3/4 Truck Distribution Hitch

[move on]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

I sure wish there was a "like" button here; some excellent posts IMO on both sides of the discussion.

My take?

- the larger your tow vehicle as it relates to your trailer, the less you need to use a WD hitch or supplimentary sway control. Certainly many people tow trailers that are heavier than their tow vehicles and I wouldn't say they are unsafe, just that more attention must be paid to controlling the weight distribution.

- WD hitches are necessary with many (most?) setups but do have some undesireable side effects as well.

- 80 mph is too fast! I agree you need to keep up with the traffic flow but surely 70 is quick enough in the slow lane...


My truck weighs 8338lbs with just me and a full tank of diesel.....with my camping load on, it weighs between 8,600 and 9,500 lbs (depending) and my loaded trailer weight is approximately 6,500 lbs. Due to the very heavy engine on the front axle and the dual rear wheels, it is undesireable for me to transfer any weight from the rear axle to the front......but as I've said, my setup is atypical.

Cheers,
Dave

Fastest trailer tow 141.998 mph:

https://youtu.be/_E0LYU0AYG8

[Dave Pelletier]

Haha! ....reminds me of those guys racing lawn mowers; hard pass from me!

Dave

[move on]

What's interesting to me is that the trailer didn't sway even at 142 mph. I wonder what the tongue weight was. Note that there was no sway control device used, just a simple height adjustable ball mount.

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by move on

Keeping up with traffic flow on the interstate is important. If everyone, including large semis, is doing 75 and you come up on an undersized rig or a motor home on skinny wheels in the right lane doing 60, there's going to be a bottleneck as the semis pull out to pass. That's when road rage and accidents happen. Somebody recently posted that they heard two truckers joking about how they zoom past slow-moving RV's just to watch them sway. I think they were frustrated at all the bottlenecks that these RV's cause so they set out to teach them a lesson.

Here's a question. How come an 80,000 lb semi can go 80 mph but most RV's cant?

Those idiots truck drivers are the ones causing the damn accident! It infuriates me when they feel they own the road. Should RV drivers "teach" them anything but cutting them off, or doing brake checks? C'mon!

The speed limit is 100km/h on most highways up here, that's a measly 62 MPH. It's usually fine for me. We save a good 10% on fuel driving 62 to 66 MPH vs 70 to 75 MPH.

Speed limits are generally MAXIMUMs and not a minimum speed. If people think we MUST drive at least 65 MPH in the right lane on a 65MPH max speed limited road they are just wrong. The road is meant to be shared and life is not just a race. If someone does something stupid to try and bully me up to speed they will get an eye-opening surprise from me.

FWIW semis up here MUST be regulated to 105 km/h max speed or risk huge fines.

[tuffr2]

My 1st thought is - that is a small travel trailer. I would like to see the same speed attempt with a Jayco Eagle 330 RSTS. Now that is a travel trailer.

I am surprised that little single axle trailer did not start to leave the ground. I bet it was close.

Towing that fast reminds me of the winged suit guys that glide thru the hole in the stone. Crazy ...

https://youtu.be/-C_jPcUkVrM

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

I sure wish there was a "like" button here; some excellent posts IMO on both sides of the discussion.

My take?

- the larger your tow vehicle as it relates to your trailer, the less you need to use a WD hitch or supplimentary sway control. Certainly many people tow trailers that are heavier than their tow vehicles and I wouldn't say they are unsafe, just that more attention must be paid to controlling the weight distribution.

- WD hitches are necessary with many (most?) setups but do have some undesireable side effects as well.

- 80 mph is too fast! I agree you need to keep up with the traffic flow but surely 70 is quick enough in the slow lane...


My truck weighs 8338lbs with just me and a full tank of diesel.....with my camping load on, it weighs between 8,600 and 9,500 lbs (depending) and my loaded trailer weight is approximately 6,500 lbs. Due to the very heavy engine on the front axle and the dual rear wheels, it is undesireable for me to transfer any weight from the rear axle to the front......but as I've said, my setup is atypical.

Cheers,
Dave

I wouldn't use a WDH with your DRW and 6500 lb 25' TT either.

[ashman155]

I use a Andersen WDH with my 2500 HD Ram and love it have no issues with it. trailer is 33ft. TT loaded 9000 lbs. never had an issue. Towed the sucker in high winds on a bald prairie, slowed down took my time as the weather came up unexpected, only problem was a metal stripping on the bottom of the trailer tore off. The WDH worked like a charm, no sway especially in that wind storm. Found shelter and boy was glad to get off that highway in that wind storm.

[Kevinc2011]

I pulled a 10,000 lb tt with a Ram 3500 drw without a wdh. The front axle does not have much weight rating to spare, and the suspension handled it well. I now pull a 21K residential fifth wheel with a little over 4K of pin weight. It adds nothing to the front axle and pulls very well.

[squaredave]

Originally Posted by garbear2483

Hello all,

I have a Ram 2500 truck and will be pulling a 33ft TT that weighs 6,767 dry. The tongue weight is 865lbs. Any suggestions on a DH? I don't want to spend a bunch of money on a high end if its not necessary.

Thank you for your feedback!

The sticker shock on the high end systems can take your breath away. If you plan to tow long distances you might want to consider one anyway. I bit the bullet (twice) and bought a Hensley and later bought a Propride during my years as a “road warrior” for a contractor. The difference between them and the next level down was amazing especially when towing conditions were challenging.

My preference is the Propride.

Enjoy your travels.

[cekkk]

OP can get away without a distribution hitch but his tows would be much more comfortable with a hitch. I have had a Blue Ox that was just fine and now an equalizer. Either might be a bit more expensive than he would like but they're good hitches. As for not having a hitch because they are dangerous, that's the same as not wearing a seatbelt because you might get stuck in a fire

[jeb]

Originally Posted by cekkk

OP can get away without a distribution hitch but his tows would be much more comfortable with a hitch.

Agreed. I use a Camco Trekker, which has built in stabilization. I'm very happy with the setup.

[LarryinID]

Originally Posted by garbear2483

Hello all,

I have a Ram 2500 truck and will be pulling a 33ft TT that weighs 6,767 dry. The tongue weight is 865lbs. Any suggestions on a DH? I don't want to spend a bunch of money on a high end if its not necessary.

Thank you for your feedback!

Go online. Under $250.

e.g. https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...7tx4p9mHkCvBwJ

[LarryinID]

Originally Posted by move on

The problem with WD hitches is that they tend to destabilize the tow vehicle. The more weight distribution that is applied the easier it will be for the rig to jackknife. If you have to make a sharp turn to avoid an accident the trailer could come around and spin the rig around, probably rolling over the trailer and maybe even the truck. If you want maximum safety you will not use a WD hitch, as long as your rear axle can handle the load.

Not true at all. I’ve used several inexpensive ones over dozens of years with no issues

[LarryinID]

Originally Posted by move on

Manufacturers know that WD hitches are destabilizing. This has been known by automotive engineers for decades. The reason they say to use a WD hitch for high loads is because they cannot justify their towing claims if their rear axles are overloaded.

More nonsense. They actually stabilize.