I guess I'm spoiled

[CharlesinGA]

Read the owners manual. As previously mentioned, many vehicles have max tongue weights that are limited without weight distribution. On my RAM 2500 its 500 lbs max, and 1000 lbs with weight distribution. The owners manual should explain this, or the separate Ford towing guide for the year of the tow vehicle.

WDH helps a lot with porporsing or chucking such as crossing RR tracks and other road irregularities.

Many SUV's come with P series tires and they have soft sidewalls. It might tow a lot better to have a tire with a stiffer sidewall. In any case the rear tires may need to be inflated to near the max on the tire sidewall.

Trailers with torsion axles such as Escape and Airstream need to be as near level as possible when towing. The two axles function independently of each other and nose high will put more load on the rear axle and less on the front, which will increase tongue weight (and help prevent sway) while nose low will leave the trailer on the front axle and the rear axle skipping along with less load on it and making for more sway possiblilities. This is true of leaf spring axles with equalizers but (personal opinion here) to a lesser degree. Axles with equalizers and leaf springs still have some interconnection, while torsion axles are TOTALLY independent of each other.

The big deal with torsion axles being level is you are putting a lot of wear and load on the elastomer in one of them, with leaf springs and equalizers you are not significantly overloading or harming the springs.

This video helps somewhat I do wish he had used a dual torsion axle for the demonstration.

Charles

[Mark B1]

I read the owners manual, and the trailer hauling manual, and I am aware that Ford says you don't need a WDH. I have towed trailers and equipment of all sizes. The reality is that if you don't use a WDH on the Explorer, the back end settles down more than the front, especially if you have much cargo in the TV. This results in a lighter front end which in turn can compromise handling in rough conditions or quick movements. Yes, you can tow without the WDH and if you are always cautious and take it easy on rough roads, and if you don't get caught in crazy traffic having to make quick avoidance moves, but in reality why not improve the handling with a WDH witch keeps the required load on the front end of the TV and improves safety? It is not expensive in the overall cost of owning the TV and trailer.

[SeldomSeen]

I decided to go with the Andersen WDH. I just didn't like the way the E19 felt behind the Explorer. My son said it was the same with the pop-up he rented last year, so that really helped with the decision.

His first towing experience was with our E150 towing a pop-up. Then in college he drove landscaping trailers around. Neither of us are experts. But we are hoping that the Andersen helps with the bounce and jiggle. He doesn't need it until August, so....stay tuned if you want to hear the end of the story.

Glenn