Do we need weight distribution hitch, max. tongue weight 1040 lbs

[cpaharley2008]

You should maintain 400-500 lbs tongue weight to make your towing enjoyable with little sway, a tongue scale is helpful when loading your trailer. I use the fresh water tank variable to keep my tongue weight in that range.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

You should maintain 400-500 lbs tongue weight to make your towing enjoyable with little sway, a tongue scale is helpful when loading your trailer. I use the fresh water tank variable to keep my tongue weight in that range.

the tongue weight should be 10-15% of the trailer actual weight. for an escape 21, that could be as high as 600lbs, which is half the payload of a light duty tug like my Tacoma. when I towed our escape on the long run, it had full water tanks, but very little of anything else, so probably weighed no more than 4000 lbs, and it felt like it was putting about 400 lbs on the tongue, 30 psi of air in my airbags about leveled out the truck.

[cpaharley2008]

I always weigh mine with the Sherline before any long trips and put maybe 20 psi in my bags, my tongue weight has always been 425-525 with all my Escapes with 50% fresh water fill.

[a602pmcc]

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

With the Jack-E-Up you completely remove the Jack once hitched up? Could you carry the Jack e up and only remove the Jack if you need to lower the tailgate while hitched?

Which version do you have?

Hmm...Not sure. I think they only had one version when I got mine, and I think it is the standard triangle base. I'll look more closely and see if I can determine when I get a chance. Perhaps the round one designed for power jacks would fit somewhat better.

In any event, the Jack-E-Up is a bracket. You remove the existing bolts holding the jack on the tongue, remove the jack, and use the same bolts to install the Jack-E-Up. Then the jack inserts into the bracket and rotates into position to lift the tongue. So, you can remove the jack completely once hooked up -- I store it in the front storage box; it's out of the way until I'm ready to unhook.

I had one with a manual jack on our previous Casita. Now have one with the power jack on 2015 Escape 21. We bought used so it came with the power jack and the Anderson WDH that ETI sold at the time. The Anderson uses chains instead of bars and does not require using the jack for adjustment. I would probably have selected the manual jack had I purchased new. The issue is that, since the jack has to rotate about 1/3 turn to position properly in the Jack-E-Up, there's really not enough clearance by the propane tank cover to do that easily because of the size and shape of the powerhead. Sometimes I have to remove the tank cover to properly position the jack. Also, with the powerjack you have to install some quick disconnect electrical fittings in order to remove the jack.

Even with those caveats I still like being able to get the jack out of the way.

Here's the Jack-E-Up website, maybe you can speak with them and they can help determine the best fit: Jack-E-Up

Good luck,

Paul

[SouthernCamper]

[QUOTE=a602pmcc;234175]The Anderson uses chains instead of bars and does not require using the jack for adjustment. I would probably have selected the manual jack had I purchased new. QUOTE]

So if we were to get a WDH with chains instead of bars, it doesn't need the jack for adjusting and we can avoid the noise and physical interference of the power jack?

If you have chains instead of bars, do you not have sway control with chains instead of bars?

[SouthernCamper]

Originally Posted by Bobbito

Our experience towing a 2015 Escape 21 with a 2005 Tundra is that it tows okay without a WDH, but much smoother with one. (Less bobbing when you hit a bump or dip in the road.) We have an Andersen WDH which also has built in sway control. At one time 80% of the trailers coming out of ETI had this hitch installed. (As per Dennis of ETI) They stopped handling them due to a problem that developed with a change to the hitches (a different friction sleeve). I was told that by ETI that ours didn't have this issue and we are very happy with it. It is lighter and the trailer tracks much better than with the typical WDH we had before the Anderson. I'm wondering if the Andersens might be a good choice again as the problem should have been resolved by now. Friends of ours got an Andersen last year for their Lance trailer and love it. (They didn't even know we had one until later.)

Do you and your friends have the power jack? Do you find it necessary for your Anderson chain based WDH with sway control to have a power jack, or would manual work just as well?

I understand a prior description that you need the power jack for the WDH with bars, but am hoping with the chains instead we can avoid the downsides of the power jack.

[Iowa Dave]

The jack, manual or electric, can put upward force on the coupler with the trailer coupled to the ball. This can often make it easier to tighten the threaded rods that put tension on the chains or to allow flipping the yolks over center where they are then pinned in place. With either a good long ratchet and socket ( Anderson) or the cheater bar ( pro series) either hitch
can be hooked up without aid of the jack by a significant percentage of owners. Those without adequate arm and hand strength may prefer to use the hitch for physical advantage.
Hope this helps
Iowa Dave

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

So if we were to get a WDH with chains instead of bars, it doesn't need the jack for adjusting and we can avoid the noise and physical interference of the power jack?

There seems to be alot of confusion here. Let's go back to basics in hopes of clearing it up. Forget a WDH for a second, and let's focus on a power jack. A power jack makes it easier to raise and lower the tongue. Otherwise you hand crank. It doesn't matter whether you use a WDH or not, nor does it matter which type of WDH if you use one.

Now, bring WDH back into the conversation. An easy way to get the bars into place on a conventional WDH system is to jack the trailer up higher once you're coupled, attach the bars, then lower it. That's easier with a power jack than with hand cranking. In either case, a power jack is just an easier way of raising or lowering the trailer.

I have an Andersen WDH. It doesn't use bars, but chains connected to a triangle plate which connects to the bottom of the hitch ball pin. Even with an Andersen, the easy way to get the triangle plate in place, or to remove it, is to also jack the trailer up high, add or remove the plate, then lower the trailer. In this case as well as with the conventional WDH, a power jack makes raising or lowering the trailer easier.

So the common denominator here, and the reason for injecting a power jack into the conversation in the first place, is that with frequent raising or lowering of the jack to either connect or disconnect a WDH system, a power jack makes it easier. That's all.

Finally, a separate topic was raised which is the Jack-E-Up. That's a system that allows you to remove the jack altogether. The purpose is that if you are towing with a pickup, the jack pole might interfere with lowering the tailgate.

Here's the bottom line. Don't let information overload confuse the matter. Keep it simple. If you need WDH, get it. If you'd like a power jack, that's fine, either with or without WDH. If you are concerned with tailgate clearance with a pickup, a Jack-E-UP is something to consider. And, as was mentioned, if you do have a power jack, a Jack-E-Up is a little more complicated, because the jack is wired to the trailer. You'd need to devise a way to disconnect the wiring if you wanted to remove the jack pole.

[Eggscape]

Well said RB.

[Fox hunt]

i had the old style WDH with chains i lowered onto the ball and used the pipe thing to get the chains on the hooks did not raise the trailer to hook up the chains and had no trouble using the pipe as a lever. I did not have a power jack . I think a power jack is nice for hitching and unhitching but absolutely needed because of WDH. I am not strong and over 60. if you change your mind and don't like to crank it then you can always get a power jack later. i think the harder part of the WDH is lifting it and attaching it to the car mine was heavy. I only used it for long trips.

[SouthernCamper]

"either hitch can be hooked up without aid of the jack by a significant percentage of owners. Those without adequate arm and hand strength may prefer to use the hitch for physical advantage."

Dave, did you mean to say "may prefer the use of the JACK for physical advantage"? So people can typically lift the hitch up without the jack? That seems heavy. Opinion seems to differ on how necessary the power jack is with the WDH.

My husband is very tall and fit and would enjoy the manual jacking (unless it really gets super ridiculous how much time and effort it takes I guess, I'm not sure how much really needs to be done to go up and down like that.) He does have a back injury that crops up every couple of years with too much sitting. Hmm.

I don't want a complicated aftermarket power jack install if we decide we need it. Is the alteration of the electrical components to be able to disconnect the power jack a big process?

Can you wire for the power jack and not get it? I'm just confused about how possible it is to do without it.

[SouthernCamper]

Originally Posted by santacruzer

We don't have a WDH on the Tundra, but do have the electric tongue jack on the trailer. I had to get a longer receiver bar to enable lowering the tailgate. Mot sure how that would play out with a WDH, but so far have not felt the need for one.

Does anyone know if this a solid alternative to the Jack e up if we have a WDH? Does this affect stability?

[SouthernCamper]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

i had the old style WDH with chains i lowered onto the ball and used the pipe thing to get the chains on the hooks did not raise the trailer to hook up the chains and had no trouble using the pipe as a lever. I did not have a power jack . I think a power jack is nice for hitching and unhitching but absolutely needed because of WDH. I am not strong and over 60. if you change your mind and don't like to crank it then you can always get a power jack later. i think the harder part of the WDH is lifting it and attaching it to the car mine was heavy. I only used it for long trips.

Did you mean to say "absolutely not needed because of WDH"? My husband does not want it, and if you say that you can do it with a 17', then we will probably not get it. Admittedly, a 21' weighs quite a bit more than a 17, but my husband used to jack up trailers full of horses as a child, so he's not concerned "in the least"! Maybe we'll pre-wire if possible, but that's it.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

Dave, did you mean to say "may prefer the use of the JACK for physical advantage"? So people can typically lift the hitch up without the jack? That seems heavy. Opinion seems to differ on how necessary the power jack is with the WDH.

.

I can always tell when a neighbor hooks up his trailer. There's two loud "KWANGS". He's never learned the easy way to hook up. He uses the pipe that comes with a WDH to use brute force to latch up.

Or, you can give the jack handle a few flips, reach down and use your fingers to close the latches.

Two ways to do it. Take your choice.

Ron

[cvanzan]

I got my '17 21' with the bar type WDH and manual jack. After 3 trips I decided to get an electric jack. Not because of effort, but because of the time it takes.

The '17 21' has a junction box under the front of the trailer, making it very easy to wire.

The jack I got was the Husky 87641 Brute Electric Jack with Wireless Remote, and it definitely interferes with the opening the rear hatch on my 4Runner. Btw - I like the remote.

Chas

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

I can always tell when a neighbor hooks up his trailer. There's two loud "KWANGS". He's never learned the easy way to hook up. He uses the pipe that comes with a WDH to use brute force to latch up.

Or, you can give the jack handle a few flips, reach down and use your fingers to close the latches.

Two ways to do it. Take your choice.

Ron

When we had the 19’ with the bars I would hook up the chains and attempt to flip the yolks with my gloved hand. Sometimes wth the Highlander nose down ( up pressure on the coupler) I could flip them without the cheater. And I would proclaim “feelin pretty good today”
Most days it was “where’s my cheater) some days (Highlander nose up,) it was gotta crank today. The whole hookup did not take 5 minutes and I always looK at hooking up as the start of a great day. We have a 4500lb electric with the 21 and the Anderson hitch. Now it’s, “where’s that button”?
Iowa Dave

[Fox hunt]

yes for me its never been an issue to use the brutal method using the pipe to hook up the chains done it for a lot of years with horse trailers before i got the 17- that's the way we always did it never seemed brutal to me. But i think it's a matter of opinion. I did not feel i needed the power jack with the 17 but it looks a lot easier i always thought cranking was good exercise but i also thought getting up to change channels was fine too until i got a TV with a remote! I think if your husband doesn't want a power jack don't get it - you can always add it later if you change your mind.

[Fox hunt]

your right i meant not needed in the previous post -sorry typing too fast while at work!

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

on exchange rate we'll pay 5% more as of now than we would've if we'd stuck with our original date! bummer! hopefully it stays put or goes down in the next few months!

I guess the "bummer" factor is dependent upon which side of the border you're standing on.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by SouthernCamper

I just read that tongue weight includes any cargo load behind the rear axle, which is good to keep in mind.

I don't know where you read that, but it is not correct.

Both weight on the hitch (trailer tongue weight) and cargo carried at the very back of the box have a similar effect on axle loads (and there is a rear axle load limit which can be a concern in some cases), but there is no specific limit for the combination of these loads.