Where is the "Weight-distributing device(s)" located on a weight distributing hitch?

Is it on the hitch receiver itself, or is it on the tongue area of the trailer? If on the trailer, can just any class III receiver be used in conjunction with the weight distributing "thing?"

Having never seen on in person, I just don't know...

 

Your receiver has to be designed for weight distribution, but most Class III or higher are. The actual distribution is usually accomplished by a special draw bar with sockets for spring bars to be inserted from the bottom extending under the A of the trailer tongue. There are chains on the rear ends of the bars that run up to toggle brackets that slip onto the A and hold tension on the chains. This picks up the back of the tow vehicle, shifting load onto the front suspension.

 

I don't know about in the US but in Canada there are two popular hitces.
One is a REESE and the other ? (can't remember)

They require their own style of equalizer bars.


Dennis

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Yes, there are several mfrs. and each may have several styles of spring bar. The spring bars have to match the draw bar sockets. Reese, U-Haul, Draw-Tite, etc. They can be found online.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-Dec-02 AT 04:21 PM (EST)]I had never seen one before borrowing a truck and horse trailer rig this summer. Here's my cut at a basic description (but I am certainly not an expert):

1) The Hitch/Receiver attaches to your truck. As one of the other replies said - Class III or IV for most common uses.

2) The Ball Mount - slides into the receiver on the hitch. Without weight distribution, this is just square tube with a 'tab' on it that the ball mounts onto. With weight distribution, there is provision on the ball mount to support/attach two weight distributing bars. On the one I borrowed this was two vertical tubes, one on each side of (and just below)the ball. The bars slide up into the tubes. Different hitch manufacturers use different set-ups. The ball mount and the weight distributing bars have to match, and are usually purchased together.

3) The weight distributing bars - These two bars are a couple of feet long and each one has a length of chain on the end. Some folks refer to these as "sway" bars, but as I understand it an anti-sway setup is a whole 'nother animal (or an add on to the weight distributing set-up).

4) Two brackets, one for each 'arm' of the front of the trailer, back a couple of feet from the coupler. These are permanently bolted on the trailer and there is usually a short bar or handle that you can use to "flip" or "close" them.

So what you do:

a) hook the trailer up with the ball and coupler.
b) attach the weight distibuting bars to the ball mount.
c) slip the chains from the bars into the brackets, using the handle to "flip" the brackets and apply tension to the chains. This tension then translates into "lift" at the hitch, moving some of the weight forward onto the vehicle's front wheels (distributing it). More tension = more lift = more weight distribution.

On the setup I was using with a 1/2 ton and a two horse trailer (with just one horse), the back of the truck dropped about 2-3" when the trailer was attached. The weight distributing system brought it just about back to level.

There are various flavours and styles of this set up, but I hope the above gives you a basic picture. If you search the web and go to some of the manufacture's sites you can probably find some pictures that may help make sense of this.

Hope this helps, Red.

 

 

Redexpy's summary on weight distributing hitches is excellent!

When properly set up, a w-d hitch will generally eliminate the necessity for additional sway control. The w-d hitch works by transfering hitch weight to the front axle so it is more evenly distributed. This greatly reduces the tendancy to whipsaw.

Here's a trick I learned to take some of the work out of hooking up the chains to the tongue of the trailer:

With the hitch locked onto the ball, use the trailer's jack to lift the rear of the truck. This puts the ends of the w-d bars closer to the brackets on the tongue and you won't have to muscle the bars to attach the chains. Once the chains are attached, let down the trailer jack and the load will then put the strain on the bars.