4x4FF and I hook some pipes to the rear bumper and we lift as hard as we can to level the truck back out. Westend wants to drive away, 4x4FF and I would rather drink beer than ru n with these pipes in our hands so we chain them to the A frame of the trailer

That's your WD bars I action.

So...if all your doing is lifting the back end to level out the trailer, corecting the geometry and redistributing the load on the tow vehicle...

What will the bars do the the air bags won't ?

Exactly nothing.

Sorry, but that's not correct. Air bags and WD bars do very different things.

Air bags alone do not change the amount of weight on the front or rear tires. They act as a second spring in parallel with the metal spring, between the frame and the axle. Since the metal springs (with the bags) are now carrying less weight, they flex less, so the rear of the truck rides higher. But the rear tires still see the same total load.

WD bars also take weight off the rear metal springs, but unlike the air bags, the WD bars will also take that weight off the rear tires and transfer that weight to the front springs and tires.

In other words, air bags change rear ride height and rear spring rate, but not tire loads. Only WD bars change front or rear tire loads.

[MudChucker]

Sorry, double post

[MudChucker]

Funny...so let's firs think about this. You hook up your trailer your front wheels are in the air, 4x4FF and I hook some pipes to the rear bumper and we lift as hard as we can to level the truck back out. Westend wants to drive away, 4x4FF and I would rather drink beer than ru n with these pipes in our hands so we chain them to the A frame of the trailer

That's your WD bars I action.

So...if all your doing is lifting the back end to level out the trailer, corecting the geometry and redistributing the load on the tow vehicle...

What will the bars do the the air bags won't ?

Exactly nothing.

[westend]

Use the bars would be my suggestion. You want to get the weight back onto the steer axle.

[rebel1965]

I have air bags also but I had the same question recently and it was explained to me like this:

Air bags will raise your rear end to level the pickup but the weight remains concentrated on the rear axle. WD Hitch will shift weight off of the rear to the front (axels).

I hope I'm correct and right!