W/D Hitches

[stevemorris]

we need to replace/upgrade our w/d hitch, at least ive been told so by a couple of dealers

we tow a 21 ft 2600 lb(dry) so probably closer to 3200, tandem axle travel trailer with a dodge Dakota pu. when we bought the trailer 6 years ago it came with a wd hitch and we had no issues leveling everything. but I cant level it now!! trailer is level but the truck squats in the rear.

the hitch is an older model(20 yrs or so) where the weight bars slide on the top of the trailer A frame for sway control. we've done almost 50,000 km on this tow combination with no issues except the levelling

suggestions? the pro series from reese is everywhere around here, off the shelf, comments?

[Wes_Tausend]

...

With the exception of just a few specialty hitches, all WD hitches work effectively the same way including equal performance. Some do have some minor handier features for connecting. IMO, they vary widely in price, mostly because of promotional hype.

I recommend Eaz-Lift brand WD hitches. One reason is that they were the original WD hitch invention and probably still make the special spring-steel WD bars for other brands, as they did for years.

The most important reason for using Eaz-lift is that they are the most economical. If you buy new, they come in at around $200 complete for up to 800#'s/ tongue rate which should be sufficient. There is nothing wrong with similar used hitches, if they are not too worn either. Save your money for fuel. It won't be cheap forever.

I would consider ordering from Camping World or PPL in Texas for best prices and service.

P.S.
I'm actually using an Eaz-Lift now although I still own the expensive Hensley in my sig.

Wes
...

[stevemorris]

the dealer is ron clark motors, they are a ford dealer and have an rv dealership as well, not sure what rv s they sell though

they are near sarnia, Ontario, an hour west of London, 3 hours west of toronto

[Nvr2loud]

stevemorris wrote:
we paid a visit to our local rv dealer yesterday, one of those old school friendly family owned type places so rare these days and described the issues

the hitch we have is still available, but for our trailer they recommended an upgrade. they carry the husky brand, an 800 lb tongue wt, 8000 lb trailer wt all installed/setup etc etc for around 500 bucks with sway control. if smaller bars are needed, the'll just switch em over

sure a little pricier than buying online and fiddling with it myself, but somethings are better left to the experts

these are the type of people who will sell you used stuff if the budget is tight, I replaced the 20 yr old waterheater with a 5 yr old one and got a longer but used awning/roller from them already, plus a used fridge door and a used roof ac cover, my kind of dealer!!

Which dealer is this?

[Dream_Girl]

fireman41 wrote:

GrandpaKip wrote:
Look at the Andersen hitch, also. It works extremely well for us.

X2 on the Anderson no sway.
With a trailer that small it would have no problem moving the weight.

X3
I tow a 3200lb trailer (when fully loaded) with the Andersen No Sway WDH, very easy to install/adjust and only weigh 53lb !

Believe me - if I can do this by myself - ANYBODY CAN DO THIS!

[stevemorris]

we paid a visit to our local rv dealer yesterday, one of those old school friendly family owned type places so rare these days and described the issues

the hitch we have is still available, but for our trailer they recommended an upgrade. they carry the husky brand, an 800 lb tongue wt, 8000 lb trailer wt all installed/setup etc etc for around 500 bucks with sway control. if smaller bars are needed, the'll just switch em over

sure a little pricier than buying online and fiddling with it myself, but somethings are better left to the experts

these are the type of people who will sell you used stuff if the budget is tight, I replaced the 20 yr old waterheater with a 5 yr old one and got a longer but used awning/roller from them already, plus a used fridge door and a used roof ac cover, my kind of dealer!!

[danimal53]

for smaller TT, i love the E2 hitch that i have. 600lb TW bars, 6,000lb max TT weight. Easy to setup, has worked very well so far for my needs.

I believe if you were to ever get a larger TT, the only thing needed is to change the bars, everything else is the same.

[fireman41]

GrandpaKip wrote:
Look at the Andersen hitch, also. It works extremely well for us.

X2 on the anderson no sawy.
With a trailer that small it would have no problem moving the weight.

[beemerphile1]

Level and/or rear squat means nothing. The purpose of weight distribution is to restore the original weight on the front axle back to the axle for proper handling/steering.

When you put weight on the hitch, the truck should squat just like when you put weight in the bed.

BTW, if the factory dry weight is 2,600# the loaded weight is likely wayyyyy over 3,200#. First step is get the trailer weighed while loaded and ready for camping.

[stevemorris]

the truck suspension is fine, new shocks, good springs, rides level normally
yes the hitch is the now discontinued reese. the ball mount rotates to adjust bar tension and the wd bars reach back and up to the top of the a frame where they slide on brakepad material for sway control. the ball mounted is adjusted for max transfer

reading the specs for it indicates that we are definetly near to or over the load specs

https://www.google.ca/?gws_rd=ssl#q=reese+mini+350

my link doesn't seem to work

http://www.reeseprod.com/products/weight-distribution/light-duty-wd/350-mini-wd/xihofqeC8HJjZZHcC5mjH4C2gQ0U38ci

[Ron_Gratz]

stevemorris wrote:
the hitch is an older model(20 yrs or so) where the weight bars slide on the top of the trailer A frame for sway control. we've done almost 50,000 km on this tow combination with no issues except the leveling.

Can you post a photo of the hitch?

I've never seen a WDH which has weight bars which slide on the top of the frame. Seems as though that would make it very hard to adjust.

Does the WDH have a ball mount which can be adjusted for rearward tilt? If so, perhaps the ball mount has slipped so that it is no longer tilted enough to load the WD bars?

Ron

[GrandpaKip]

Look at the Andersen hitch, also. It works extremely well for us.

[SoundGuy]

stevemorris wrote:
...the hitch is an older model(20 yrs or so) where the weight bars slide on the top of the trailer A frame for sway control. we've done almost 50,000 km on this tow combination with no issues except the leveling ...

Sounds to me like it may be a Reese Mini 350 which has now been discontinued and if so would have been underrated for the task at hand anyway as you're likely running somewhere around 450 lbs of gross tongue weight, or should be with a trailer with an estimated GVW of about 3200 lbs. I'd agree though that if your truck is now sagging in the rear when it didn't used to that you need to look into the truck's suspension first before addressing the WD issue. Once you do though consider a Blue Ox Sway Pro with 550 lb spring bars - perfect for your application and should you ever switch trailers to something heavier (or even lighter) all you'd have to replace are the WD spring bars as everything else with the Sway Pro system remains the same regardless of the size / weight of the trailer you're towing.

[icanon]

Seems to me it's not the WD but the truck's suspension. If it was level before for years and now the truck squats then it's the truck.