OK I have a question for all of you that pull enclosed trailers behind your TCers.Let me describe what I've got. I have a Road Force 7X14 ramp 7000# enclosed trailer. Originally I was only going to haul either my ATV of my Harley in it. Well after a bunch of measuring I found that our Mazda MX5 well fit in it also. So with just the ATV or the Harley I was not going to worry about WDH setup as the most it would weigh would be in the range of 3000 to 3500#. Now with the MX-5 I'm looking at around 5000# weight.My rig is a 2013 Ram dually with a 14,000# GVWR and a RAWR 9750#. I have Torklift Stableloads on my truck but that is the only suspension enhancements I have. Before I put my Stableloads on with my camper loaded and ready to go I was not even setting fully on my overloads. My camper is a NL 10 2 CDSE which is 3000# dry. I have weighed it on the truck ready to go camping and I have a total weight of 12,200# The rear axle is just over 7,000#. So I'm under my GVWR by right at 1800# and under my rear axle rating by 2750#. I have a Super Hitch with a 36" Super Truss extension. Now according to Torklift I can have 650# tongue and 6500# trailer without a WDH.Now after all the background do you folks that tow trailer feel I need a WDH for my setup and also a sway control?I have never towed a trailer that needed a WDH hitch. The have always been lighter trailers and boat trailers with a max weight of around 3000#. Didn't have a need for the WDH or sway control with it.Thanks for the help.

Hi,The supertruss is the right hitch to use in that situation! I am happy to see that those hitches have become more popular, with well educated truck owners who are concerned about safety and are willing to spend the money to buy something really strong.The weight distribution hitch equipment will help by moving some of the trailer hitch weight from the truck to the trailer axles, with the bars pulling upward on the hitch head and downward on the front of the trailer A-frame where the spring bars attach. At the same time, it will twist the hitch head at the truck end forward, applying some weight to the front axle of the truck. In your case, you really don't "Need" weight transferred from the rear axle to the front one. However it has been discovered that a WD hitch can help with ride stability and in windy conditions. Also some hitches are only rated at 5,000 pounds without WD hitch, while are rated at 10,000 pounds trailer weight while using a WD hitch set up. Your supertruss is rated much higher than a typical hitch, due to it's heavy construction. Still I would guess it has a higher rating while using WD bars?I would suggest using WD bars while you carry the car. It probably will tow smoother while you carry the heavy bike with the bars on too. Have fun camping!Fred.

Hi Butch50 - we tow an enclosed tandem axle trailer at up to 6500lbs behind our SRW 3500 on a SuperTruss, while hauling the camper. We use an AirSafe suspension hitch, and a weight distributing coupler with about 200lbs of weight distribution to the steer axle. Goofy as it sounds, our truck with camper and trailer rig rides better towing the trailer on this setup than it does without the trailer - there is less fore and aft "jiggle" across sharp expansion joints etc. The best sway control is correct weight distribution between the trailer axles and the hitch but you have towed lots and know those "rules" min 10% of trailer GVW on the hitch blah blah blah. This will be easy to achieve trailering your car - park the trailer on a scale, uncouple, get trailer GVW, then hook up, pull ahead till trailer axles are on the scale alone, then move the car until the trailer axles weigh max 90% of what the whole trailer GVW is. Wa la - that is where you tie down the car every time. The wheelbase and weight of your tow rig will overcome any sway the trailer tries to put on it if the trailer weight distribution is correct. The AirSafe is our best "bumper towing" equipment addition ever.

Thanks for the suggestions. Like stated I haven't pulled any heavier bumper pulls but I have pulled big 5ers, up to 22,000#. So this WDH is new territory for me and I'm learning.

I tow 5000-8000 lbs behind me. Although I can carry the hitch weight when loaded lightly, I find the weight distribution hitch does give a better ride (less porpoising) and reduces sway even though I never attached my friction sway device up. I have to agree that all the weight of the TC plus truck makes it hard for trailer to push you around.If the trailer does not sway and does not cause your rear suspension to oscillate, I see no reason to add a WDH at this point.

Yes, get a WD hitch. I used one even with my 6x12 tandem axle Road Force (Wells Cargo mid-line) trailer, even though at most I only ever had 1500lbs in it, and that was a rare occasion.

Question about WDH hitches for your TCers | Good Sam Community

Steelhog
Explorer
Jun 28, 2014
I'm definitely going to add a WDH but first I want to go to a slightly shorter Supertruss extension. I mis-measured a couple years ago and as it turns out I should have gone with a 21" instead of the 24". That would have the receiver flush with the rear end the camper. With what a hitch adds in length I'm guessing one could actually go a few inches shorter and keep the receiver face tucked under the TC rear bumper a wee bit. Not that it changes the weight rating but I like to pull the ball when parked so I don't bang my shins. Now I just need to find someone with the reverse of my situation.
Butch50
Explorer
Jun 28, 2014
My camper is a Northern Lite and dry it is 3000# and loaded it is 3700#. I have a 2013 Ram dually and when I'm loaded I am under my GVWR by 1800# which is 14000#. I have a little over 7000# on the rear axle that is rated for 9750# with 65PSI in the tires. If I aired up the tires to 80PSI (which they are rated for 80 load range E) the rear ale would be capable of over 11,000#. The rear axle is rated by AAM of over 11,000#.

Thanks for the recommendation of 600# bars. This is in the range that I was thinking of also.
twodownzero
Explorer
Jun 28, 2014
Butch50 wrote:
twodownzero wrote:
It is somewhat surprising that anyone who has ever used a WD hitch would even ask this question. The only time I have ever not used a WD hitch is when the trailer tongue simply would not support the use of the WD brackets.

Otherwise it is a no-brainer. The cost isn't enough to warrant going without if it's available. No matter what your tow vehicle, unless you're towing less than 5k lbs., a weight distributing hitch is a must.

Can you get away with it? Yes. Should you even try? Hell no, unless you're towing a popup camper with a semi tractor. Otherwise, I think you'll see after just a few trips that a WD setup is worth its cost 100% of the time.

I really don't appreciate your kind of snide response "It is somewhat surprising that anyone who has ever used a WD hitch would even ask this question." Are you trying to say I'm an idiot for asking such a question? If you reread my first post you may notice that I have never had to use one a WDH because I have never had a bumper pull that is heavy enough to require one. Most of the time even those small trailers have been towed by a dually when they were being used.

I have towed a lot of trailers that are over 17000 and up to 22000# but they were all 5er's and you don't have a WDH on those. All of my bumper pull trailers have been at most 3000 to 3500#. So there has never been a need for WDH so this is all new territory for me. That is the reason I asked. If you feel it is a stupid question then please pass on and don't respond. With a response like that is not helping anybody that is asking questions to learn something new that they have never had to do in the past.

That is the thing I am towing less than 5000# or at most right at 5000#. When I tow my ATV I'll be less than 3000#.

I Think I well go ahead and get a WDH but I have no idea what weight bars should I get? From what I have seen is they are around 500 to 1000# bars. I don't think I would ever need more than that.

Now since I have decided to get a WDH setup I have heard that you shouldn't back up with the bars or the Sway control hooked up. Is this true?

As you can see I'm a complete neweebie at this WDH stuff.

At 5k lbs you're probably not going to notice much difference with the WD when using a full size tow vehicle. I would still recommend it if you're using a big camper though because it'll help you force the front axle to share the load.

600 lb bars will probably work just fine for you.
Butch50
Explorer
Jun 28, 2014
burningman wrote:
I think if I were you I'd get a small 12v winch and just pull the car in with it rather than driving in.
Might save your paint and trunk lid too :)

The main area of concern is going through the door. Once in I have over 7" on each side of the car to get out and side walk beside it to the rear which is a very short distance and I'm at the back. Maybe 4' or so. I won't be crawling over the trunk lid. Our Miata is a hard top convertible and I don't plan on climbing on top of the hardtop cover as I think it would cause a lot of damage or put the thing out of adjustment.

Before I buy all of the WDH I'm going to do a trial load to see if it works. If I don't feel comfortable with it then we won't be hauling it. I'll just continue on with adding the tow bar to the front of our Jeep and I'll tow it 4 wheels down.

I plan to set the Jeep up also later so we can take it with use for off road exploring. Depends on what type of trip would dictate what vehicle we would take with us. The Jeep, Miata, Harley or the ATV.

If I'm just taking the Harley or ATV I know I won't need a WDH for that light of load. Max weight between the trailer and either one would be about 3500#. The trailer weighs just over 2000# and the Harley trike weighs 1300#.
garryk6
Explorer
Jun 28, 2014
ticki2 wrote:
Another vote for a WDH , you will feel the difference if it is adjusted properly . I would suggest one with the dual cam sway control rather than friction sway bars . The friction type are not nearly as good and have to be adjusted differently for wet and dry conditions . I have two hanging in the shop for years . With your set up I would go with lighter bars , the heavy bars were meant for the sedans and wagons of yore that had soft suspension . Something has to flex or you will rattle the trailer to death . With a stiff truck you want the bars to flex .

I am in agreement with ticki2. The dual cam sway control not only control sway, but they eliminate the binding when backing due to the design of the bars and cams. I have towed a 30' TT for a lot of miles behind an Excursion, and a suburban, and I also did it without the dual cam sway system, and it is night and day! I have also towed just about every other size and type of trAiler, many with WDH's and many without. My preference is towing a tandem axle with the dual cam, even my empty flatbed car trailer. Ticki is also correct to match your bars with your tongue weight. So if you are going for about 600lbs tongue weight, the 500lb (each) bars should be fine, and still allow some extra capacity. They make bars as high as 1500 lb bars.

Last summer my brother moved from Kodiak Alaska to Minneapolis, and packed everything they could into a 24' wells cargo. He was pulling with a 3/4 ton suburban with the 8.1 v-8. The trailer weighed 13,000lbs! This was at the upper range of the trans, hitch etc. the factory round tube hitch was beefed up, and he ordered a dual cam hitch set up with 1500lb bars. They then drove some of the roughest roads around from Kodiak, to Seattle via the ALCAN, the across the northern states to Minneapolis. No breakdowns, no problems. Just bad mileage ;-) 6 to 8 most of the trip. He had never pulled with a WDH, and now swears that if he ever pulls again, he will use one again.

Hope this all helps.
Garry
burningman
Explorer II
Jun 28, 2014
I think if I were you I'd get a small 12v winch and just pull the car in with it rather than driving in.
Might save your paint and trunk lid too :)
Butch50
Explorer
Jun 27, 2014
burningman wrote:

Someone mentioned setting up a consistent, ideal spot to tie the car down… it's a 14 foot enclosed trailer. A Mazda Miata (I have one) is 13 feet long. It's not like he's got many options about positioning!

You have got that correct. :B By the time the car is in there if you want to change your mind you'll have to go outside to do it as there is no room in the trailer to do it. The top has to been left down as I well need to crawl out from behind the wheel and then I'll have about 7" to work my way to the front or back to get out of the trailer. I wish I had thought of this when I ordered the trailer as I would of had a door installed on the drivers side also. Would make it much easier to get in and out.

Before I decided if this was going to work or not I went into the garage and put the top down and then seen if I was able to crawl out from behind the wheel. I could do it but it is a job. At 6' 1" tall and about 250# I really don't have much room in it without such antics. :S
burningman
Explorer II
Jun 27, 2014
I use an Equal-I-Zer and love it.

There's an extra reason to use a WDH besides weight distribution: they make it virtually impossible for your trailer to ever accidentally come off the hitch. That's half the reason I use mine, often when I don't have enough weight on to need it.

Someone mentioned setting up a consistent, ideal spot to tie the car down… it's a 14 foot enclosed trailer. A Mazda Miata (I have one) is 13 feet long. It's not like he's got many options about positioning!
Butch50
Explorer
Jun 26, 2014
Thanks, that is what I had heard. I guess when I back into my drive I'll need to take the bars off. I have to cut it pretty tight to get it lined up then pull ahead a little to straighten out and then I'm straight back.

Thanks for the help, it is appreciated from a guy that has never used this setup. Being able to get the experience of a lot of people is what makes this a great site. Even for us old time seniors on here we can always learn new stuff (even when a person is a senior in life also and not just on the site).
bjbear
Explorer
Jun 26, 2014
I back up all the time with my WDH bars in place. I have read that it may not be advisable, but I have never had a problem. I am carefull, to make sure I do not get more angle than what I would have in a tight forward turn.