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Old 09-10-2010, 05:05 AM   #1
mecicon
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Default WDH Question

I am a novice at trailering (new word) light use vehicles. I have driven buses, coaches, limousines, COE TT, fifth wheels, etc.

I have driven on closed course environments over 200 mph. I have also driven on public roads @ 185 (notice I did not indicate the index). Suffice it to say I am a professional.

We recently purchased a 2006 TM 2619 (for hunting and short weekends) and love it.

I had been perusing the classifieds for 3-4 years and finally found a bargain.

Now, to the brass tacks. The TV is a Honda Pilot with tow rating of 4500 lbs the TM (as mentioned) a 2619.

The guy at the Hitch Store said I probably need WDH because the TV drops over 2" and will affect the ABS on the TV. Between what I have read on this board and his instruction I think he may be correct.

The TM has a swing hitch so that effects the type/brand of WDH. Any suggestions?

We towed approx. 36 miles for our maiden voyage and had no issues; however, I suspect a problem on long down hill grades.

With a swing away hitch what type of WDH should I purchase?
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Old 09-10-2010, 06:50 AM   #2
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With only a couple exceptions that I can think of, the swing-away hitch has not been a problem for anyone. The fact that you have one is almost irrelevant to the choice of WDH. The only problem I recall was a specific model of a Curt hitch, in which the length of the springbar was just exactly wrong. The tip of the springbar, and thus the location of the lift hook bracket, ended up right at the swing-tongue's hinge. The lift hook has to be directly above the tip of the springbar, of course, but the owner was able to replace his bars with ones of different length. So if you are buying a WDH locally, just measure the length of the springbar, figure out where the tip will end up, and you should be good to go.

If you are buying online, you can't premeasure, of course. I think there is info on this board about the length of the bars that various people have used, and the specific WDH models that people have used. My TM is in storage at the moment, so I can't measure. However, my notes say it is a Reese 54917 hitch bar and a Reese 54944 trunnion-style ballmount with dual-cam springbars (a function which I don't use). If you rummage around the Reese website, this may answer your question. And that reminds me. With a swing tongue, you won't be able to use a friction sway control - which is great, because you don't want to use a friction sway control!

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Old 09-10-2010, 08:48 AM   #3
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One of the problems of not using a WDH is that the front lights will point way to high. When I picked mine up I had to drive at night and really noticed it. I now use a Robin with 600 lb. bars and it really works well. It also helped with stability. Mine is remote parked so can't measure the bar length.

I didn't see that you had a brake controller and mentioned braking problem. A controller is really necessary for safety and will help with stopping stability.
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Old 09-10-2010, 09:13 AM   #4
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Default Bar length

If it helps, the round bars on my Reese hitch are about 29.5" from the chain to the center of the pivot end, and the center of the pivot end is about 1.5" forward of the center of the hitch ball. The center of the chain would be approximately where you'd want to mount the frame clamp.
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Old 09-10-2010, 11:41 AM   #5
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Default Brake Control

Quote:
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I didn't see that you had a brake controller and mentioned braking problem. A controller is really necessary for safety and will help with stopping stability.

I have a Tekonsha brake control, it works well.

I know that when I finally go on a 'real trip' my loads are going to be heavier in both TM and TV.
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Old 09-10-2010, 12:50 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mecicon View Post
I have a Tekonsha brake control, it works well.

I know that when I finally go on a 'real trip' my loads are going to be heavier in both TM and TV.
Headlights pointing in the air is a nuicance (if not illegal). Loosing control of your steering during hard braking (as you mentioned), especially on a grade in wet weather is one of the most dangerous aspects of towing.

A WDH is a must on your rig IMO. The Honda Pilot has a fairly short WB and this compounds the issue.
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Old 09-10-2010, 01:48 PM   #7
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Quote:
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Headlights pointing in the air is a nuicance (if not illegal).
My TV is only level when towing. The factory has the rear of the vehicle about 2.5" higher than the front. It is so noticeable that the Tundra forums are dominated by discussions of this or that leveling kit as some owners hate the high rear.

My leveling kit is towing my TM. Even though I use the WDH to shift about 160 lbs from rear to front, that does not nearly offset the tongue weight.

What does this have to do with headlights? I was lucky enough that my TV has a feature to lower the headlights downward. I didn't even care about that feature when I bought the truck. Now I am glad that I have it.

On the subject of WDH's do most folks use the tongue jack to lift the trailer so that tightening the WDH is easy or do you just manhandle it with the cheater bar? My general approach is to manhandle it; however, tightening it any more than I am currently would really require some brute force and I can't imagine that they expect the average strength person to be able to work it.
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Old 09-10-2010, 01:48 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harveyrv View Post
Headlights pointing in the air is a nuicance (if not illegal). Loosing control of your steering during hard braking (as you mentioned), especially on a grade in wet weather is one of the most dangerous aspects of towing.

A WDH is a must on your rig IMO. The Honda Pilot has a fairly short WB and this compounds the issue.
How about air shocks?
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Old 09-10-2010, 03:39 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mecicon View Post
How about air shocks?
Air shocks, air bags and/or stiffer springs do nothing for putting the weight back on the front wheels. That can only be done with a WDH.

However, air shocks, air bags and/or stiffer springs would raise the rear-end and lower the headlights but that doesn't solve the more serious problem.

Quote:
Originally Posted by M&M Hokie View Post
On the subject of WDH's do most folks use the tongue jack to lift the trailer so that tightening the WDH is easy or do you just manhandle it with the cheater bar? My general approach is to manhandle it; however, tightening it any more than I am currently would really require some brute force and I can't imagine that they expect the average strength person to be able to work it.
You should use the tongue jack to lift the rear of the TV to get the proper adjustment on your spring bars. There is no way that brute force on the cheater bar is going to give you enough tension.
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Old 09-10-2010, 08:30 PM   #10
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I use the electric tongue jack to help set the WDH spring bars. Without it I sometimes can't get the cheater bar plugged in.
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