Here's The Right (And WRONG) Way To Set Up Your Trailer When Towing!
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 07. 2021
- ( www.genyhitch.com/ ) It's important to make sure you're set up properly when towing - both for your own safety and that of others on the road. In this video, Andre and Mr. Truck show you how you don't want to set up for towing, and how to do it right!
( / tflcar ) Visit our Patreon page to support the TFL team!
Watch more videos from TFL Studios:
The Fast Lane Truck ( / tfltruck )
The Fast Lane Car ( / tflcar )
TFLoffroad ( / tfloffroad )
TFLbike ( / @tflbike )
TFLnow ( / tflnow )
TFLclassics ( / tflclassics )
TFLtalk ( / tfltalk )
TFL Podcasts:
TFL Talkin' Cars Podcast ( tflcar.libsyn.com/ )
TFL Talkin' Trucks Podcast ( tfltruck.libsyn.com/ )
#Towing #HowTo #GenY - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Great video.
People always ask, how much weight can my truck tow? Nobody asks how much weight can my truck/trailer stop? That's the important part.
Most trucks can safely stop 3000 lbs of trailer weight safely, with good brakes of coarse ! Anything over 3k , you are required to use electric trailer brakes that have to be state inspected annually like your vehicle ! Those trailer brakes , along with your truck brakes will stop your vehicle safely !
i saw you guys at phillips 66 next to i-25 and 119 filling up for this video and almost lost my shit seeing you guys
I'm going to be that guy but just hear me out...
But am less then impressed with this video, here is why I have watched you guys for a long time. I own a tree and land clearing business. I personally own 8 trailer (14000lbs+ not little dinky things) 2 ford 3 Chevy 3 Rams long story short I tow heavy everyday. I watch how you chain/strap equipment Mr. truck need to check yourself almost every load you chain down the chains loose and floppy. Difference between you and me is I do it for a living you do it for view. 12:53 when you gun it the rear straps are loose and about to fall off the the straps or to high and at the wrong angle. I could go on and on but please take this as a reminder we are all still learn and can better your self I don't want anyone to get hurt.
Yes, they are idjits, strapping off to the frame instead of the tires or a-arms.
Menace to the general public! Maybe they're both high or something.
I appreciate the advice, I too do it for a living every week with my own equipment and ballast, but I just have six trailers.
Fantastic! I've always been a little weary about setting up my trailer. Great video
Just found this video as I prepare to buy and use my own trailer for the first time (and after years of not towing anything). So helpful, this video, and the Gen-Y hitches are such a step up from what we used to get by with. Thanks guys!
Congrats I just bought my first enclosed trailer to haul my motorcycles. I'm so nervous about picking it up on Friday.
Thank you for this helpful video,I had same issues but after I watched this I save life.
Great job, and nice to see Mr. Truck doing videos with Andre again! 😀
Thanks
Great video guys. Although I did not get the awesome GenY setup, I did just recently get my 1st travel trailer and went with the Andersen no-sway weight distribution hitch with sway control.
I have watched several of your videos. You guys do a terrific job of explaining everything. Thank you.
Thanks
I lost a cousin due to a car trailer getting way out of shape and flipping the truck. Trailer was loaded improperly. Sway does happen and can be all she wrote.
Very informative video, thanks Andrei and Mr. Truck for making this. I’m getting into the trailering life (boats, RVs, utility trailers) and this video provided what I was looking for. Keep up the great work TFL!
Thanks
It would be AWESOME if you could do a series about hitches - for example, compare the Anderson WDH to more conventional WDH. It’s super helpful and also important in terms of safety and comfort. Thank you!!!
pro tip... cat scales are at lots of truck stops, easy to use and only cost about 10 bucks. If you weigh more than once in a 24 hour period, the second weigh is even cheaper.
OR, AND HERES THE PRO TIP. Scrap yards, garbage dumps, many landscape supply houses also have scales. If you want to way your rig for free, grab a bag of empty beer cans, go to the scrap yard. they don't have individual pads for separate sets of axles but... pull onto the scale slowly while writing down the scale read out each time you add an axle to the scale.
start with just your truck. it might say 4000 as you pull the the steer axle on and 7000 when completely on the scale, so now you know that your drive axle is 3000lb empty.
scrap the cans, go home, get your trailer and another bag of cans :)
now, as you pull the front axle on, it might say 4000lb, pull the drive axle on, it might say 8500lb so you now know your drive axle is 4500lb (8500-4000) then pull the trailer on. it might read 17,500lb so you now know your trailer weight on its axles is 9000lb (17,500-8500)
this gives you a tongue weight of 1500 (loaded drive axle of 4500-empty drive axle of 3000) for a TOTAL trailer weight of 10,500) tongue weight of 1500 plus trailer axle weight of 9000.
tongue weight of 1500 divided by total weight of 10,500 gives you a percentage of about 14%
this is a rough example of maybe a gas powered 3/4 ton pulling an equipment trailer.
You have scaled for free AND got rid of those beer cans in your garage for 4 years.
A lot of folks on the highways here in Florida need to come watch this video. Great job breaking down the proper way to set up a trailer.
Florida has a reputation to uphold.
I don't know what weighs more, that adjustable hitch or that Invicta watch!lol!
Thank you for this video! Very informative
Excellent video. Keep posting more like this.
This is an awesome informational video. Great job!!!
For an aspiring toy hauler, I really appreciate this kind of content. Total pros!
glad it helped
Well damn, for the past 20 years I’ve been using a regular old 2 in hitch with some chains. Guess I’ve been doing it wrong.
right. lol
Never too late to learn something.
Exactly, you don’t need all this Rube Goldberg crap
Great Info. GenY looks like good stuff.
This is stuff I already knew, but it was an excellent refresher for me.
Fantastic info for anyone that tows or may tow in the future.
Keep up the great work Guys.
PS. I live full-time in a 30 foot travel trailer and I travel half of the year. My trailer weights 6700 lbs, give or take for our food onboard. I tow with a Chevy Express extended cargo van 2500 HD with the 6.0
The only diesel available on the 2017 year was the 2.8 baby Duramax. I don't tow over 65 MPH, I also upgraded my tires on the trailer, I didn't like my house riding on China Bombs. Take care everyone and drive safe.
appreciate it
@@MrTruckTV you guys are doing a fantastic job. Thank you for keeping us on our toes.
@@windrider65 Thanks and you're welcome
sent in an email for something like this and you all delivered! Thanks!
Good idea
Yet another great video! Mr. Truck I am planning on ordering an F150 cres with 6.5 bed and the Heavy Duty payload package. Debating between 5.0 and 3.5 engine options. As you know this gives me 3.73 axles and heavy everything and max tow. Any advice on best engine choice? Primary use is a commuter and on weekends slide in pop up camper and lund boat or hauling mulch and stuff etc. Expect my total payload with tongue weight to be about 2200 total max. Dealer sheet has an XL with about 2500 lbs payload in the configuration I want. So 5.0 or 3.5 guys? I keep my vehicles for 300k miles on average. Thanks for input!
Very informative to watch, awesome
I really liked the concept of the video . I have a few comments though. When it came to hooking up the weight distributing hitch you didnt really explain what it does or how to properly set it up. I know this video wasnt specifically for this but you started to talk about how to hook the bars but never explained why or what it does. Just a little complaint. Love all your vids and all the towing info I learn about new trucks!.
@@whatsapp.4173 ⛔Scam alert⛔ This is a fake account posing as TFL
@@whatsapp.4173 dont think TFL would ever ask to whats app them. so scam account using same pic as them
Just went from a 2" drop to 3 1/4" drop this morning towing my boat, made a big difference boat doesnt bounce on the highway anymore.
Great demonstrations of what not to do.
Question
Adjustable hitches are great, but they always rattle and generate the most annoying noise inside the vehicle (worse in an SUV than a truck). What is the best adjustable hitch that does not rattle or what tricks are there to stop rattling?
great demonstration
I have general question: do I need a anti sway and weight distribution hitch and brake device for my ford ranger and a nucamp 400 boondock teardrop camper??? Thx.
Fantastic videos guys !
Thanks
Maybe next time talk about trailer tires also and how they not rated to go 100 mph 🤣🤣
Hey delete this lol
I made the mistake of loading my excavator too far up on my trailer and when I hit the brakes hard my truck didn’t have enough front end weight and my steering shuddered so that is something one needs to think of with consequences of not loading right…
Your truck must have some stout rear springs lol
Exactly! Not just going, but stopping- load shifting which changes dynamics in an instant as well. This is probably a great reason to have too much truck, than not enough truck when towing.
Still need to do a better job at tie downs on the trailer
I feel this video started off great 👍 then ended abruptly and left me with so many questions 🤔 like do you purposely overload the tongue in order to use weight distribution hitch? Isn’t the the weight of the load always supposed to be directly over the axle? And what are those “hooks” for, recovery?
the hooks are just a "cool accessory" that no one really needs. they were a bit vague about the part of the video where they put too much tongue weight on "just to see what it would be" and how distribution hitches actually work at distributing.
This is a question I have about weight distributing hitches as well. It seems that if you just load your trailer properly they shouldn't do much except maybe control a little bit of sway as you turn, go over uneven surfaces that upset the balance, and maybe wind as well.
@@ColeSpolaric I think weight distribution hitches are more for campers where the tongue weight can be pretty high. With campers the weight is spread out so much that a lot ends up on the tongue.
@@joshgarner805 more for sway control on travel trailers because of profile/ acts like a wind sail
@@cooverbennett4383 Yes the wind loves rv trailers. Like towing a billboard.
My 1997 Tacoma still has a real bump that's strong and is attached to the frame and uses the ball through the actual bumper instead of the added receiver hitch like you have in this video.
I've owned this truck since new and have towed successfully many many times with just the bumper ball.
Nothing wrong with using the factory set up if your only pulling one or twice a year and doing it in a save manner.
Hey guys is it neccessary pulling a camping trailer with a 4X4? We live in South Florida its very flat here but we plan on traveling out of state and going up and down mountains. Any opinion would be great thanks.
another great video, now you should do one on e-break controllers, setup and calibration, does and don't
Great video guys , I have owned 4 toy haulers and never had a issue because everything was set up perfectly. I recently purchased a pre owned toy hauler but it feels like it’s tugging my truck . When the roads get rough and bumpy the trailer is bouncing around and tugging me back . Any idea ?
If this was social media, I would have posted my daily morning routine of getting my 18ft trailer to cut some lawns and trees lol hard work pays for funn planning on jet skis purchase soon
Jetskis can get boring after a little bit
Thank you
This is such an important topic please do a video on towing different size boats like ski or wake boats vs fishing boats and patio boats. Boat dealers need to do more to educate their customers on this very important towing safety topic!
There are several boat towing videos on this channel, but I agree with you! I’d like to see the”proper” way they set up a boat trailer for various types of boats. Especially bc you can’t really shift tongue weight around, and you typically dont use WDH/sway bars when towing boats.
Tons of great info that most people generally don't know. Or actively ignore until they have an accident.
appreciate it
I only do light duty towing, but my receivers have been built-in scale in them.
Great info
Thanks guys...Now you can show how to strap down a load right and wrong...
The way you have the polaris hooked now is the wrong way should be by the tire or on some thing
that the up and down motion do not effect the straps slapping... luv ya
I cringe each time I see them tie down on suspension. It's a good way to snap or get a strap un hooked.
@@KramKen Yep the right way would be to have tire straps...
I like these educational videos 👍
glad to hear that
Andre, do you have any experience with the Lock 'N' Roll off road trailer hitch?
This was good, but I could use a video on proper set up of the chain end type of distribution bars and the sway control sliders. I recently acquired a 4200 dry weight camper. The seller threw in his weight distributing hitch, bars, and anti-sway slider bars. I was able to figure out how to get it all set up thanks to another video, but more detail would be helpful. I'll have to search your channel to see if you already have one.
What weight distribution hitch do you recommend for trailer with adjustable height tongue. unless i have the ball coupler in the lowest setting level with the bottom of the frame, my current husky round bar hitch the chains would be too short in all but the very lowest setting.
I like Andersen for lighter trailers and Equalizer for heavier trailers
I know you guys love Gen-Y hitches but can you test the Shocker Hitch with the weight distribution? Thank you love your videos awesome stuff to watch
That's an Idea, I'll talk to Bob at Shocker
Very good video. Would you consider doing another one with a short wheelbase Jeep? I had a lot of “fun” towing a 2,500lbs trailer with a 300lbs tongue weight with my TJ rated for 2000lbs. I learned real quick to slow down first and then turn the wheel.
Hooking up the chains correctly is also really important. Making sure they are crossed under the tongue to catch the trailer if it pops off. And how you can twist the chains to adjust their length so they aren’t dragging.
I’m curious why Gen-Y would ship the hitch without tightening the ball on it? Why make the customer have to then find some method to tighten it, potentially incorrectly?
so they arent liable if it comes loose and you crash. That makes you liable if you don't do it correctly.
I have a welded ball and nut setup.
Overpriced garbage that's why.
Very informative video, thanks
My question is: is there another method to mesure the tongue weight, there are not scales everywhere….
Yes, there is; Look on Amazon, and you'll find hitches called Weigh Safe.. There are also "trailer Tongue weight scales" that are a bit cheaper. Search for "trailer tongue weight scales" and you'll find them.
Knowing the tongue weight is important, but it's not the end-all, be-all. If a trailer tongue scale says you have 750 pounds on the tongue, well, is it 10%; for that you'd need to know the actual weight of the trailer and the cargo as well. Same thing for the truck; to know if your vehicle is within the rated specs, for both your truck and for your trailer along with the ratings for each axle, for both the front and rear axle of the truck, plus that of the individual axles of each trailer. But trailer tongue weight scales do exist;
Awesomeness. Thanks guys. I'll be ordering some stuff from Mr Truck at his website. Excellent vid as always. Hope to catch you guys out and about somewhere to say hello. NoCo here. Be safe gents.
Thanks, I'm in NoCo
I told my grandfather this past weekend to not load his trailer this last weekend and he had problems with sway. He still loaded it the same the second load.
17 minute advertisement for GenY
Mr truck rocks!
Thanks
Trailer stability is due to the center of weight.
With the center of weight behind the axles the trailer is dynamically unstable.
It is like running with a full wheel barrow.
If it gets out of line it will to get further out of line.
With the center of weight in front of the axles the trailer is dynamically stable.
It works like a castering wheel. If it gets out of line it wants to return straight.
As the weight moves to the center it becomes less stable until it becomes neutral.
Center of gravity just in front of the axles is best.
This is indicated by moderate towball load.
Awesome job guys
I follow your channel Piglet, cool to find you in the wild. 👍
Hopefully you learned something. After seeing your video's you certainly need all the advice you can get.
Just seen someone hook a bobcat to a towsmart hitch rated for 500lb toungue weight and 5k trailer weight. The bobcat had a 10k pound operating weight plus trailer so I am guessing 12-13k pounds.
How big should your trailer be and how much weight do you need to be hauling for weight distribution bars to be necessary? I transport my golf cart all the time with my 1/2 ton truck (no trailer brakes) and don’t seem to have any sway issues. Would it be more of a precaution for me or should I absolutely be using them?
It should be in you truck owners manual. It changes. It use to be generally 3000 lbs. No GM went up to 7000 lbs on 1500 1/2 ton trucks
i wonder what all the people thought on the interstate passing an improperly loaded trailer lol! nice demo guys!
The more that I see Andre's F150 the better it looks in this colour with the steel wheels. Love it.
Not really sure about the Ecoboost engine because we have Ford 1.0 litre Ecoboost engines in Fiestas and Focuses. These have developed the nickname Ecobang for obvious reasons because they blow up.
If I was buying an F150 I think I would probably just stick to the 5.0 or if getting the 2.7 or 3.5 I would probably sell it once I got around 100k miles. I know a few people who have had serious issues. One of them had to replace the cam phasers and timing chain and all 2x on his by the time he hit 120k miles and ended up just getting a short block the 2nd time around then sold the truck and another guy I know had it happen and ended up with a short block and all and cost him a couple grand since it happened as soon as the warranty ended. They don't seem to get nearly the kind of gas mileage Ford claims either unless you drive those ecoboost engines like a granny. They have all had issues lately though, GM has had bad lifters from like Sept 20 till a few months ago would think they would just do a recall on all those trucks. Seen tons of 5.7 Rams with blown head gaskets besides all kinds of electrical issues in some I have seen and I am a dealer with a garage so I see a bit not just somebody hating on one brand or another. I prefer GM but all the new trucks are nice and I would settle for any of them but if I was buying an F150 for myself I think I would just get the 5.0. The 5.4 engine Ford used from 04-08 think it was, was absolute junk so were the trannys behind the engine but those had the same issue with cam phasers and timing chains. I actually bought 3 of those F150s and 1 F250 a few years ago with the 5.4 to have some cheap trucks around to sell in the $5-9k range. Every single one I had to either replace the tranny or engine. I won't make the mistake of buying one again lol. At least the one with a bad engine had a good tranny.
@Allen Tokyo Colour****
@@JesseLJohnson the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder Ecoboost was a ground breaking engine for Ford. In the Focus the Ecoboost can blow away the 4 cylinder 1.6 engine in a drag race. However, as you say, driving it in that way to extract the whole 125 bhp will result in crap economy. Also, I am quite sure that driving the 1.6 Zetec engine like a Granny will result in excellent economy while still retaining the 1.6 torque on demand.
Incidentally, that 1.6 Zetec is absolutely bombproof and the 1.6 Focus is much cheaper than the Ecoboost.
Additionally, VW has a 1.0 3 cylinder engine in various VWs, Seats and Skodas which is very economical and gives no trouble at all.
Now don't get me wrong Buddy, I love Ford products but I'm very much afraid that the Ecoboost may be just a little bit fragile. I understand the concept that it provides the power of a large capacity engine in one that is just over half the size, good for emissions. Good emissions or not, don't alienate your loyal customers by making them do your engine quality control for you.
Please do an episode on towing off road. A lot of folks tow teardrop campers or even fuller size campers advertised for light off road use. I don't think weight distribution hitches will work for off road, but I am no expert. Definitely need 360 articulation. It would be great to see an episode on the subject and what items to consider.
I off-road with my ATV trailer. You need clearance and I prefer a single axle trailer
What’s under the hood of your f 150
Overall good video with great information. One thing I'd like to mention, you guys DO NOT know the correct way to tie down your sxs. Should never strap the front bumper, you should strap lower on the suspension, as close to the wheels as possible.
Glad you said it, never strap sprung weight
Yeah. They should def know better being a channel showing ppl the correct way to tow. This is why you always take things you see on these vids with a grain of salt.
"Mr. Truck". Reminds me of Mr. Roger's when I was growing up. Can you say goofy? I knew you could!
Shouldn’t the side by side be strapped down by the axles or tires and the not the top of the bumper bar?
Those heavy duty hitch receivers are not welded together they are clearly cast.
No, they are welded. They visit the factory in one of their videos here,
czcams.com/video/Pn2cNHOSd1c/video.html
12:25 You forgot to mention that the purpose of that trunnion isn't just weight distribution but sway control. Any trailer over 5000 lbs should have this
It would also have been cool if they had measured the axle scales with the weight distribution hitch and load full forward in order to show the difference the weight distribution hitch makes.
Maybe on a half ton. Going up in tow vehicle size, they can handle more without it.
@@tangydiesel1886 exactly Ford rates 3/4 ton crew cab diesel 15k conventional bumper tow with or without WDH. Actually states none needed because of design and where receiver mounts to frame.
What weight rating was bleeped out at 16:36?
-----SAFETY WARNING!!!!!!---- Hey great trailer video, but your UTV is strapped incorrectly, look at 12:55 and you can see the straps load and unload when you hit the gas. UTV's should be strapped to the wheel or tire, or lower control arm near the rubber of the tire....in this video you strapped it to the bumper (basically the chassis), which compresses and elongates when you brake and accelerate, which force/dynamically loads the straps. this can either be all good on a lucky day,yet sloppy, or cause catastrophic damage to property and harm people. I just thought everyone watching could benefit by pointing this out, but otherwise great vid!
Great video guys... should show this in school and ask about the physics and maths that goes into the theory behind these set ups.... peace.
Thanks
Is this a Gen-Y commercial? 😂🤣
Nonetheless, good info for using a trailer and distributing the weight factor correctly.
There was an old test of a scale model I saw on CZcams that demonstrates the wiggles. I wish I could find it again.
Ok, we already know how to distribute the weight properly. But what if you can't get your trailer LEVEL while towing? My trailer pulls slightly nose-high going down the road and my drop hitch is all the way down. I don't want to get a BIGGER drop hitch because There's hardly any clearance below the hitch as it is.
So is there any reason that the trailer being slightly nose-high or nose-low is bad (Given the the trailer IS properly loaded)?
You should be able to correct that on the truck. Do you have overloads or air bags?
Several factors create wag-the-dog. Sometimes the load can't be changed. Sometimes the trailer is properly balanced. Some trailer suspensions aren't designed well. Sometimes the load has a high center of gravity. The solution to wag-the-dog, if you can't make any changes, is to slow down. Preferably use your trailer brake controller, if not available apply very light braking. The wag oscillations will stop. The bottom line is, accelerate slowly and catch wag fast.
When I sodded my lawn a few years ago, at the sod farm the guy on the loader put an entire pallet of sod all the way forward putting all that weight on my tongue. What a fun ride that was over an hour home. Felt like the front of my truck was floating off the ground lol. The guy didn't seem to have any idea what he was doing with the loader. I told him it had to move back a few feet but he just didn't get it. Actually he went and got the 2nd pallet and tried sticking it in the bed of my truck lol.
Thats because they are used to loading flat bed semis, and they always load front to back.
@@acdii that's what I think. If he was capable of operating the forklift without killing someone he probably knew how to use it but a lot of the time your just moving pallets around a floor or onto semi trailers ect.
ProPride or Hensley Hitch!
Put the hitch in the receiver sideways and with a 48" pipe wrench "tighten" the holy hell out of it! My 300 lbs standing on said pipe wrench was applying a minimum of 1200 ft lbs to the bolt!
I've done that
Next up on I paid 50k for steel wheels.
Mr. Truck you sold me on GenY. I'll be buying one. But does one really need the weight distribution bars -- even in your setup in the video? Honestly I've never seen them used. Maybe because we're dumb in the South. Great video ... I'd love to see even a more in-depth video on towing (how you should hook up the chains ... test the trailer brakes ... etc.etc. for beginners). Thanks!
I have a video like that on my channel, czcams.com/video/4-wvUa8dtVc/video.html doing one this month hooking up WDH
For a half ton you do, even though it is 500 pounds @ 10%, it will still take weight off the front axle enough to affect steering. The WDH, which they did not explain in this video, is to transfer lost weight back to the front axle.
When is the Lightning going to do the Ike Gauntlet? Wait, will it do the Loveland Trials? BOTH!? I think that is my most anticipated youtube video right now. I want to know how it handles towing a significant percentage of it's towing capacity.
I own the gen y hitch on a 2014 1500 silverado and it works like a beauty
Would the suspension hitch be recommended for towing horses to make the ride for both more smooth?
Maybe for sprung trailers, but mine with the torsion axles rides very smooth so it would be redundant. I think it is more to keep the sprung trailers from transmitting to the truck than the other way around.
I like the idea of a suspension to isolate the movement of the truck and trailer for an improved ride. The horses will smile.
Any recommendation for a suspension hitch for horsetrailer fully loaded 9900lbs (empty about 5000lbs) and tongue weight 1450?
Thanks so much!
Weight distribution is everything. Had some scary hauls where the load was not positioned properly. 🤯
One. Big. Commercial.
Do you still cross the chains?
Yes
Just match trailer size to size of load no?
I'm confused after 11:50. You said you were at 25% tounge weight but I thought you were looking for closer to 10% for the correct distribution.
I "think" I get what ya mean, but your demo of the "correct way" is or may be misleading. D id you put 25% tongue weight on the truck's hitch, then you used the weight distributing hitch to achieve the correct 10% to 15% tongue weight? Or, did you intend for the 25% forward weight scene to be part of the WRONG way scenes? That is, did you first achieve a reasonable tongue weight and then used the weight distributing bars to level the truck and trailer? The distributing hitch removes weight from rear axle of truck toward the front truck axle and also toward the trailer axle(s). How does one determine how much distribution is the correct amount? Inquiring minds and all of that rot...
Probably the most important part of all of this and they just skipped over it. As far as I understand it, you want 10-15% tongue weight before you attach any WDH system. The big difference lots of people don't realize, is distributing weight does not move the center of gravity, it only changes the pressure being put on each axle. The ONLY thing that can change the center of gravity is where you have placed the payload. You need you center of gravity in the right location before you make any attempts to compensate with WDH, air bags etc. WDH should be used to compensate for heavy loads that already have the mass in the correct spot on the trailer. Every OEM has a tongue weight limit where a WDH is needed and is usually listed in their towing guide. The 2021 F-150, for instance is 500lbs. So if the trailer is >5000lb, you definitively need the WDH, and less than that, it's optional. WDH manuals usually say to target 50% of whatever the first axle rise is when the trailer was put on...so cutting the natural weight transfer by 50%; to keep good steering and braking pressure on your steer tires. To make matters more complicated, the air bag/self-levelling system can then be used to bring the squat back to perfect levels by increasing the rear spring rate. which gives you some rear travel back, but does nothing for weight distribution. Doing anything of these things in the wrong order can make the whole rig look like everything is great but have terrible or even dangerous performance.
Agreed, they didn't go into the detail as much as they should have, no mention of tongue weight range for conventional towing, nor described what the WDH actually does when hitched up correctly. They also didn't show the differences in weight with and without the bars. I feel it was more of here's what not to do than the proper way to do it.
I just ordered a GenY hitch yesterday 💚🖤❤️
But those hitches are not available at this time on their website anymore. 😕
You don't want the tail wagging the dog
What if you don't have scale handy? They make a receiver with scale built in
Yes, they do, but that's only part of the equation; you'd have to know the weight of your trailer, and the weight of your load, which is not always a known. You'd know how much your tongue weight is, but you would not know, just from the scale, if you had 10% on the tongue, just how much is on the tongue.
There is one exception to the 10% rule which screws with a lot of people. Travel Trailers do NOT tow well at all @ 10% TW due to axle placement. If you note, the majority of trailers have the axle(s) placed towards the rear of the trailer, flat beds, most cargo, car haulers, horse trailers, dump trailers, all have the axle(s) far from the coupler. 10% is ideal for them, but Travel trailers have their axles almost in the middle, lots of overhang in the rear as well as the front. For those, it is best to calculate weight at the middle of the scale, 10-15% so 12.5 or round up to 13% tongue weight for a good stable tow. The key to Travel trailers is they are tall long wind sails, so the more weight up front, the better they handle wind.
That's true, travel trailers mfg. try to sell all their TT to work on 1/2 tons. It causes many problems including proposing. They are basically a teter toter. You right, commercial trailers including horse trailers use Dexter axle rules in their owners manual which is 2/3's back for the axle placement. It is better to be a little tongue heavy that a little butt heavy.
You should find a way to do giveaways for some hitches.
What about proper loading, without weight distribution.
yes. i wanna know this too.