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I've been considering just going without WDH, and getting this semi-fancy, "Weigh Safe" aluminum, adjustable ball-mount with built-in tongue weight scale. I figured it could help me keep the trailer under max weight, more easily.
I would have never thought aluminum would be strong enough for this important piece, but I figure if my trailer's aluminum, I must trust the stuff, so might as well go further. It does have ***** of steel though (stainless). Anybody have any experience with these semi-fancy ball-mounts? They're made in the USA.
That's a nice drawbar, but its not going to do much for trailer sway.
It will help you get your hitch weight right with a known load, however, and that will help some. But I have a hard time thinking the trailer is so poorly balanced right out of the gate.
I town an 8000 pound (when loaded), 28 ft camper with my 2011 F150, supercab, EB, 3.55 Gears with a 4 point equalizer WDH, and the thing handles like a dream. I do keep the max speed down to around 60, as that's what my trailers tires are rated at.
My car hauler was similar to yours. It actually towed much better with a car in it than it did empty. The WDH setup was a pain. I carried a floor jack with me so I could jack the trailer tongue (while connected to the truck) up high enough that I could get the proper chain length. A lot of times is didn't even bother with the WDH. Now I have a flat open trailer life is easy until it rains on my car.
Towing boats is a problem because the WDH basically locks out the surge brakes so it can't be used. The nice thing is a 9,000lbs boat trails better than a 7,000lbs car hauler.
I dont understand about the weight restriction issue...
The bottom side of my hitch on my 2014 FX2 Eco... says 1000 tongue and 10,000 tow...
The sticker on the factory hitches on all the Fords I've owned have had two ratings listed, including the my old '13 and new '15 models. My current one is 11,000 trailer weight, 1,100 tongue weight if you have a WD hitch. 5,000 lbs trailer weight, 500 lb tongue weight if you don't.
I guess I'm understanding this. But my boat is set up good for tongue weight. It's a tandem axle so that I think helps. I took the boat back to trailer shop and they set it up better than when I left with it. It does tow well going down the road without sway. Maybe the trucks built in sway control is working. I have surge brakes so I just read that WDH may not work. Thanks to all for input
I've been considering just going without WDH, and getting this semi-fancy, "Weigh Safe" aluminum, adjustable ball-mount with built-in tongue weight scale. I figured it could help me keep the trailer under max weight, more easily.
I would have never thought aluminum would be strong enough for this important piece, but I figure if my trailer's aluminum, I must trust the stuff, so might as well go further. It does have ***** of steel though (stainless). Anybody have any experience with these semi-fancy ball-mounts? They're made in the USA.
Darek4343
I posted on the other tow thread that you are on.
The above post is very lame. If the poster thinks that the weight difference between a steel ball-mount and an fancy aluminum ball-mount is going to make all the difference, he's nuts.
One extra tool box into the bed of the truck...
The portion on the truck is perfectly fine, and you don't need a new one. It's called the receiver by the way. The ball-mount in the piece you need to get all set up with ball height. A regular iron one is way more than adequate. (Had mine for 15 years, on various trucks and suv).
Don't scrimp on safety: yours, your family's, or the 'other' guys. Check your local regs. Surge brakes may only be legal up to a certain weight. Play smart. Hope that helps.
Here's a pic of said hitch.
The more tension you put on the chains, using the trailer ball as a fulcrum, it wants to pivot the hitch toward the front axle, moving weight forward. The hitch is still holding all of the applied tongue weight. Clear as mud?
Of course the hitch is holding the weight. The difference is the hitch and the tongue through the weight distribution system become one.
Think of it like this...without a weight distributing hitch the tongue weight of the trailer is trying to bend the hitch down.
With the weight distributing hitch this load is lessened or even reversed. With too heavy of spring bars (misappropriatley called torsion bars) or too light of tongue weight you can lift the rear wheels of the tow vehicle off the ground.
With a properly matched weight distribution system set up properly, your hitch feels no torsional load downward. This puts all strain on the trailer hitch itself evenly, meaning the front and rear mounting hardware are evenly loaded.
A friend who has a Chevy dually felt his truck didn't need a wds (weight distribution hitch) kept hauling heavy loads and tongue loading his trailer distributing as much weight as possible to the truck to haul more. Finally his hitch broke. The steel tabs that are bolted to the frame tore right off and his hitch was hanging down. This is exactly what these hitches are meant to prevent. With a wds the load on the hitch is evenly distributed. The entire hitch would have to be ripped from the truck evenly straight down (which is nearly impossible without intentionally overloading the trailer).
Hey guys I'm going to be purchasing an F150 and a 7000LB rated cargo trailer in the next two years and found out that the WDR hitch systems are needed. My trailer with cargo will likely be over 5000 or close to it, so the WDR hitch system seems like cheap insurance, especially since it'll be driven in the rocky mountains.
My question is, I will be using an 18 foot ALUMA trailer. These trailers have LONG trailer neck/tongue systems and their website does not even mention WDR hitches.
When I buy the trailer, Should I have them install the WDR brackets? It does not seem like the typical WDR hitch system will work very well as it seems like the WDR hitch arms wouldnt reach to the typical V that most trailers have, so it would be mounted it appears to the long neck of the trailer. I'm curious/concerned about the soft nature of aluminum and mounting the WDR system to it.
And I'm also wondering if, because of the long neck on these trailers if a WDR hitch would be needed at all ?
Any suggestions appreciated. Lots of valuable data here.
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ETA: I reached out to ALUMA And they say the WDR hitch systems are not needed due to the light weight design of their trailers and that center rail/tongue is not designed for the side-force being applied to it by WDR hitches.
I think that hitch would work perfectly for your situation. if installed like the diagram in the lower right, I don't see any side loads being applied to the trailer. but it might not hurt to reach out to them and ask specifically before buying the Anderson.
google Anderson No Sway Hitch and you can find them online for about $500, maybe cheaper if you dig around some
10-04-2015, 05:59 AM
