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OT: Weight distribution hitch, good or bad idea?

Geo-TH,In

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
There are a few times when I overload my 16 ft utility trailer and the bumper is about to drag, I can't get the trailer over 40 mph without it fish tailing. I know some of you are going to tell me that fish tailing is caused by not having enough toung weight. However when the back bumper is dragging and the front wheels are light, my truck gets unstable. Will a weight distribution hitch help? If so, what kind do you recommend?
 
I think you'll find a weight distribution hitch will help but if you're running as much overloaded as you make it sound then your best solution is a better truck/trailer combo as your current setup sounds unsafe at best. Sam
 
Get a set of the Monroe Heavy Duty Stabilzer shocks for the rear. The ones with the heavy coil springs around the outside. A little spendy but your truck will barely drop at all in the rear with those babies. I had them on my Ford 250 van, a Ford 150 SC, and a Burb, and they are the most bang for the buck in rear suspension buildup.

Gordo
 
If you have that much weight on the truck you already have the hitch overloaded. The hitches are only good for about 60% of the weight stated without Equlizer bars. My 6000 lb 600 lb toung weight hitch is only good for 3500 lbs or 350lb toung weight without the bars. If you are towing that way let us know when you are going to be on hiway so we can stay at home.
 
Look at your hitch load rating sticker. You will find it has two ratings listed on it one is without equalizers and one is with equalizers. With equalizers you can haul the rated load safer and with fewer thrills.. Sway controls make it even better.
 
Yes they do help a lot, and heavier rear supension will not help in a lot of situations as the weight will cause the truck to piviot on the rear axke and you will still be light on the front wheels. Only way that will not happen is if the hitch is moved up to the axle as any distance behind axle is going to work a pivot around the axle. Have then on a couple of trailers. Cannot remember make of what I have but easy to hook up. Puts the load on all 4 wheels and not just the rear two.
 
You didn't say if you are driving a 3/4 ton truck or larger, but given the problems you are describing I am going to presume not, which means a 1/2 ton at best or perhaps even worse, such as an S-10/Ranger/Dakota. A weight distributing hitch will help, but if your trailer doesn't have good brakes, or if they aren't working, you are only addressing part of the problem. If I were you I would consider an upgrade to a larger truck in the long term, and in the short term, I would reduce the weight of your loads. Some yahoo is going to do something dumb in front of you one of these days, and things will get VERY ugly. Might even cost someone their life. Might even be you or someone riding with you. Not worth it, in my opinion.
 
An equalizer hitch would help but they don't give you more carrying capacity. If your bumper is that low, the back wheels on the trailer probably aren't doing much and that's causing the fish tailing. Too much weight on the back will also cause fish tailing. What type of tow vehicle are you using and what are you carrying on the trailer? It might be a disaster waiting to happen. Dave
 
GVWR is not just about suspension issues. It also concerns brake effectiveness, transmission load capabilities, axle ratings, tires "etc". Installing more parts on it is not the answer if, as you state, the bumper is about to drag. Gerard
 
An W/D hitch will allow for more tongue weight but won't allow for a higher GVW. IE/ If your trailer is good for a 4000lb. load, the W/D hitch won't make it good for a 5000lb. load. You'd need a higher GVW trailer. Dave
 
If your truck won't handle the positive tounge weight necessary to maintain trailer balance and control... you need a heavier truck.
Those hitches may help transfer tounge weight back to the trailer but I'd expect it to come at the expense of steering control...
There's no magic bullet to solve the problem you have; only a bunch of different compromises.

Rod
 
If you over load a few times I would just drive slow or STOP overloading.You know the problem before you start so easy fix.
 
I would improve the springs on the truck first. A good set of helper springs from Helwig or some fire stone air bags would help a lot. If you still had problems then I would consider a weight distribution hitch and trailer sway control bar. Also make sure your ball hitch height is not too low compared to the trailer's hitch.
 
I used those equalizer bars a lot when I used to have a travel trailer and now with my 16' trailer. I also use a sway bar on each side for larger loads. One way to find out your hitch weight is to use bathroom scales. I have four of them left over from go cart racing and with a few boards placed on top of them I can use all four to get the tongue weight. You need to get that weight fairly correct by moving your load on the trailer. You can also watch how much your hitch drops when you hook up. The equalizers then can be adjusted to help place more weight on the tow vehicle front wheels and the rear wheels on the trailer. This will help to level both vehicles. It is all about getting the proper balance for the load and not overloading anything.
Another way to find tongue weight
 
It transfers toung weight to the front of truck , NOT TO BACK of trailer, and will help with steering and a hitch properly setup would be vital with any size truck, 1 tons included.
 
You can put more load on the truck and less on the trailer axles with a WD hitch. Its not a big amount on a huge trailer but on a small one it matter.
 
What it's ~actually~ doing is using those stupid chains to transform the truck and trailer into one rigid beam from front bumper to the trailer's tail lights... and it's concentrating a lot of stress in a few points. It will transfer weight to the front of the truck but the same effect transfers weight to the rear of the trailer. I'd also expect it to change the steering response... as every time you try to turn you're going to be fighting those chains and the weight they carry... the chains will effectively shorten during a turn so more force will be needed to make the turn... so if you've got poor footing under the front wheels... the truck will plow.
It also provides the oppertunity to bend/break the truck and trailer frames ahead of the rear axle front spring shackle and just forward of the support chains if those happen to be weak areas... which they often are.

These silly hitches, in my opinion... are nothing but a disaster waiting for a place to happen. If you need more truck to carry the weight, get more truck.

Rod
 
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