Weight distributing hitch ???

I have a 3225 model . Do I need a weight distributing hitch to pull with a Suburban? I am moving up from a Coleman Niagara popup and used a friction sway bar. Can I use this to pull my Trailmanor?

If I need a weight distribution system what is recomended , what is the cost and where do I find it?

Thanks for your help. The used TM I bought had a lot of manuals but I found nothing to explain winterizing and dumping your sewage, etc.. Is there a manual just for the trailmanor? I have one for the gas system, toilet, oven and about every componet attached to the TM.

In my opinion, if the back of your truck drops more than a couple inches, you should use a weight distributing hitch. And wheather or not you do use one, I believe in using sway control. A couple weight distributing hitches have built in sway control. (Equal-i-zer, and Rease Duel-Cam for example). I use the Equal-i-zer myself. Or you can add sway control to any hitch, (weight distributing, or not).


Again, that is just my opinion, nothing more. Several people will probably say that you won't need either with your Suburban. They may be right. My Tundra tows my trailer fine with just a draw bar, but I got the Equal-i-zer for mainly piece of mind. Better safe than sorry.


Things like dumping and winterizing are covered in the TrailManor manual. I suggest you give the factory a call. I am sure they can fix you right up with a new manual.

Hope some of this helps.

Mack

[arknoah]

Our hitch is a Reese with the sway control, and I recommend it highly.  We also have a 3225, and since they are the second heaviest trailer ever made by TM, it gives you great peace of mind.  Our tow vehicle is a Toyota Sequoia, which has the same engine as the Tundra, and it cam tow 6200 lbs., which when paired with the empty weight of the 3225 of 3200 lbs. gives us lots of stuff we can carry, but I prefer to have that kind of wiggle room.  

Regarding the sway control, I have forgotten it on a couple of occasions, then pulled off the highway and put it on once I realized I had forgotten it.  I never felt much of a difference during those short stints. However, I have the distinct feeling that I would have felt a difference had I been pulling in strong winds or been passed by a lot of trucks.  My advice: since the 3225 is a full 25 feet long when towed, it makes sense to have the extra peace of mind of the sway control.

F. J. & Ellen

i use the equal-i-zer and i have a 2720 model and a v8 1500 dodge ram. i tow at 60 mph. i feel safer with the knowledge of having the equal-i-zer.

jimmy davis is the rep at trailmanor he will help you out on a manual.

also since you have the bigger model you might want to consider a tranmission cooler.

1. Suburban's are great for towing provided they are setup for towing with all of the necessary options available for that purpose. Is yours?

2. I took a winter storage survey of Trailblazers at our Fall meeting and would gladly send the results to you if you email me directly at [email protected]. I have tried to send it to the website with no good results.

Dick_B

Also look in Maintenance, subject: Winterizing, in this website.

Dick_B

I use a weight distributing hitch with our 2720 behind the Excursion.   It's an E-Qual-Izer with bars that are probably too stiff.  This likely amounts to overkill, but I think it helps control the rig when something unexpected happens.

I like the Reese setup I had used on a tandem axle car trailer better, but not enough to go to the trouble of replacing what I'm already using.  My car trailer was heavier than the TM but I felt I could tune the balance better (behind my old F250 SuperCab).  They are both decent systems.

There are so many variables to consider that you won't get a single answer.  What's the tongue weight and axle weight of your TM (after you load it for a trip)?   How is your  'Burban sprung?  Is it a 1500 or a 2500?  2WD or 4WD?  What's the wheelbase?  What kinds of roads do you folllow?   What speed do you like to cruise?  Etc, etc, etc.

My 2cents?  Spring for the distributing hitch at the least.  Your 3225 is heavier than my 2720 and I notice a difference, especially on bumpy roads.   It is a very unpleasant experience having your trailer steer your truck.  Once is one time too many.   What happens without a weight distribution system is your front end can become light and you can loose some steering feel ...  not good.

Folks have likened the sway control to insurance, and I tend to agree.  If I were towing a 30+ foot tandem axle full trailer, I'd be using a Hensley!   I happen to be comfortable enough with my setup to do without sway control, though.   If you go without, and you start noticing your vehicle wobble when a tractor trailer blows by, go with the sway control.

[Van Isle TM]

I have a 31/24 - I taking over towing duties and moving from a Nissan Titan Truck which towed it like it wasn't there and will now be towing with a Nissan Pathfinder - it is rated for 6000 lbs. It is a 'truck based' SUV. The distribution hitch seems huge - I am older female and struggle with the bars on the hitch - I was hoping I could tow without it. Sounds like from this thread most people are using a weight distribution hitch. Does anyone not - or is it just not recommended? Thanks

[trailbiker]

I have a 2720 which I tow with a Honda Ridgeline. I have considered getting weight distribution hitch, but never felt like I really needed it. Honda does not recommend the use of WD hitches, but I am not sure why. I am not sure what I'm missing here.

[Larryjb]

One thing no one has mentioned is the axle ratings. Even if your Suburban doesn't drop when hooking up the TM, the weight is still mainly on the rear axle. I have a tahoe and I did exceed the weight rating on the rear axle even though I was still several thousand pounds under the towing limit.

Your Suburban will be fine with a WDH, so I'd go for it. There are weight ratings for the WDH, and I recall the medium (800 lb) was the best. I got mine from Cap-it, but there are many good places to get one.

I'm sure any WDH will do. No one here has ever felt the need for sway control.

[cire74]

One thing no one has mentioned is the axle ratings. Even if your Suburban doesn't drop when hooking up the TM, the weight is still mainly on the rear axle. I have a tahoe and I did exceed the weight rating on the rear axle even though I was still several thousand pounds under the towing limit.

Your Suburban will be fine with a WDH, so I'd go for it. There are weight ratings for the WDH, and I recall the medium (800 lb) was the best. I got mine from Cap-it, but there are many good places to get one.

I'm sure any WDH will do. No one here has ever felt the need for sway control.



They probably have either sold the TM or at least upgraded the TV since the original post was 18 years ago....

[Larryjb]

I didn't catch onto the fact that Trailbiker was replying to an 18 year old post. However, my reply is good for him to consider. I should have directed my response to Trailbiker and the Ridgeline instead.

[cire74]

I didn't catch onto the fact that Trailbiker was replying to an 18 year old post. However, my reply is good for him to consider. I should have directed my response to Trailbiker and the Ridgeline instead.

It was good advice. Just found humor in it. I didnt catch the age initially either...

[dab1950]

I have a 31/24 - I taking over towing duties and moving from a Nissan Titan Truck which towed it like it wasn't there and will now be towing with a Nissan Pathfinder - it is rated for 6000 lbs. It is a 'truck based' SUV. The distribution hitch seems huge - I am older female and struggle with the bars on the hitch - I was hoping I could tow without it. Sounds like from this thread most people are using a weight distribution hitch. Does anyone not - or is it just not recommended? Thanks

Dear Van Isle Tm,

Is your Pathfinder 2 wheel drive with front wheels driven or 4 wheel drive? TM does recommend/require a WDH with a V6 engine and front wheel drive only. Also, does the
Pathfinder have some kind of air assist for the rear suspension? A WDH might still be a
good idea without air assist rear suspension. Another consideration which you did not mention is tongue weight. What is the tongue weight(TW) rating for your Pathfinder?
The TM 3124 TW might be over what your Pathfinder is rated to handle. Using a WDH is a moot point if the TW is too much.
I recently replaced my TV. I had a Dodge Durango and replaced it with a Toyota Highlander with Class 3 2" receiver hitch installed by previous owner.
I made sure the Highlander and the receiver hitch could handle the TW of my 2720(~400-420 lbs). I can't remember exactly why I passed over the Nissan Pathfinder in my shopping but it might
have been the TW rating might have been too low. One thing I know I didn't care for with most of the Nissan's was the CVT transmissions.

Hope this helps. Stay safe.

[dab1950]

I have a 2720 which I tow with a Honda Ridgeline. I have considered getting weight distribution hitch, but never felt like I really needed it. Honda does not recommend the use of WD hitches, but I am not sure why. I am not sure what I'm missing here.

Trailbiker,
When I was shopping recently for a replacement TV, I vaguely remember the Ridgeline
had air assist rear suspension. Does yours? Is your Ridgeline AWD(4 wheel drive)?
With AWD the Honda's have 5000 lb tow rating and 500 lbs TW rating and I think air
assist rear suspension is standard equipment.
You obviously have been towing your TM for 9 years. If you haven't noticed any considerable 'squat' at the hitch then you likely don't need a WDH.

Hope this helps. Stay safe.

[Larryjb]

A rear assist air suspension does not shift the weight back to the front. There is a very You Tube video proving this, I can find the link later. The air assist is good if you have a heavy load with no trailer. As soon as your load is the trailer, you need the WDH.

[Bill]

The purpose of a WDH is NOT to reduce squat. Reduced squat is simply an indication that the WDH is doing its job - a free benefit, if you will.

When you put the TM's hitch weight on the hitch ball, two bad things can happen. First, you can very easily exceed the weight rating of the tow vehicle's rear suspension. Wheel bearings, tires, and other suspension parts have a maximum weight-carrying rating, which is listed on a sticker on the driver's door. If you exceed this rating, you do so at your peril.

Second, the teeter-totter effect removes some weight from the front wheels of the tow vehicle. Since the front wheels are where all of the vehicle's steering, and most of the braking happen (and at least part of the driving force if you have FWD or AWD), reducing traction by taking weight off the front wheels is a really bad idea.

If your trailer's tongue weight is, for example, 450 pounds, and the WDH moves 100+ pounds of it off the rear suspension and back onto the front wheels, and a similar amount back to the TM wheels, this is a really good thing. Not only does it re-load the front wheels, but it takes 200+ pounds off the rear suspension. That's important.

Oh, and incidentally, moving the weight around de-squats the vehicle.

As Larry points out, an automatic vehicle load leveler also de-squats, but does nothing to move weight around. If I had a vehicle with a load-leveler, I would turn it off, at least until I had the WDH adjusted properly.

You might want to take a look at this article in the TrailManor Technical Library.
https://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2616

Bill

[kempert]

Great post, Bill. I think it will help many people as it is simple and straight forward.

Also, Thanks for the fantastic job you do as a moderator! KUDOS!!!!!

[Larryjb]

Yes, Kudos for Bill!

Anyway, here is a link to the video showing the differences between using air levellers and a weight distributing hitch. It's a very good demonstration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZu39pQ8Gg

[Shane826]

Van Isle TM- What year is your Pathfinder? They’ve been unibody with a CVT transmission since 2013; far from truck-based.

[rmHaar]

Ridgelines do not come with air assist and noone makes one for them aftermarket either.

[Larryjb]

I must have missed the Ridgeline in this thread. Anyway, the general recommendation is that squat due to towing a trailer should be fixed with a weight distributing hitch, not air bags or air assist.