Quote:
Originally Posted by myersm
I put air bags and an on-board compressor in my Avalanche just a couple month's back... the weight of a loaded TM with a full water tank pulled the real end down, and pointed my headlights higher. The airbags works great in leveling out the TV, it tows great. My Avalanche has a factory towing package installed.
|
The Avalanche is a good example of a TV with a fairly high tow rating but a fairly short 130" WB and the tow hitch is located well behind the rear axle.
With a 400# tongue weight, the front wheels are unloaded 150+# (decreasing friction for braking & steering control) and the rear wheels are loaded an extra 600# (increasing friction & braking). This is the very condition that WDH are designed for.
The WDH will put that 150# back on the front wheels and reduce the load on the rear wheels by making the hitch (instead of the rear axle) the fulcrum point.
When towing w/o a WDH, you may find yourself is a serious disadvantage when heavy braking, especially on wet roads. At some point, your front wheels
will slide (even with ABS). You will know when this situation presents itself because you will have to pull over and change your underwear.