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Old 04-19-2020, 11:32 PM   #1
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Weight Distribution Hitch

Seeking your expert's advice. We're fairly new here...

We've searched this "Class A Discussions" about weight distribution hitches but could not seem to find any.
We bought a new Entegra Anthem and planned to pull a 24ft stacker trailer with it. We'd like to know if it is absolutely needed to have a weight distribution hitch (with integrated sway control). I had approached the dealership we bought our coach from but they could not tell me if it is absolutely needed. Strange. However, they offered me a 16000-lb wd hitch. On the other hand, a friend who pulls a 24ft stacker with his Aspire tells me it is not needed. In fact, he has been pulling his stacker for the past 5 years without a WD hitch. I've been doing my own research and there's a lot out there that leads me to think it is not needed on a coach like this.

If I don't need a wd hitch, any recommendations on the drop hitch I should be getting?

Thank you
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Old 04-20-2020, 03:10 AM   #2
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I guess the simple answer is it's not needed until its needed.

Will it hurt? Does it have the potential to keep you safe?
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Old 04-20-2020, 04:51 AM   #3
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WDS helps to redistribute the tongue weight between the trailer and tow vehicle, as you may know.

Make sure your hitch height is set to tow your trailer level - you may need an adjustable hitch in the receiver for that. Generally you want the hitch and ball to be within 3" vertically max. if I remember correctly.

You should also make sure your tow-behind has good balance so it will not be prone to swaying - tongue weight should be about 10% of the total trailer weight - if it does tend to sway - use the WDS with integrated sway.

If you hook up and find the front of your MH goes up and rear goes way down you should get a WDS to help distribute the load. You need to keep the front of the MH down for proper handling.

WDS is not rocket science - you can pick them up from Harbor Freight very reasonably priced and virtually identical to most others on the market for 1/3 the price. Check the specs for load compliance.

I always used to weld the trailer-side brackets to the trailer frame rather than mess around with the scary clamp on brackets...

I also used to carry a length of 1" pipe to use as a lever to attach the WDS arm chains (or levers, whichever you might have).
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Old 04-20-2020, 05:13 AM   #4
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Only needed if you need to transfer weight, most front axle's don't need more weight. The air ride suspension will stay at the set ride height no matter how much weight you put on the hitch, and when taking the trailer off, the ride height valve will release air.
My trailer has 1200# tongue weight, no WDH, pulls wonderful.
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:01 AM   #5
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There's 2 questions being discussed here:

1.) Do you need a weight distributing hitch?
If your rear axle and receiver can handle the additional tongue weight, then no, you don't need it.

2.) Do you need sway control (sometimes built into a WD hitch)?
This is more difficult. Will you always pull the same kind of load and know how to distribute your load to have 10 to 15 percent tongue weight?

WD hitches can be a hassle, but it never hurts to have one. A real life example for you. My friend has an F250 and pulls a 4000 pound enclosed snowmobile trailer. His rear axle is large enough, he doesn't need WD for any load. However 2 years ago, he was towing in a strong cross wind in slippery wintry conditions and the trailer started swaying badly. He ended up doing a 180 on the highway and going backwards into the ditch. Everyone was ok, the trailer was damaged pretty bad. If he had a sway control hitch, he likely wouldn't have been in that situation.

I know your coach is much larger than an F250, I just wanted to illustrate the difference between the 2 features. Only you can decide if you need it. You can always leave the WD bars off of the hitch if you decide you don't need the WD or sway control. The downside there is the WD hitch is much heavier to lift than a non-WD hitch. I pull an equipment trailer with my half ton truck and depending on the load, I'll use the WD hitch or a regular hitch. My regular hitch is also adjustable for different trailer heights, but you probably don't need that.
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:06 AM   #6
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this will help you understand

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx

i use one with dual anti sway on my coach keep the brake set at 65
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:34 AM   #7
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When I towed a 26' enclosed trailer weighing 12,000#, I did it with and without a WDH with sway control. Other than giving me a psychological sense of safety, I couldn't tell the difference. With 1400# of tongue weight, I wanted some weight distribution for the dips in the road that can surprise you at times. My son does not use one for his 15,000# trailer, but his coach has a 25,000# towing capacity.
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Old 04-20-2020, 05:31 PM   #8
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The front axle doesn’t need more weight... NO on WD. Sway is caused by not enough tongue weight so where you load things in the stacker is more important than a bandaid to try and stop it. Fortunately the dog is big enough so the tail is not going to wag it too much, unlike a PU pulling a trailer that weighs more than the truck. If I’m concerned about not enough tongue weight at 45 mph I wiggle the steering wheel as that will start the sway if it’s going to happen. Putting the trailer brakes on will increase the tongue weight so I can stop and reposition the load.
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Old 04-20-2020, 08:22 PM   #9
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Weight Distribution Hitch Needed?
Is your safety worth a few hundred dollars?
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Old 04-20-2020, 10:15 PM   #10
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Thanks, everyone! I have decided to go safer; got nothing to loose here. I will be ordering a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH.
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Old 04-21-2020, 07:02 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roymalinao View Post
Thanks, everyone! I have decided to go safer; got nothing to loose here. I will be ordering a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH.
Listen to your friend that pulls without anything. Try it without wasting your money... you are not buying any safety... the dog is not a 8000 lb PU truck.

To bad you’ve gotten so much bad info like:
“If the back goes down and the front goes up” NOT going to happen with air suspension!
The only reason to use WD is to take weight off the back and shift it to the front axle... not needed on a DP.

The anti sway devices makes it harder for a trailer to wag the dog. The solution is more tongue weight, not a bandaid to try and limit it.
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Old 04-21-2020, 07:56 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by roymalinao View Post
Thanks, everyone! I have decided to go safer; got nothing to loose here. I will be ordering a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH.
It's your money so you can do whatever you want. Before you spend it, have someone explain to you how a 16,000# trailer (tail) is going to "Wag" a 44', 42,000# coach (dog) with a long wheel base. As I posted before, I had both and the only benefit is that I "thought" I was more stabil. It definitely was not worth the cost. Years ago, I parked with three rigs with stackers from NY on their way to Vegas for drag race Nationals. None of them had WD hitches.
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Old 04-21-2020, 09:16 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivylog View Post
Listen to your friend that pulls without anything. Try it without wasting your money... you are not buying any safety... the dog is not a 8000 lb PU truck.

To bad you’ve gotten so much bad info like:
“If the back goes down and the front goes up” NOT going to happen with air suspension!
The only reason to use WD is to take weight off the back and shift it to the front axle... not needed on a DP.

The anti sway devices makes it harder for a trailer to wag the dog. The solution is more tongue weight, not a bandaid to try and limit it.
Good point about "back goes down... front goes up," which I posted - sadly, I was not familiar with the OP MH and DO agree with you and other posters that if there is air suspension it would compensate - thanks for forum correction - I wish I could edit my original - perhaps the moderators could delete it, rather than have the misleading post (which I know we all don't like).
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Old 04-21-2020, 09:35 AM   #14
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My Freightliner manual states to not use a WD hitch.
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