BobG

While it probably would be OK, I wouldn't do it. I do my best to keep RF away from other wiring. The solar panels produce DC, but I suspect that there is a bit of high frequency noise created by the solar controller that may ride on the input cables.

Hi Bob,

My wife and I have a 2017 Touareg (same platform as the Q7) and are looking at buying an Escape 19 or 21. How did your towing experience go with the 21 and your Q7? Any advice would be appreciated.

Mark

Hi Bob,

Sorry, I didn't notice your post... I see Private Messages, but wasn't watching for profile comments.

If the air suspension system changes height while moving, that would change the amount of load transfer by the WD system: lowering the tow vehicle will increase load transfer, and vice versa. A large amount of ride height change would be undesirable, but with any luck this can be turned off... and this is a feature available only with four-wheel air suspension, not with rear-only systems. A system with only auxiliary air springs, in addition to steel springs (coil or leaf) is unlikely to have automatic height changes, only maintenance of a constant ride height.

With one of these height-changing systems, it would be reasonable to set the WD for moderate load transfer at normal ride height, knowing that it will increase in the lowered state, but that won't fix a more fundamental problem: changing the tow vehicle height will change the tongue height of the trailer. Lowering the tongue by a couple of inches with a single axle trailer is okay, but with a tandem-axle trailer it is a problem - with Torflex axles it will certainly decrease stability. I think it would be advisable to turn off any ride height changes, with or without WD.

Most people seem to depend on raising the trailer's tongue with the tongue jack to make it easier to put the WD bars in place (with chains or with the fixed brackets)... but most systems are designed with a lever to engage the bars so this shouldn't be necessary. Even with air suspension the tongue jack trick will still work anyway, although if the air suspension system reduces air pressure enough, the hitch would be pulling down on the trailer with a lot of force. The obvious fix is to shut off the tow vehicle's engine while hooking up the WD - the air suspension control will not be active when the vehicle is off.