Quote:
Originally Posted by mecicon
I agree, if we are lifting the weight off the rear axle of the TV by manipulating the angle the weight has to go somewhere.
The dealer that I bought the TM from was more inclined to air shocks than a WDH.
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Your dealer is wrong. Air shocks and other spring helpers give you stiffer rear weight support, but do not shift any weight around or address the unloading of the front axle caused by the tongue weight on the hitch ball. Think of your Tow vehicle as a lever and the rear axle as the fulcrum between the hitch ball and the front wheels. The WDH is a spring loaded way to lift up on the trailer hitch point by pulling down on the trailer frame.
Unloading the front axle is dangerous because it reduces your ability to steer and brake when you're towing, when you need more of these, not less.
Brake controllers:
Tekonsha makes the Prodigy brake controller, but also makes other models. Do not use the cheaper models that increase braking by timing how long you've been applying the brakes. The smarter Prodigy gives you more brake boost right away, instead of taking it's darned sweet time when you're in a panic stop. Real Adventure: I had a cheap Tekonsha controller with a 29' travel trailer and a full sized Ford van. We were on a 45mph road in a light rain. The traffic light turned red ahead, and I slammed on the brakes. The antilock brakes kept the tow vehicle fully under control while the trailer shoved me right into the intersection, with the brake controller figuring "this can't be that big a deal, because the inertia for this stop doesn't seem all that hard (skidding in the rain), and this guy hasn't been on the brakes long enough to decide he's really into this." Cross traffic drivers, out of respect for an out of control RV, held short of the intersection until I got things sorted out. Lessons learned: 1) This is what the lever on the controller is there for, and 2) that brake controller is a problem.