do i really need an equalizer hitch?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by float5

If you are taking issue with the trucker's comment, instead of simply knocking his experience that you may or may not have, either of you please explain.

I did explain, both how the experience is not relevant and what is wrong with his guidance. If anything I said was not clear, please let me know.

Originally Posted by float5

He is saying, in effect, that you need a WDH when the weight you are pulling comes close to your tow vehicle capacity. That is what we most see in fiberglass situations, and hence, many use a WDH for that very reason. The fact there there are a number of possible considerations does not detract from his basically correct statement.

You could just as easily say "you need WDH over two tons of trailer", and it would be equally invalid but also generally match lightweight travel trailer situations. That's not worth anything.

I explained specifically why it is irrelevant to WDH use whether the weight you are pulling comes close to your tow vehicle capacity.

Originally Posted by float5

... yes, what he says is basically correct. So when someone has a great big powerful heavy truck that can tow nearly twice or more of the loaded weight of a small trailer, it is generally thought that a WDH is of little use.

Actually, if "great big powerful heavy truck" means one of the heavier pickup trucks (four tons of truck with four hundred horsepower, so big it doesn't fit in a parking space), it is an illustration of how wrong this advice is. These trucks can tow six to nine tons (conventional, not fifth-wheel), and routinely require WDH use over about half of that... not just close to their limit.

Of course any vehicle which is towing a trailer which is small compared to the tow vehicle won't need WD. This is quite different from "not close to what the tow vehicle is rated to tow", since towing ratings don't have a close relationship to tow vehicle weight.

[rbryan4]

It's been discussed many times before, but anecdotal arguments aren't as valid as the manufacturer recommendations derived from their engineers. Brian's advice is sound. WDH systems redistribute some of the weight from the back to the front of your tow. Depending on the vehicle, that may or may not be needed - and it has little to do with the size of the vehicle.


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[float5]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

It's been discussed many times before, but anecdotal arguments aren't as valid as the manufacturer recommendations derived from their engineers. Brian's advice is sound. WDH systems redistribute some of the weight from the back to the front of your tow. Depending on the vehicle, that may or may not be needed - and it has little to do with the size of the vehicle.


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Size was never mentioned. The trucker referred to weight and his statement remains correct particularly with regard to the tow vehicles of many, if not most, fiberglass trailers being close to the weight of the trailer, therefore benefitting from a WDH.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I did explain, both how the experience is not relevant and what is wrong with his guidance. If anything I said was not clear, please let me know.


You could just as easily say "you need WDH over two tons of trailer", and it would be equally invalid but also generally match lightweight travel trailer situations. That's not worth anything.

I explained specifically why it is irrelevant to WDH use whether the weight you are pulling comes close to your tow vehicle capacity.


Actually, if "great big powerful heavy truck" means one of the heavier pickup trucks (four tons of truck with four hundred horsepower, so big it doesn't fit in a parking space), it is an illustration of how wrong this advice is. These trucks can tow six to nine tons (conventional, not fifth-wheel), and routinely require WDH use over about half of that... not just close to their limit.

Of course any vehicle which is towing a trailer which is small compared to the tow vehicle won't need WD. This is quite different from "not close to what the tow vehicle is rated to tow", since towing ratings don't have a close relationship to tow vehicle weight.

His experience as a trucker may or may not be relevant but since we are not truckers, we would have no idea how such experience might inform (or not) his opinion on this. He does, however, tow a travel trailer. And doing such, he may know what many of us know about WDHs and when they are needed or can be beneficial. I certainly know that we are going to continue to use one and that it is called for in our situation. Nobody has to be an expert of any kind to figure that out, but as a trucker, he may have looked at that situation more than most with regard to travel trailers.

He did not say that a WDH is needed for over two tons of trailer and there is nothing comparable about that statement.

On your comment about how wrong his advice supposedly is, I believe that he was being asked about towing a travel trailer, and maybe a small one at that, and you are talking about towing huge loads. Your example is not related to small travel trailers. Maybe his comment was to the person who asked him and was on that subject while you are on another.

Your claim that it is irrelevant whether the weight being pulled is close to the towing capacity as far as needing a WDH, really?? Well, that is in fact what seems to be most often used in the real world to decide that one needs a WDH, and with good reason. In fact, I would think that Escape and every other fiberglass trailer maker use that every day.

For those with a 3500 towing capacity, they often use a WDH to tow an Escape 17', for instance, because their loaded weight is 3000 or more. With what vehicles is this simply not relevant for a 17'? For those towing a 19' or 21' who have a 4500 or 5000 towing capacity, they often use a WDH with weights of 3500-4300. With what similar vehicles for a 19' or 21' would their numbers be irrelevant to use of a WDH?

The man has made a general statement which is correct. Just because you can find some example that does not seem to meet it still does not make it incorrect. His statement is certainly correct with what we have seen for the vast majority of Escapes.

[gbaglo]

The main thing is not to get excited.

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by float5

If you are taking issue with the trucker's comment, instead of simply knocking his experience that you may or may not have, either of you please explain.

He is saying, in effect, that you need a WDH when the weight you are pulling comes close to your tow vehicle capacity. That is what we most see in fiberglass situations, and hence, many use a WDH for that very reason. The fact there there are a number of possible considerations does not detract from his basically correct statement.

The point Brian was making that driving the large commercial rigs does not make you an expert in towing travel trailers with pickups or SUVs. I have over 30 years experience driving the big rigs, but I found that towing a travel trailer was totally different. And my many years of commercial experience certainly didn't make me an expert on when and when not to use a WDH.

[gbaglo]

Guess you can back into a site without attracting an audience.

[float5]

We have people running over to us every time to help us get in --- guess they are worried that we will run over them or their trailer while trying. We actually are much better than we used to be --- but they can't seem to tell that!

[Bobnjudy]

The store where I buy my towing gear would let you try before you buy.

[tdf-texas]

I am buying a 21' and will be towing with a Tundra Crewmax 4x4. That puts the truck weight at more than 2000 lbs more than the loaded weight of the trailer. Towing capacity is over twice the trailer weight.

Currently, I do not think I need a WDH - am I wrong?

[thoer]

TDF - if i had that setup I would try it without a WDH and see how it handles and feels. They are easy to obtain and not hard to install.

[Kountrykamper]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

I am buying a 21' and will be towing with a Tundra Crewmax 4x4. That puts the truck weight at more than 2000 lbs more than the loaded weight of the trailer. Towing capacity is over twice the trailer weight.

Currently, I do not think I need a WDH - am I wrong?

We pull a 19' with a Tundra and use one. You wont need one to tow. It would make your ride smoother.

Some folks on here are going to say you never need one. There are too many variables including personal preference and ride comfort to say that. Using one is my preference and not using one is theirs. Its one of those things that if your tow vehicle does not state that its required you are just going to have to decide for yourself.

Its like asking what replacement tires to buy on a forum. What you will get is a bunch of opinions and very little facts.

[rbryan4]

I think it's just a distinction between "need" and "want". We don't need the Andersen hitch at all to tow our 19 with an F150. But we want it, because it makes the towing experience feel more solid and stable - at least to us.

When someone asks if they "need" a WDH, a common sense answer is that if they need to redistribute weight to the front of their tow vehicle, due to the type of tow vehicle and the weight on the tongue, AND the manufacturer recommends it, then YES.


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[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

I think it's just a distinction between "need" and "want". We don't need the Andersen hitch at all to tow our 19 with an F150. But we want it, because it makes the towing experience feel more solid and stable - at least to us.

Different truck but same reasoning . A WDH is not that expensive !!.
Spending $30 to $40k on a new Escape trailer and then fretting over that cost of a WDH seems rather foolish to me. You don't need A/C or solar or any other option either

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

I am buying a 21' and will be towing with a Tundra Crewmax 4x4. That puts the truck weight at more than 2000 lbs more than the loaded weight of the trailer. Towing capacity is over twice the trailer weight.

Currently, I do not think I need a WDH - am I wrong?

What does Toyota say? They know the vehicle better than we do. I don't know what year of truck this is, but the 2015 Tundra owner's manual says:

If the gross trailer weight is over 5000 lb. (2268 kg), a weight distributing hitch with sufficient capacity is required.

I note that Toyota always (for all models of Toyota, for all conventional trailer) directs the user to have 9% to 11% of the trailer's gross weight on the tongue, so there is an assumption built in that 5,000 pounds of trailer means 450 to 550 pounds of tongue weight. So, no, it is not required, but you could get close to the point at which your tongue weight hits the same level as a trailer for which Toyota says to use a WDH (which looks like 550 pounds or 250 kg to me).

The relationship between towing capacity (which is based mostly on the engine and transmission) and the weight of the trailer doesn't give you any indication of whether you need a WDH, or whether it would be beneficial. The highest towing capacity for a Tundra is almost double the lowest capacity, for the same wheelbase; two Tundras of the same wheelbase would have the same need (or lack of) for a WDH, so the rated capacity means nothing to the need for WDH.

The truck being substantially heavier than the trailer is very roughly an indication that the truck is unlikely to have problems handling the trailer's weight, but that isn't very helpful in determining whether a WDH is suitable. A WDH doesn't make the trailer any lighter or easier to pull, so this isn't really a question of trailer weight.

The information that you don't mention is what is relevant to WDH use:

• The truck has a very long wheelbase, so it is less affected by the hitch weight than a shorter vehicle; a WDH changes the effect of hitch weight on the tow vehicle's axle loads, so the truck's wheelbase length suggests that a WDH would be less useful than with other tow vehicles and the same trailer.
• The truck has substantial rear axle capacity, so adding the entire tongue weight (plus some more due to leverage) to the truck's rear axle and suspension is not likely to be a problem at all. A WDH transfers load from the truck's rear axle and to the truck's front axle and to the trailer axles; since you don't likely need to do that - and it probably wouldn't even be beneficial to do that with a rear-wheel-drive tow vehicle like this - this common (and most fundamental) reason for using WDH doesn't likely apply.

Many people seem to use weight-distributing hitches not for their fundamental purpose (shifting load between axles) but for the side effects: restraining motion between the tow vehicle and trailer. Even with the Tundra, as others have mentioned, you may prefer the ride with WDH.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

A WDH is not that expensive !!.
Spending $30 to $40k on a new Escape trailer and then fretting over that cost of a WDH seems rather foolish to me.

I completely agree, but I hadn't noticed that cost was the major issue - or even a significant factor - in most people's WDH-or-not decision, at least in this thread.

[tdf-texas]

Brian, you must be psychic. I have a 2015 Tundra Crewmax Limited 4x4.

Since the 21' is about 4k loaded, I think I'll try towing without a WDH first and see how it goes.

[float5]

The most obvious situation with regard to weight meaning everything is seen all of the time by U-Haul. They have customers come in and get a trailer and proceed to load it with far more weight than their passenger vehicle has. I once saw a requirement by them that they would not allow someone to tow more than the weight of the vehicle --- just plain common sense with regard to passenger vehicles.

Many of us are not required by the manufacturer to use a WDH but we use one to transfer weight off of the back of the vehicle, to the trailer or to the front of the TV. Fiberglass trailer owners probably use passenger vehicles most of the time.

In some cases where the vehicle weight is considerably greater than the load being towed, Reace has recommended a WDH. He may see it as beneficial to move some weight off of the tongue even in cases that are not close the way many owners are, or he may just be recommending it for the smoother ride.