WD Needed?
So my wife and I became camper people about a month after I purchased my 2104 Regular Cab Silverado. Our 'yellow sticker' camper weight is 7800 so even loaded I was well withing my trucks specificati...
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You will probably find no bars has a bit more side to side rocking in cross winds than a basic WD system. A dual cam or equal will have a bit less. As far as towing straight, you should be able to do this with out bars, then add bars for more protection if you will. I've towed loads to 13K ball/pintle mounted and NO bars just fine, Along with oh SHEET!. Trailer was loaded incorrectly, and my equipment trailer loaded to 8500 lbs, with ALL of that on the axels was all over the road, despite the dumptruck that weighs in a 12K lbs in the front. A bigger dually style truck is not always the answer. But moved bobcat forward, corrected the HW to axel wt ratio. towed like a dream. Whether behind my reg cab pickup with an 8K rating, my dually dmax or sw CC 3500. If the trailer is incorrectly loaded etc, you WILL have issues, unless you have a hensley. Even then, yes it stops sway, but if the system brakes, you now have an uncontrollable trailer behind you.
I find generally speaking, if I lose on a typical 8600-10K SW 25 or 35 series truck, somewhere between 300-400 lbs off the FA, then handling goes south per say. Be this with a load in the very back of the bed, or a hitch! Under this, not so may problems. I also find, the amount off the front is not linear. Ie always say 20 lbs per 100 lbs of HW. It is more like 5-10 lbs the first 100, 10-20 for the next, 20-30 for the next etc etc. At 1000 lbs of HW, you will literally take 100 off the front for that 100 you had in HW, so a total of 200 lbs to the axel. maybe a total of 50% as one persons math says, but less than this amount, you will be less, and over way more than the ratio suggests. This will vary based on WB, size engine in the front, rear axel spring rating, be it a stiff or soft suspension also can vary the amount off the front vs the amount added to the rear.
At the end of the day, if properly setup, yes you will be safe. Probably safer per say with a dual cam or equal. BUT, i have had bars fall off, so best as mentioned earlier, make it so you can safely tow the trailer with no sway and no bars, then add the bars for extra measure.
Just my own findings after 35-40 years of towing various and sundry trailers.
Marty
I find generally speaking, if I lose on a typical 8600-10K SW 25 or 35 series truck, somewhere between 300-400 lbs off the FA, then handling goes south per say. Be this with a load in the very back of the bed, or a hitch! Under this, not so may problems. I also find, the amount off the front is not linear. Ie always say 20 lbs per 100 lbs of HW. It is more like 5-10 lbs the first 100, 10-20 for the next, 20-30 for the next etc etc. At 1000 lbs of HW, you will literally take 100 off the front for that 100 you had in HW, so a total of 200 lbs to the axel. maybe a total of 50% as one persons math says, but less than this amount, you will be less, and over way more than the ratio suggests. This will vary based on WB, size engine in the front, rear axel spring rating, be it a stiff or soft suspension also can vary the amount off the front vs the amount added to the rear.
At the end of the day, if properly setup, yes you will be safe. Probably safer per say with a dual cam or equal. BUT, i have had bars fall off, so best as mentioned earlier, make it so you can safely tow the trailer with no sway and no bars, then add the bars for extra measure.
Just my own findings after 35-40 years of towing various and sundry trailers.
Marty
