New Owner Question re WDH

[BobSan]

Hi there
I just purchased a 2008 3124ks Trail Manor & would like to know if using a weight distributing hitch is recommended for this trailer.I expect that the trailer will weight 4500 pounds when I'm towing it with my 2001 Ford E-150 (4.6 liter engine). The van will probably have another 400 pounds (passenger & gear).
I really enjoyed reading the Trail Manor forum,both before & after this purchase.Can't wait to go camping starting next month.
Thanks very much for your help.
Bob

Bob,

I don't know if your van can handle the 3124KS without the WDH, but I'm convinced that your towing experience will be much more enjoyable with one. Considering what you already have invested, the WDH is a very minor expenditure for that added margin of safety.

Hope you enjoy your unit as much as we do ours.

Bill

[Wavery]

I agree. You will be happier and safer with a WDH on your vehicle.

[BobSan]

Hi Bill
Thank you very much,I been looking at different wdh gear,I guess the 1200 lb.would be a good place to start.
Bob

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by BobSan

Hi Bill
Thank you very much,I been looking at different wdh gear,I guess the 1200 lb.would be a good place to start.
Bob

I would do a little research before you go with that heavy rated WDH.

I would recommend not exceeding 600-800# rated WDH. The stronger the spring bars on the WDH, the more shock loading that will be transferred to your trailer axle and the more risk of over-stressing the trailer when driving on rough roads.

The idea of the WDH is to transfer some of the load from the hitch ball to the front wheels of the TV so that the front wheels are not unloaded by the tongue weight of the trailer. There is no advantage to installing a WDH that will exceed the weight of the load.

[BobSan]

Thanks Wayne I will check it out.
Bob

[MariaG]

I just wanted to say Welcome!

The questions about what you need will depend on your TV (tow vehicle)ratings and optional equipment. The V6 versions were rated for something like 4,500 pounds, while the 5.4 V8 handles 6,500 pounds.

If your TV lacks a tow package I would strongly recommend adding a transmission cooler. Even if your towing in the flatlands a cooler is going to extend the life of the transmission. You also might check on some of the PTFE products that can help you engine and transmission. If you are laready using synthetic engine oil you can skip the PTFEs for the engine.

BTW, that is a great TM you have selected too. I think the 3124KS is TM's best design...

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by harveyrv

I would do a little research before you go with that heavy rated WDH.

I would recommend not exceeding 600-800# rated WDH. The stronger the spring bars on the WDH, the more shock loading that will be transferred to your trailer axle and the more risk of over-stressing the trailer when driving on rough roads.

The idea of the WDH is to transfer some of the load from the hitch ball to the front wheels of the TV so that the front wheels are not unloaded by the tongue weight of the trailer. There is no advantage to installing a WDH that will exceed the weight of the load.

I disagree:
- Heavier bars provide extra adjustment distance which can be helpful for clearance at the attach points on the trailer tongue (each link of the chain provides heavier lift; the lighter bars would need to be set closer to max all the time).
- The 1200# WDH is probably labeled "Up to 1200#". With a heavily cinched up WDH I might think cautiously about going across a sudden steep angle (but then, I think that would likely be a red flag to anybody when towing a trailer in any circumstance). So far, problems with the heavier rated bars exist only in the minds of people who don't use them.
- Gross weights, axle weights, and tongue weights need to be watched. The remedy, when over, is to just carry a bit less (most of us don't need to travel with full water, for example). We think of pickups and vans as big tow vehicles, but the scale numbers people have been posting show that even a modest load in the back can make it exceed the rear axle rating without a WDH. The longer adjustment range of the 1200# bars may be useful in getting the WDH set the way you want it, particularly with longer wheelbase vehicles.
- It's also easy to overload the 14" tires on the 2720's, but a heavier axle and 15" tires should do better. The WDH adds some weight back to the trailer axle, but with a longer lever arm than to the front axle, so less hitch weight gets moved aft than moves forward.

Welcome, BobSan, and join the forum if you haven't already!

[scrubjaysnest]

Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure

I disagree:
- Heavier bars provide extra adjustment distance which can be helpful for clearance at the attach points on the trailer tongue (each link of the chain provides heavier lift; the lighter bars would need to be set closer to max all the time).
- The 1200# WDH is probably labeled "Up to 1200#". With a heavily cinched up WDH I might think cautiously about going across a sudden steep angle (but then, I think that would likely be a red flag to anybody when towing a trailer in any circumstance). So far, problems with the heavier rated bars exist only in the minds of people who don't use them.
- Gross weights, axle weights, and tongue weights need to be watched. The remedy, when over, is to just carry a bit less (most of us don't need to travel with full water, for example). We think of pickups and vans as big tow vehicles, but the scale numbers people have been posting show that even a modest load in the back can make it exceed the rear axle rating without a WDH. The longer adjustment range of the 1200# bars may be useful in getting the WDH set the way you want it, particularly with longer wheelbase vehicles.
- It's also easy to overload the 14" tires on the 2720's, but a heavier axle and 15" tires should do better. The WDH adds some weight back to the trailer axle, but with a longer lever arm than to the front axle, so less hitch weight gets moved aft than moves forward.

Welcome, BobSan, and join the forum if you haven't already!

From an engineering prospective you want bars that place the tongue weight in the middle of their range, therefor for a 400 to 500# tongue weight the right bar is 750 to 800#. The closer you get to the 500# range you may need to move to a 1000# spring bar for proper operation. If your tongue weight is 600# either the 1000# bar or the 1200# bar will be ok.
Using 750# bars with our 2720sl set for a 3 day weekend the TV levels out using 6 links which leaves plenty of room for higher loads. When we leave sometime next month after I run everything to the scales I don't really expect things to change. But than I don't load the TM with water and only about 5 days of food supplies.