Weight distribution hitch questions

PJ

pjriss

Advanced Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
58
Location
Northern California
After my first long road trip I notice some thing I don't like.

The camper seems to take a real beating while going down the highway. The bathroom "door", that cheap flimsy fake wood folding thing, actually broke and everything in the rear of the trailer flew all over the place. I plan to replace that poorly thought out bathroom door with a curtain regardless but the problem remains with the rough ride.

Obviously it smooths the ride on the tow vehicle but does a weight distributing hitch do anything to smooth the ride on the trailer? I'm looking at the Anderson WD hitch FWIW.

Edit: Porpoising. That's what I'm trying to mitigate. I couldn't think of the word.
 
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A WDH, if properly sized and adjusted, will minimize any tendency of the trailer to nose dive and bounce. It effectively creates a "bridge" between the tow vehicle that is rigid and creates the effect of a longer wheelbase in your tow vehicle/trailer combination. It also has some "springyness" in the weight distributing bars that keeps the combination from being TOO rigid.

However, you need to size the WDH properly. Mine is rated for 600# tongue weight and (I think) 6,000# trailer weight, which is appropriate for my 17ft trailer. Your 19T would probably work with that rating too. if you can confirm your tongue weight is less than 600#. You would NOT want a WDH that has higher than an 800# tongue weight rating. Anything above that would be too rigid and would give you a rough ride.

An appropriate WDH will also improve your tow vehicle's handling - now that I've set up my WDH properly, I don't even "feel" the trailer and my steering and braking seem completely normal. If I'm towing at night, my headlight aim is correct. I've NEVER experienced trailer sway with this setup, but in the past, when towing something without a WDH with sway control, I did, and trust me, you don't ever want to experience sway.

I will say though, that I've added to all the lower cabinet door catches, because they would open during travel. And, I've added a pin catch to the refrigerator door that keeps it from opening, which it did with only the OEM latch.

- Jack
 
Rough ride

Another reason for a rough ride could be tire pressure. If you have too high pressure in tires, they don't flex much, if any. Kind of like having just hard rubber or steel tires, instead of ones with some air cushioning. You can imagine what that would be like with your car; that's why there's a recommended pressure on your door post.

With a trailer, there may or may not be a recommended pressure. Usually, you need to know how much weight your tires are carrying, since that can vary a lot in a trailer. Many people say to put the maximum pressure the sidewall of the tire says it can hold, but that's usually seriously over-inflated. What you need to do is find out how much weight a tire is carrying, and then look up the correct pressure on the chart published by the tire manufacturer. Otherwise, you can expect things inside to get shaken apart, or doors that won't stay shut and the like.

Don't go by what a tire salesman tells you. Use the manufacturer's tables and look the correct pressure up yourself. The people who make the tires are the real experts.

A few pounds extra to provide a little leeway probably won't hurt. But if your correct pressure is 40 pounds, don't put 65 into your tires. That's asking for one heck of a rough ride.
 
Oh, I also meant to comment on Andersen hitches. I have one and am extremely satisfied with it. Lighter weight than a lot of WD hitches, and clean, easy to adjust. I won't buy any other kind in future.

And, I have no connection to the Andersen company, even though they are located just an hour or so north of where I live!
 
I agree with previous posts. The WD hitch really makes things ride nice. I also have a 17T.

I went with the Reese Pro Round bar. lhttps://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Reese/RE34FR.html

My tow vehicle head lights work a lot better at night and since it is front wheel drive it helps keep those tires in better contact when climbing gravel roads.

I used several of these when I installed drawers and changed out the cabinet doors. They all stay closed in transit now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084H2FCJG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I have only needed a sway bar for the campers plus I use one on my utility trailer as it stabilizes any load. Also the bar and safety chains saved me from disaster when my trailer came unhitched as I was driving. Any additional safety measure can be a lifesaver.
 
For what it's worth, a WDH helps prevent an accidental disconnect if it is set up properly, because it raises the rear of the tow vehicle, pushing the hitch ball into the trailer coupler, which is in turn pushed down onto the hitch ball by the spring bars. I don't think there's any way a coupler could lift off the hitch ball with this system while underway.

- Jack
 
My mistake. When I attached the hitch the part that fastens under the ball was apparently on top though it appeared to attach correctly. I was not able to lift the tongue since my atv was already in the trailer I also did not lie down to look at the connection from beneath. The utility trailer was custom built in the 1970s and this was the first time I had this issue. I had the small ball for the sway bar attached to the trailer tongue so I could more safely tow my atv as the trailer would not tow well unless most weight was loaded forward of the axel. Mostly I have use this to take trash to the dump or pick up rocks and dirt for my never ending yard work.
I have seen some weight distribution hitches that are difficult to attach, particularly by a woman of senior age. No worries regarding my Hi Lo since I sold it last year. I will check further when looking for a camper in the future.

When checking rental units that I could pull with my 4.0 L 4 Runner most people renting out their campers had no idea what I was talking about and most people were renting campers for the first time. They have no clue.

Although I no longer own a camper I keep reading posting on this site because there is so much great information that I wish I had known years ago. I call this preparation for future camping.

Jack, thanks for your input. Your experience helps many people on this site.

Richard Wheeler
 
Richard, I use a 4.0 liter 2008 4Runner to pull my 1999 22 foot Classic. I had to install a frame-mounted hitch on the 4Runner to get 5500 lb capacity, and I don't think I could haul anything bigger. I note that a couple of years after my Hi-Lo was built, they changed from steel to aluminum framing, which made the trailer a little lighter.

I also found a way to mount McKesh mirrors on that generation of 4Runner. Some guy posted on another forum that he got rid of the McKesh because they would damage the window ledge. I added a little strip of wood to the mount that raises it about 5/16 of an inch, and it works great.
 
Please Share

Roger, I'm sure others with 4Runners would be interested in how you modified the mounting of McKesh mirrors. Please feel free to post pictures in the General Repairs, Modifications, Tips and Tricks section.

Other than add-on mirrors for the "BIg 3" brands, there seems very little for other tow vehicles.

- Jack
 
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A couple of wdh questions. Does anyone use the andersen hitch on a hi lo with the couple welded to the bottom. I found one post on here from Raul back in 2017 and he had problems with the chains not being parallel to the ground. Thus the weight distribution was not right.

Secondly does anyone use an ez2 2 point or would I need a 4 point antisway on a 27T?

Thanks,
Paul
 
Paul,

As I stated above in an earlier post, I pull a 22' Hi-Lo with my 2008 4Runner using an Andersen weight distribution hitch. I don't have any problems and love the Andersen hitch.

The yoke that holds the chains and fastens below the ball a few inches is held in place with a normal 5/8" hitch pin. One of the chains may be looser than the other when you hook up. You just adjust the nuts on the end of the chains to the point you determined they should be when you first set up the hitch. Don't worry about one chain being tighter; as soon as you start pulling and make turns the tension will even out. There is no need to weld anything--that would seriously mess up the operation of the hitch. If you have questions, contact the Andersen people, they are very helpful and can explain how it all works.
 
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