TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - Equal-i-zer Hitch

RockyMtnRay · 07-31-2004, 09:59 AM

[quote author=Denny_A link=board=20;threadid=1180;start=msg15178#msg1517 8 date=1091242648]
The max weight of the 26 and 27 series (2004) is around 4050 +- 25 lbs. As you've stated, a tongue weight of around 575 lbs max is allowed for by TM. All that you've said is logical, in this best of all possible worlds .

I use a 750 lb rated WDH for my 2720SL. It seems just about perfect for my needs. Since I load anywhere from 100 to 200 lbs (guess) in the back of my 4Runner, I use the extra spring bar tension to keep the vehicle level. If the tongue weight were 500 lbs, and the cargo load over/behind the rear axle of the 4Runner is 200 lbs(cargo +hitch), I reckon I can add the torsion necessary to account for 700 lbs equivalent tongue weight. If I had a lot of weight in the rear of the tow vehicle I would be inclined to keep the tv attitude about the same as it was before dropping the trailer tongue on the hitch. My WDH hitch alone weighs 75 lbs. So 525 lbs of tongue wt and 75 lbs of hitch is 600 lbs before any cargo is loaded.

For the above reason, I WOULD NOT want to use a 600 lb rated setup. I agree that a 1000 lb rated WDH may be overkill for the 26 and 27 series trailers. However, if adjusted for the actual tongue weight + WDH + light cargo, it would seem to me to be unlikely to cause excessive stress on the trailer frame. Greater damping of oscillations - sure.
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I strongly concur with Denny...750lb bars are the right strength for a 2720 (and probably 2619) TM. My conclusion is based in part on observation of what it takes to get the loaded tow vehicle visibly level...and from actual weights on the tow vehicle front and rear axles with the trailer attached and not attached. I got those axle weights, and even more importantly, my exact hitch weights from participating in an RV Safety Foundation Weigh-In in both 2003 and 2004.

When I bought my TM, my dealer sold me a Reese WDH with 550 lb bars. At that time, my tow vehicle was a Jeep Cherokee. No matter how tight I set those bars (6 links dropped), I could never fully level the Jeep and when weighed, I found I was still getting 300 lbs of unweighting on the front wheels. The reason was the actual hitch weight was a rather large 515 lbs...very close to the maximum rating of the bars. After much searching, I was able to obtain a pair of 750 lb bars. With these bars snugged fairly tightly (5 links dropped), the Jeep appeared level and had enormously better front end steering and braking.

Last fall I replaced the Jeep with a much heavier and longer wheelbase Toyota Tundra half-ton truck. When I had the new rig weighed at this year's weigh-in, I was a bit surprised that even with 5 links dropped on the 750 lb bars, I was actually only distributing only 100 lbs of the hitch weight to the front wheels. This means that the WDH is mostly just cancelling the natural front wheel unweighting that occurs when substantial downforce is applied well behind the rear axle.

IMHO, the optimum rating for a 2619 and or 2720 series is 750lbs...550 lb bars are too light and 600 lb bars would be marginal. 1000 lb bars might be a bit too strong but not by a huge amount...at least for a front loaded 2720.

One thing is for certain...the hitch weights published by TrailManor are grossly low compared to real world weights for a well equipped and loaded-for-a-trip trailer. Like the so-called "tow ratings" published by the automakers, these published hitch weights are quasi-useful for comparison to other trailers but are dangerously useless for determining towing equipment requirements.

07-31-2004, 09:59 AM	#14
RockyMtnRay TrailManor Master Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 816	Re:Equal-i-zer Hitch [quote author=Denny_A link=board=20;threadid=1180;start=msg15178#msg1517 8 date=1091242648] The max weight of the 26 and 27 series (2004) is around 4050 +- 25 lbs. As you've stated, a tongue weight of around 575 lbs max is allowed for by TM. All that you've said is logical, in this best of all possible worlds . I use a 750 lb rated WDH for my 2720SL. It seems just about perfect for my needs. Since I load anywhere from 100 to 200 lbs (guess) in the back of my 4Runner, I use the extra spring bar tension to keep the vehicle level. If the tongue weight were 500 lbs, and the cargo load over/behind the rear axle of the 4Runner is 200 lbs(cargo +hitch), I reckon I can add the torsion necessary to account for 700 lbs equivalent tongue weight. If I had a lot of weight in the rear of the tow vehicle I would be inclined to keep the tv attitude about the same as it was before dropping the trailer tongue on the hitch. My WDH hitch alone weighs 75 lbs. So 525 lbs of tongue wt and 75 lbs of hitch is 600 lbs before any cargo is loaded. For the above reason, I WOULD NOT want to use a 600 lb rated setup. I agree that a 1000 lb rated WDH may be overkill for the 26 and 27 series trailers. However, if adjusted for the actual tongue weight + WDH + light cargo, it would seem to me to be unlikely to cause excessive stress on the trailer frame. Greater damping of oscillations - sure. [/quote] I strongly concur with Denny...750lb bars are the right strength for a 2720 (and probably 2619) TM. My conclusion is based in part on observation of what it takes to get the loaded tow vehicle visibly level...and from actual weights on the tow vehicle front and rear axles with the trailer attached and not attached. I got those axle weights, and even more importantly, my exact hitch weights from participating in an RV Safety Foundation Weigh-In in both 2003 and 2004. When I bought my TM, my dealer sold me a Reese WDH with 550 lb bars. At that time, my tow vehicle was a Jeep Cherokee. No matter how tight I set those bars (6 links dropped), I could never fully level the Jeep and when weighed, I found I was still getting 300 lbs of unweighting on the front wheels. The reason was the actual hitch weight was a rather large 515 lbs...very close to the maximum rating of the bars. After much searching, I was able to obtain a pair of 750 lb bars. With these bars snugged fairly tightly (5 links dropped), the Jeep appeared level and had enormously better front end steering and braking. Last fall I replaced the Jeep with a much heavier and longer wheelbase Toyota Tundra half-ton truck. When I had the new rig weighed at this year's weigh-in, I was a bit surprised that even with 5 links dropped on the 750 lb bars, I was actually only distributing only 100 lbs of the hitch weight to the front wheels. This means that the WDH is mostly just cancelling the natural front wheel unweighting that occurs when substantial downforce is applied well behind the rear axle. IMHO, the optimum rating for a 2619 and or 2720 series is 750lbs...550 lb bars are too light and 600 lb bars would be marginal. 1000 lb bars might be a bit too strong but not by a huge amount...at least for a front loaded 2720. One thing is for certain...the hitch weights published by TrailManor are grossly low compared to real world weights for a well equipped and loaded-for-a-trip trailer. Like the so-called "tow ratings" published by the automakers, these published hitch weights are quasi-useful for comparison to other trailers but are dangerously useless for determining towing equipment requirements.