Husky HD WDH - Long trip report
#1
08-25-2017, 01:17 PM
Husky HD WDH - Long trip report
As some of you may recall, late last year I had reported on our first trip using the Husky HD WDH. That trip was about 100 miles each way, but fairly uneventful as far as putting the set up through its paces.
You can find that report here
Well we just recently returned from a much longer trip, 1500 miles each way. Which we encountered the following:
1. Grooved pavement
2. Graveled road
3. Trailer rutted road
4. Thunderstorms with strong cross winds
5. Various paved surfaces.
Overall, the trip went great, but I wanted to explain some of what I felt during the pull, to see if there are any pointers or other comments about the specific conditions.
When being passed or passing large rigs, sometimes, not always, you might get what feels like a push or a pull to the side as the air pressure changes at the font or rear of the other rig. It feels confident, and seems to be influencing the entire rig, not just the trailer. Actually, the "influencing the entire rig" is a common theme across all situations.
Grooved pavement and gravel road
When encountered areas of these surfaces, the trailer itself did not seem to mind, but there were situations where the whole thing as a unit seems to be 'pulled' similar to what you would feel when a bias ply tire would 'crack track' in an old car.
Trailer rutted road
We ran into this in PA, it was interesting to say the least, the constant right to left and up and down slowed me down a little, but everything just felt right for the condition.
Thunderstorms with strong cross winds
Ok, this one scared me on the initial encounter, cruising along just ahead of a thunderstorm at about 65 mph, trees lining both sides of the interstate. This was along I40 in Arkansas. We approached a gap in the trees on the right, and WHAM! I have now experienced the 30 foot sail effect. The cross wind must have been somewhere around 30 or more mph. The entire rig shoved left about 1-2 feet. It did not sway, was easily controlled, just a shock. From that point on, I slowed a little, 55 mph, and payed attention for the gaps and bridges. As long as I could tell we were about to enter a potential strong cross wind, everything was seamless. No issue at all.
Tailwinds really didn't give any issue, but when strong, i did notice the 'help' of it pushing us along. Headwinds, no issue, but i had to push harder to maintain any speed.
When the thunderstorm finally caught up, we were dealing with torrential down pours. Lots of water on the roads, at times visibility was getting questionable. In the heavy water at 40-50 mph, we did not experience any planing, or wiggle.
Various paved surfaces
So, we saw concrete, asphalt, black top, dirt and gravel surfaces. All were non issues at speed, except for when concrete slabbed sections of road were creating the bounce due to the constant up down.
Overall, I now trust this WDH (and the setup) well beyond my expectations.
One note, if you get one, I did discover the bars may appear the symmetrical for this set up, they are not. one side does have a slight curve to it. When put on upside down you really cannot tell when pulling, but when you start slow tight maneuvers it is really noisy.
Hooking it up, everything you read about being dead straight with this WDH on hookup applies. You need to be almost perfect in your truck/trailer alignment to get the bars on/off. Its not really an issue as long as you are aware.
The bar pins that came with the unit were actually smaller than the holes for the bars, 3/16 diameter pins with a 1/4 diameter hole. (guesstimating those measurements). The 3/16 pins started to show some bending after a couple of trips, so I did replace them with pins the better match the holes. No issue with bending after 3000 miles. Note; i don't know if the kit came with the small ones or the dealer just grabbed something that fit.
Thanks for reading.
You can find that report here
Well we just recently returned from a much longer trip, 1500 miles each way. Which we encountered the following:
1. Grooved pavement
2. Graveled road
3. Trailer rutted road
4. Thunderstorms with strong cross winds
5. Various paved surfaces.
Overall, the trip went great, but I wanted to explain some of what I felt during the pull, to see if there are any pointers or other comments about the specific conditions.
When being passed or passing large rigs, sometimes, not always, you might get what feels like a push or a pull to the side as the air pressure changes at the font or rear of the other rig. It feels confident, and seems to be influencing the entire rig, not just the trailer. Actually, the "influencing the entire rig" is a common theme across all situations.
Grooved pavement and gravel road
When encountered areas of these surfaces, the trailer itself did not seem to mind, but there were situations where the whole thing as a unit seems to be 'pulled' similar to what you would feel when a bias ply tire would 'crack track' in an old car.
Trailer rutted road
We ran into this in PA, it was interesting to say the least, the constant right to left and up and down slowed me down a little, but everything just felt right for the condition.
Thunderstorms with strong cross winds
Ok, this one scared me on the initial encounter, cruising along just ahead of a thunderstorm at about 65 mph, trees lining both sides of the interstate. This was along I40 in Arkansas. We approached a gap in the trees on the right, and WHAM! I have now experienced the 30 foot sail effect. The cross wind must have been somewhere around 30 or more mph. The entire rig shoved left about 1-2 feet. It did not sway, was easily controlled, just a shock. From that point on, I slowed a little, 55 mph, and payed attention for the gaps and bridges. As long as I could tell we were about to enter a potential strong cross wind, everything was seamless. No issue at all.
Tailwinds really didn't give any issue, but when strong, i did notice the 'help' of it pushing us along. Headwinds, no issue, but i had to push harder to maintain any speed.
When the thunderstorm finally caught up, we were dealing with torrential down pours. Lots of water on the roads, at times visibility was getting questionable. In the heavy water at 40-50 mph, we did not experience any planing, or wiggle.
Various paved surfaces
So, we saw concrete, asphalt, black top, dirt and gravel surfaces. All were non issues at speed, except for when concrete slabbed sections of road were creating the bounce due to the constant up down.
Overall, I now trust this WDH (and the setup) well beyond my expectations.
One note, if you get one, I did discover the bars may appear the symmetrical for this set up, they are not. one side does have a slight curve to it. When put on upside down you really cannot tell when pulling, but when you start slow tight maneuvers it is really noisy.
Hooking it up, everything you read about being dead straight with this WDH on hookup applies. You need to be almost perfect in your truck/trailer alignment to get the bars on/off. Its not really an issue as long as you are aware.
The bar pins that came with the unit were actually smaller than the holes for the bars, 3/16 diameter pins with a 1/4 diameter hole. (guesstimating those measurements). The 3/16 pins started to show some bending after a couple of trips, so I did replace them with pins the better match the holes. No issue with bending after 3000 miles. Note; i don't know if the kit came with the small ones or the dealer just grabbed something that fit.
Thanks for reading.
#2
08-27-2017, 09:32 AM
Good report. Sounds like you have it setup correctly for your application.
Both truck and trailer should be as one unit when traveling it a straight line. Based upon your comments about the wind and 18 wheelers I'd say you have it dialed in correctly.
It is worth noting, even for 5th wheel owners, one should always watch the trees and the sky for weather related events.
Both truck and trailer should be as one unit when traveling it a straight line. Based upon your comments about the wind and 18 wheelers I'd say you have it dialed in correctly.
It is worth noting, even for 5th wheel owners, one should always watch the trees and the sky for weather related events.
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