Quote:
Originally Posted by Peds109
Looking to buy a TrailManor camper. ... What concerns me is tongue weight. ... - will a WDH help? ... They just ‘distribute’ weight from the rear axle of the TV to the front axle of the TV and the axle of the trailer, right? They don’t actually distribute the downward force on the hitch do they?
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I think I disagree with this conclusion.Think of it this way. The total weight of the tow vehicle and trailer is fixed. Before you crank up a WDH, each axle (TV front axle, TV rear axle, and TM axle) presses down on the ground with some specific force, and they add up to the total weight of the rig. Now if you add a WDH, the total weight doesn't change, but if the TV front axle and TM axle press down on the ground with more weight, then the TV rear axle must press down on the ground with less weight. And part of the TV rear axle weight comes from the hitch. Since nothing else changes, the load on the hitch must reduce.
There is an analogy that is sometimes helpful. It is less rigorous, and a lot simpler than the Good Sam explanation. It goes like this. Suppose that you stand behind a lightweight wheelbarrow that is filled with 175 pounds of gravel. As you stand there (and neglecting the weight of the wheelbarrow itself), let's say the wheel of the wheelbarrow presses down on the ground with a force of 100 pounds, and the legs of the wheelbarrow press down on the ground with a force of 75 pounds. And your feet press down on the ground with the force of your own weight, say 185 pounds. The total weight pressing on the ground is 360 pounds.
Now suppose you lean forward, grasp the handles of the wheelbarrow, and lift with a force of 20 pounds. The ground is still supporting the total 360 pounds, but now it is distributed differently. Specifically, the legs of the wheelbarrow are now supporting only 55 pounds, rather than the initial 75 pounds - the other 20 pounds have been transferred (distributed) to the wheel of the wheelbarrow, and your own feet.
In this analogy, the wheel of the wheelbarrow is akin to the front axle of the tow vehicle. The legs of the wheelbarrow are akin to the rear axle of the tow vehicle. And your feet are akin to the trailer axle. In particular, the weight on the wheelbarrow legs includes the hitch weight, which is reduced by the action of your hands (the lift provided by the WDH).
This analogy works for me, but it doesn't work for everyone. If you can derive benefit from it, I'm pleased.
Bill
By the way, someone is sure to point out that a WDH weighs 50 pounds, so it cancels out its own benefit. It is true that a WDH is heavy, but if it provides 200 or 300 pounds of lift, it is still of benefit. Remember, the whole idea of a WDH is to take load off the tow vehicle's rear axle, and put it elsewhere.