A Little Worried

[cpaharley2008]

Excellent point made, those with aging eyes may not be able to see or take advantage of the wealth of information available now on the dash board.

[Bobbito]

Same here, ColoRockiesfan. I have towed my 21 without the WDH and noticed that over bumps our 2005 Tundra and trailer both porpoise up and down more and swing side to side a tad more. On the straight smooth highway I probably couldn't tell the difference unless maybe a big semi passed me (which didn't happen on my 1 hour trip without the WDH).

Bob K


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[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Julie

A friend told me that I might want to add a sway bar to the hitch ...

"Sway bar" usually means a friction-based sway control device. It is attached to both the hitch and the trailer's frame with ball joints, and damps motion between them by adding friction. That's an add-on, and even if you use one later you don't need to worry about it at the trailer or vehicle selection stage, since they're basically universal fit. A well-designed and properly loaded trailer generally doesn't need one of these things.

If you use a WD hitch, there is usually a place to mount the hitch end of one of these devices. If you use a plain ball mount (not WD) there isn't normally a place for this device (telling you that most people don't need or use them), but there are add-on brackets (held on by the towing ball, or just a tab welded on), so you can still add a sway control device if you later choose to.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Julie

A friend told me that
...
I would need to know how high the trailer hitch is from the ground in order to know what to get for the truck.

You do need to know the height of the trailer's coupler and the truck's hitch receiver (the square hole where the hitch hardware plugs in), to get the right parts between them and to set up those parts. The reference point for height measurement is the top of the ball, so

• on the trailer side that's the height to the top of the socket in the coupler
• on the truck side you choose parts (mostly the ball mount) so that when they are installed in the truck's receiver the top of the ball ends up at the height you need.

Fortunately, neither an Escape trailer nor a stock pickup truck have unusual or extreme heights, so it's easy to match them up. Both can vary between individual trailers and trucks, due to differences in suspension and tires, for instance. Escape trailers are pretty consistent, but each model is a different height and there is an optional taller suspension. Trucks have more variation, with 2WD and 4WD sitting at different heights, optional suspension packages are often taller (for "off road" or "heavy duty") or lower (for a "sport" effect), and bigger tires make the truck sit higher.

For example, Jon Vermilye recently got a new Tacoma, and reported the height... the top of the receiver on his is 21 1/2" from the ground without the weight of the trailer's tongue on it, and drops about 2" when the trailer is added. An Escape 19' coupler height is likely a bit lower than that, and you need to fit a ball in there that's about 3" tall, so a ball mount with a moderate amount of drop (distance from the top of the receiver box down to the top of the place where the ball sits) will make everything line up.

e.g. 20" to top of receiver box when loaded down, minus 2" drop dimension to base of ball is 18", plus 3" tall ball is 21" to the top of the ball... so if the top of the trailer coupler is 21" above the ground everything lines up

If you are not using a WD hitch, you just need the right height of ball mount, and you can leave getting that until you own the truck and pick up the trailer. If you are using a WD hitch and get it from Escape, they (actually the hitch store they work with) will provide the right bits. If you want to get the right parts in advance, then you can work out the required drop dimension in advance... but that's almost the last thing to do, after deciding on the trailer model (perhaps already done), the specific tow vehicle), and whether or not you will use WD.

[Trav]

I am pretty sure that I am going to get a Nissan Frontier 4.0L V6 4X4 with the tow package (2014-2016). The specs say that it will tow 6100. I think the GVWR is 5666 and the GCWR is 11133.

[Julie]

The Tacoma was my first choice, but the Frontier is comparable to it, right?

[Lee.Artman]

Originally Posted by Julie

Have been reading the forums and have gotten really confused about what tow vehicle I need for a 19' Escape with lots of options added including reinforced walls and 2 batteries. It sounds like a weight distribution hitch is a good idea, but only vehicles with truck bodies can use them because of the frames. All of the trucks are so big. I can only have one vehicle, so I guess I am looking at a car that has a truck body. I don't want to risk not having enough towing capacity causing the car to have a shorter life or risking safety. (I want to be able to explore the US and Canada--mountains and all.) If possible, I would like to get a used tow vehicle from 2012 or 2013 up. I thought about a 4 Runner, but the posts talk about a soft back-end and adding air shocks. I can't do any of that. Are Explorers an option? I have not towed before, so this is a pretty big deal for me. Please let me know your suggestions. Thank you.

I strongly recommend purchasing "how to tow safely" by the RV consumers group. It explains the science behind safe towing and risk of not properly equiping. Since sway is a killer with trailers, they recommend always using a weight distribution hitch with this size/weight trailer. Also the critical issue is the wheel base of the tow vehicle. I took their advice and installed a Hensley Cub articulating hitch on my Casita 17 and was very pleased when I had to make an emergency stop at 40mph. Also, the manuals for common sway bars instruct to disable in "wet conditions". Since I live in the Pacific NW, it is always wet. So the articulating hitch was the only logical option. It cost, but it beats death.

[Bobbito]

I second Lee's statement on the perils of using an antisway bar in the PNW. We tried towing a 19 ft Nash trailer using a WDH, but no antisway bar and found it absolutely terrifying. We had our current 2005 Tundra truck with the stock tires on it. When a crosswind hit us or a large vehicle passed us my hand would jump to the manual switch on the brake controller to get control of the truck/trailer unit again. What isn't stated in this thread is that most WDHs on their own aren't really designed to combat sway, though they can reduce it a bit. With my Nash I over tensioned the WDH trying to combat sway.

(The Anderson WDH is an exception, because it combats porpoising, transfers weight to the from axle and prevents sway very effectively. Prior to the current issues with the Anderson hitch I would have recommended it highly. Our own Anderson WDH works great and according to Dennis at ETI should not develop the issue that plagued the units manufactured after early 2015)

So we bought an add-on antisway bar for our Reece hitch and it solved our sway problem. No more white knuckle moments. Then I had to replace the tires on our Tundra and I opted for 80 psi Bridgestone Dueler A/Ts. They gave us the confidence to drive on rougher gravel roads where there was danger of rocks damaging the side walls and handled far better in the rain and snow. When my antisway bar fell off while parking at a campsite, it was damaged and I drove home without its benefit. To my surprise there was very little sway, thanks to the stiffer sidewalls of the tires. It means the truck rides rougher than the passenger vehicle tires it came with, but what a difference in sway control. I notice that pulling the lighter Escape trailer there is very little sway with or without the Anderson hitch, but when a large rig overtakes me it does make a difference in stability. So you might consider looking at how tires might influence your towing, or maybe an antisway bar. If you will be towing in wet weather, consider getting a used Anderson WDH manufactured prior to the 2015 change that caused ETI to go from installing them on 80% of their trailers to not even recommending them. (Problem with the brake material in the collar binding). My experience using a Reece antisway bar in wet weather is that it tends to bind when wet, which could cause the trailer to force you straight rather than trailing behind you on a curve. It makes an awful squawking sound as you go around a tight turn, as it jerks between binding in different positions.

Hope this doesn't confuse you.

Bob K

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Bobbito

So we bought an add-on antisway bar for our Reece hitch...

Just to make it easier for those searching for these things, that would be a Reese hitch (one of Cequent brands, along with Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch, Pro Series, and others), and the bar is a friction-based sway control device.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Julie

The Tacoma was my first choice, but the Frontier is comparable to it, right?

Yes, the current versions of the Tacoma (since 2005), Frontier (since 2005), and Colorado/Canyon (since 2015) are the mid-sized pickup trucks available in North America. They are all similar in design, have similar choices of configuration, and are similar in size when comparably configured. The Tacoma is the most recently updated, so it has a more current level of engine and transmission technology, particularly compared to the Frontier.

[Fox hunt]

I've never experienced a problem with my WDH in the rain. I didn't know it could be a problem it's just the standard one with the bars. I also back the trailer with the bars on . Once when I first got it I backed up and turned to tight and one came off but that hasn't happened again.

[Bobbito]

The issue is only with add on friction based anti-sway bars. They come with a warning that they should not be used in the rain. I realize now that there are other non- friction options out there.


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[Julie]

Brian, the link you posted is the exact one that my friend who tows the 17' Casita uses. (She said that she didn't know about taking it off in the rain and has never noticed a problem.) She has never used a WDH. I realize the Casita weighs less than my 19 Escape, which I am estimating could weigh as much as 4000#, but I watched a youtube video of the Reece WDH, and it looks complicated and not something I want to deal with if cautious driving and a friction-based sway bar will be enough.

Also, another friend told me to check out the 2016 Pilot because it now tows 5000#. I can't find the GCWR for it though. The new Pilot's curb weight is 4239#. The HP is 280@6000rpms, and the torque is 262@4800rpms. Do you think that would be a good option over the Tacoma? I do understand that everything you all post here is just an assist. The responsibility of the final decision has to be all mine. Thank you all.

[JPSpins]

Hi Julie,
I commented earlier this morning on the Canyon/Colorado thread (not posted as I write) on my decision to buy a GMC Canyon diesel. I looked at the Pilot (I have owned several Hondas) but the 5000# limit was too close to my comfort zone for my eventual Escape 19. I think you win by researching it as much as you can before discussing with a dealer (surprising how little they know most of the time), test driving all the vehicles you can (I liked the 4 Runner until I drove one and even then it does not pass the 5000# criterion). Good luck! JPS

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Julie

Also, another friend told me to check out the 2016 Pilot because it now tows 5000#. I can't find the GCWR for it though.

Published specs for the Pilot do not appear to include Gross Combined Weight Rating, and that's not surprising - other than pickups and commercial trucks, GCWR is hard to find.

The section which I have clipped from the owner's manual and shown below (from page 450) suggests that the 5,000 pound limit is calculated on the basis that the GCWR is the curb weight plus 5,000 pounds. Every passenger or bit of cargo added to the empty (other than driver) Pilot reduces the allowed trailer weight, because an empty Pilot with the driver and a 5,000 pound trailer attached is already at GCWR. This is typical of trucks, although some SUVs and other multipurpose vehicles (such as my Sienna van) have other limiting factors on trailer capacity so they still tow their maximum trailer with some passengers and cargo.

[Julie]

I ended up getting a Tacoma Off Road with the tow package. Now I have to decide on a WDH that isn't too complicated.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Julie

I ended up getting a Tacoma Off Road with the tow package. Now I have to decide on a WDH that isn't too complicated.

It's only complicated the first time or two. After that, it's routine.

[float5]

Yes, Pro Series WDH that Escape sells is not complicated. You just have to crank up to make it easier to remove the bars.

Escape will set that up for you but have them remove it and you set it up once or twice with them helping, so you know for sure how. But if you forget, many at a campground can show you a time or two until you know how to do it well.

[rbryan4]

True Cathy, the process is similar for many common WDH systems. Only difference is whether it uses spring bars or chains.

My 'system' (with an Andersen in this case):

Hooking up
1- Connect the receiver to the ball normally.

2- Once your tongue latch is locked, crank up just high enough to allow the triangle plate to slip on to the bottom of the ball assembly. Install the lower pin and secure with the cotter pin.

3- Crank down all the way.

4- Attach safety chains.

5- Attach the 7-pin power cord.

6- Remove chocks.


For unhooking, just reverse the process:

1- Secure chocks.

2- Detach the 7-pin power cord.

3- Remove the Safety Chains.

4- Crank up just high enough to produce slack in the chains so the triangle plate can be removed. Pull the pin from the bottom of the ball assembly and remove the triangle plate.

5- Crank down to relatively level.

6- Unlock the tongue latch, then crank up and disconnect the trailer from the ball.

It gets automatic after awhile, regardless of the WDH type you use. Of course, there are other tasks not mentioned, like leveling side to side then front to back, dropping or raising the stabilizers, etc, but those are the same whether or not you use a WDH.


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[casejh]

I have never used a WDH but believe I will when we get the 21' next year. It seems that the E2 integrated sway control and WDH is the one that ETI generally favors, and it is the most expensive. Is it easier and/or quicker to use, or better in some respects?