Paulx
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Re: Use WD hitch or not?
BTW, I just used my Sherline scale to check the tongue weight. It was something like 505, now it is 420 at the jack which is about 395 at the ball. All I can think is different is that I now have about 10 gallons in the fresh water tank, which isn't enough to matter. I'm scratching my head on this one...427Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
Is that some hillbilly term for a drawbar / ball mount / shank? Just what I always called it. Apparently the nomenclature is not standardized... According to the 2014 Ram specs, the unloaded weight on the front is 2493. Adding about half the driver weight (because the seat is about half way between the axles), 2570.428Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
I finally managed to get access to the roadside scales. These give weights in multiples of 50 lbs. I used the WD hitch (no motorcycle in the back). First I took the bars off and got these weights: 2400 lbs front truck axle 2850 lbs rear truck axle 3950 lbs both trailer axles Then I put the bars back on and got these weights: 2550 lbs front truck axle 2600 lbs rear truck axle 4000 lbs both trailer axles I drove to the coast and back with the WD hitch. I'm still not happy with it. Even a minor swoop in the road, that would not be noticeable in a car, would cause a porpoising motion down the road. And it seems very sensitive to crosswinds. On the other hand, I noticed no swerving at all when 18-wheelers passed. I also got less than 12mpg in a truck rated for 25mpg on the highway. The transmission stayed mostly in 5th gear on level ground, in an 8-speed transmission. I was being gentle with the gas pedal too.427Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
No, I'm 90% sure that's not it. I have one of those little Sherline (?) tongue scales. I think it's near 13% (still have to verify the trailer weight). This trailer had one of those heavy fold-down steel racks on the back bumper, with the spare on that. Removing that rack was one of the first things I did. For now I will use the WD hitch, but I still consider it a kludge. Heavy, hard to remove for an old guy like me, annoying to hook up, puts a lot of strain on the hitch, greasy. It has a longer stinger which induces more sway, and the excessive weight way back there increases the very problem (lift in front, sag in back) it is designed to eliminate, so you have to put even more tension on the bars to compensate. The real problem is having the attachment point so far behind the axle. Why don't truck manufacturers move the axle back a foot? Why don't they implement a Pull-rite type arrangement for the factory hitch? Leaving aside the anti-sway property of my e2 WD hitch, there are other ways to reduce the front end lift with WC hitches that are not so kludgy: 1) Get the shortest possible stinger 2) Get a light aluminum stinger 3) Get a tongue scale and trim down the tongue weight to a reasonable minimum 4) Take some weight off the back of the truck; e.g. tailgate, bumper, and spare (either remove completely or move forward) 5) Add some weight as far in front of the front axle as you can manage 6) Get truck tires with stiffer sidewalls 7) Add helper springs or air bags to the truck rear suspension 8) Get a lighter trailer, or remove weight from the trailer I realize some of these come with drawbacks too. Thanks for listening to my rant. :-)329Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
Trailer tires are H188ST brand, ST205/75D14 at 45 psi (max 50). Truck tires are Goodyear M+S P265/70R17 at 44 psi (max 44). Some guys on the Dodge forum were complaining they aren't up to snuff. We also tried towing this trailer with a Porsche Cayenne using the WD hitch set up by the trailer dealer, and that also felt like it was being pushed around by the trailer.306Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
Fresh suspension on the truck ? Ball joints, tierod ends, etc, as new ? Tire choice and inflation. Trailer tire choice and inflation. Trailer chassis all correct. Experiment with different WD settings. Yeah, it's all new. The tires probably could be upgraded to a LT, and I might go with a smaller diameter to get a stiffer sidewall (it's geared quite high so it wouldn't hurt). They are at max pressure for the tire, 44 psi. I had an old Passat that I wanted to gear up so I got the next size taller tire that would fit in the wheel well. That worked well so I went another increment up on my next set of tires. That made for a less controlled ride than before. I think you can go too far in the tall tire direction. The tires on this truck are pretty tall. I guess the trailer chassis is correct. It's new too. The tires are nothing special, some H118 brand or something like that. Might not hurt to go with a better set there too (it's tandem axle). Max pressure is 50 and I currently have them at 45. I know, everybody says go to max; just haven't gotten around to it. I could crank on the WD bars a little more too. The front doesn't move but it could go down a bit as the rear goes down quite a bit.306Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
The rear axle on most half tons is easily overloaded. The 500# tongue weight may very well be putting 750 on the rear axle The payload of this truck (on the sticker) is 1307 lbs. I could put it all on the rear axle (assuming a weightless driver) and still not come even close to the rear GAWR. I figure this combination with the WC hitch was putting 725 lb on the rear axle, so you were close.306Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
What you call weight carrying is actual weight distributing hitch. Weight carrying is tongue on ball only. You might want to re-read; we are talking about both types here. I did not refer to a weight distributing hitch as a weight carrying hitch. No half ton receiver has over 600 pounds of weight carrying capacity. Look for a sticker like this one on the receiver itself. My bumper has a hole for a ball. On the bumper it says 5000 lb trailer weight 500 lb tongue weight maximum, bumper only. The receiver, on the other hand, has no label that I can find but the owner's manual calls it class IV and rates it at 10,450 lb (and presumably 1045 lb tongue weight). I don't think I have to worry about the receiver. My particular truck is rated lower due to the 3.21 rear end, but the rest of the stuff is the same. For GMs the front wheel lip has to be at original height. That's where my WD hitch is currently adjusted. On the other hand the WC hitch lifted the front a mere quarter of an inch, so the front axle load went from 2491 lb (no trailer) to 2266 lb (trailer with WC hitch). Somehow I think I still have steering... I went to the roadside truck scale, a scale I had never seen operating so it was nice to just drive up and check your load. It was operating today though, with a line of 18 wheelers so I just drove on by. However I noticed that, while driving with the WD hitch on these back roads made it feel like the trailer was pushing the truck around, with the WC hitch it felt even MORE like that, so I guess that answers my question - I will use the WD hitch. I believe with the e2 WD hitch and its integrated sway control, things are just more stiff back there which apparently reduces the "pushed around" effect. I think this truck feels this way because Dodge has been 1) making an effort to reduce truck weight to improve MPG, and 2) this truck for some reason seems as tall as a 4WD one, and 3) the rear suspension is more car-like with coil springs. Add all this together and it is squirrely for towing. I had a trailer of the same weight that I was pulling with a Sprinter van, 158" wheelbase, and you could hardly tell the trailer was back there, and that was with a WC hitch and no sway control. Pulled very nicely. Sadly, that van is gone.306Views0likes0CommentsRe: Use WD hitch or not?
But that's what I am wondering, if there actually is any added stability and safety in this case. As I pointed out, the WD hitch actually has a 6" longer stinger so it should be even more susceptible to sway (although I haven't really seen a sway problem yet). On the roads I drive around here, which are not freeway smooth, it does feel a bit like the tail wagging the dog - with the WD hitch on! I have yet to see if there is any difference with the WC but will try tomorrow.132Views0likes0Comments
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