Bill, after getting off of my soapbox, I realized that I was preaching about the weight on the rear axle, but didn't stress the point about the loss of weight on the front axle, which is probably more important. My main concern is that people realize the geometry involved of adding weight behind the rear axle, and how that multiplies the weight on the rear axle, and takes away weight on the front axle. That is the big advantage of 5th wheelers....the weight is just forward of the rear axle, putting most of the weight on the rear axle, but some on the front axle also, as the manufacturers designed their vehicles to best perform.
Wayne has a very good point about not putting too much weight on the TM axle. If you "tighten" up that WDH too much, you might actually put too much weight back on the TM axle, stressing the already controversial trailer tires, and the axle. Too much "tightening" would also mess up the geometry of the TV by redistributing too much weight to the front of the TV.
My suggestion to all that question the need for a WDH, or everyone pulling a trailer for that matter, is to visit your local rock quarry, truck stop, or any place that has a truck scale........ and get some weights. Take the TV 1st, get the front and rear axles seperately, and total TV (which ought to add up). Go back with your TM soon after (so your gas tank is about the same), and weigh your truck front axle, total truck without the TM wheels on the scale, and then with only the TM wheels on the scale. You get your actual front axle and trailer axle weights, and you can calculate the rear axle and tongue weigh from these readings. If you have a WDH, do the weigh-ins without the bars in place, then a couple of weigh-ins with different chain lengths used. If you really want detailed readings, get some weigh-ins while camping ready......I intend to do that sometime in the future also.
Take these readings, compare the gains or losses on each axle, compare against the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on both the TV and TM, and compare against the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of your TV. Also calculate in your camping ready total payloads (they can add up fast), including people, and placement. I took my readings and found a couple of settings of the WDH that looked good, and then roaded tested to see which felt better while driving. I now use 2 different chain lengths depending on whether the truck bed and TM water are full, or if I am going with a lighter load.
As you can see, I have weighed my combo unit, and feel comfortable with the setup. Wayne has weighed his setup, and is comfortable with his. That doesn't mean that 1 of us is right, and the other is wrong. It means that we have both assessed our situation and made decisions on that.
I will now get off of my 2nd soapbox on this thread.
Chap