Quote:
Originally Posted by harveyrv
...The WDH distributes the tongue weight (approximately) 1/3 to the TV rear axle, 1/3 to the TV front axle an 1/3 to the trailer axle. When the trailer is static, a 500# tongue weight should place ~160# on the TV rear axle, 160# on the TV front axle and 160# on the trailer axle (if the WDH is adjusted properly)..
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Not exactly........
The reason to use a WDH is to take enough weight off the rear axle of the tow vehicle to prevent it being overloaded, and prevent the front axle from being unloaded by the tongue weight because you need it for steering and braking. This is why you need a WDH, even on a long wheelbase pickup.
The 1/3 - 1/3 - 1/3 illustration is extreme in view of the scale numbers people are actually reporting. I question whether this could be the specific intention of any hitch manufacturer, and I'll bet the cost of the weigh ticket that there is absolutely no way this ratio could be actually achieved (For example, 600# bars and a 600# tongue weight with the bars set at max can't push anywhere near 200# to the front axle and 200# to the trailer axle in our rigs). Is there a source for any of this, or is this something just made up for us to think about?
Instead, 1/6, 2/3, 1/6 is perhaps closer to reality on the scales, and even that could be hard to achieve. Different vehicles need different bars to get the desired effect (the longer the wheelbase, the more bar you need, for example). I suspect 600# bars would be harder to use than 1000# bars because they would have to be set closer to their max. When the hitch manufacturer is offering one bar that's rated for tongue weights between 600# and 1200#, maybe that means we don't need to be special ordering 800# bars based on untested speculations.
Trailmanors with 14" tires seem to be at increased risk of tire failures and overloaded axles may be a contributing factor. Carrying less in the trailer is the answer (especially water).