Quote:
Originally Posted by rbhtrail
All this talk about WDH . I plan to tow a 2720 with a Toyota 4 Runner which has a towing capability of 5000 # . With a gcwr of 11300 #.
Is a WDH necessary ?
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In a single word,
YES.
In a LOT more words: My 'Gen4' 4Runner machines (2006-V8 'RIP', 2007-V6 'Sport', both 4WD), both handled a lot better after buying and starting to use a WDH. My current 4R (the V6), has 5000 lb towing, but GCWR of only 10600 lbs. In a "Gen-4" 4R, the overhang length (from the rear axle to the hitch receiver) is a bit more than 3 feet. With TM hitch weight applied at the hitch receiver, the overhang causes the 4R front axle to rise (quite a bit), and the Rear axle to squat. [It's sort of like a see-saw, with the TM heavy at one end, and a lighter person at the other: The TM end falls towards the ground, and the other end of the 4R "board" flies into the air at an angle. The rear axle is the "fulcrum" of the see-saw.)
During Travel, most of the braking power and ALL of the steering power comes from front axle. When the 4R rides level, the suspension and braking is in balance. But, with the addition of 350-450 lbs 'dead weight' on the hitch receiver, the front tires don't have enough weight to control the vehicle.
Go into an emergency turn, unbalanced, and you are much more likely to fall into an unusual kind of skid: The rear axle (the one which slides in a "normal" skid) stays firmly planted on the ground, with too much weight; the front axle jacknifes, and the trailer tries to go straight (looking like another jacknife, from 4R vehicle 'perspective'). Everything is going sideways, and results are bad.
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A WDH acts like a big Spring-loaded pair of levers, applying torque along both "arms". From the hitch head "fulcrum", the trailer hitch and A-frame get twisted back down, putting some of the original "hitch weight" back on the Trailer axle; and a lot of the hitch weight gets twisted down to the front axle of the 4Runner (or other Tow Vehicle). When the WDH is cinched up correctly, both axles of the 4Runner are pushed down by the same amount of extra load, and the 4Runner rides level - with the best possible control for the extra weight, and the extra weight distributed evenly on all 4 tires. It's as if you put most of the hitch weight on the floor in front of the back seats - equally distant from the two axles.
Without a WDH, all of the hitch weight is behind the rear axle - not merely putting all the hitch weight on the rear axle, but also
adding weight from the engine compartment and front passengers to that same rear axle.
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Your next question should be: What size bars? The answer is
right around 800 lbs. I feel that the "proper" hitch weight for your 2720 is more than 400 lbs. (I run my "heavy duty" 2619 at a bit more, when fully loaded. 500 lb. bars will become "over-stressed" over time, and eventually become bent (requiring replacement). My own bars, 1000 lbs, "feel" a little bit too stiff at times. I'll label 800 lbs as the happy medium.