Need a WD hitch with a Ford Expedition?

[Bill]

Gotcha - sorry to be dense. With respect to the TM statement, "load equalizing bars" is the same thing as "spring bars". In other words, they have said "We recommend that you use a Class 3 weight distributing hitch." If this is what you have (a weight distributing hitch with spring bars or "load equalizing bars&quot, then you have everything you need. You have met the TM suggestion, as well as those in the posts above. Relax, and enjoy the towing. All is well.

Now, if your Nissan dealer is telling you that you don't need a weight distributing hitch, then we need to talk further about your Nissan dealer. Or about your Nissan.

Bill

Picked up my 2720SL in nashville , Towed it home to Maryland 695 miles , with my Explorer V8 5L . No problem at all, No weight distributing hitch. I have adjustable air shocks which I had to pump up to 120 lbs to raise the rear and level the trailer. I also have a sway control bar to keep the trailer from fishtailing. Like I said No Problem. as a matter of fact it was easier to tow than my previous rig which was 350 lbs lighter and 115 lbs less tongue weight.

[shunter917]

I thought I'd update everyone on my experience.

With the 3023 on the Expedition, I dropped about 3 inches. Driving was okay, but not as easy or comfortable as the Ranger I had. I ended up putting the WD hitch on and the ride was MUCH better.

One of our favorite places to camp is only 20 miles from here and I can go without the WD, but for anything farther than that, I will use. it.

I think if I had the load=leveling option on the Expedition, it probably would be okay.

[RockyMtnRay]

When you attach a trailer to the hitch of the tow vehicle, the tongue weight...because it is well behind the rear axle...has two effects. First (and most noticeably) it places a significant downforce on the rear suspension. Secondly (and less noticeably), it actually removes downforce (or IOW, unweights) the front suspension through a "teeter-totter" effect where the rear axle is the pivot point. Unweighting the front suspension has three bad, potentially dangerous, effects: reduced braking (noticeable in panic stops), reduced steering effectiveness (most noticeable with strong sidewinds or on mountain roads), and a greater tendancy for the front to oscillate or bounce like a boat going over waves.

Using an air suspension to raise the rear of the tow vehicle stiffens the rear suspension in addition to raising it back to normal ride height (actually a bit above normal ride height if you try to level the rear with the now slightly raised front). The stiffened rear suspension does produce better overall ride because there is less rear bouncing but it does absolutely nothing to alleviate the unweighting of the front suspension and the nasty side-effects of that unweighting.

The only way to prevent front suspension unweighting when towing is to use a weight distributing hitch that equally distributes the tongue weight between the front and rear suspension and causes both to be lowered by an equal amount. Because it adds (rather than subtracts) weight to the front suspension, a WDH actually improves handling, braking, and ride quality of the overall vehicle. By comparison, making the tow vehicle look level by using an air suspension is simply masking the unweighting of the front suspension.

Some tow vehicles...particularly longer wheelbase pickups and SUVs with fairly heavy V8 engines have a significant enough front wheel weight bias (60/40) when unladen that when their front suspension is unweighted by tongue weight (no WDH), there is still enough weight or downforce on the front suspension that handling, braking, and ride are not noticeably affected in normal driving. However, and this is a very critical however, there is simply not as much margin of control left in the front suspension should abrupt steering or braking maneuvers become necessary.

I therefore consider using air suspension to counteract tongue weight a potentially dangerous method. By contrast, using air suspension to compensate for loads within the tow vehicle...especially loads above or ahead of the rear axle, is a very good idea. The difference being the tongue weight is being well behind the rear axle whereas loads within the vehicle are at or ahead of the axle. Weight behind the rear axle unweights the front suspension, loads above or ahead of the rear axle are either neutral to the front suspension or actually increase the weight on it.

[Bill]

This question seems to come up every month or two. Ray's answer, or the equivalent is always given, sometimes with sketches to ensure it is really really clear. Despite that, the question comes up again.

TM recommends a WD hitch. Most trailer magazines and reference sites recommend a WD hitch. Most vehicle owner's manuals recommend a WD hitch for anything heavier than a small utility trailer. And yet the question continues to come up, safety and handling be damned.

I don't understand the resistance to weight-distributing hitches. Can anyone clue me in? They are not particularly expensive, given that you have to have a hitch receiver either way. They are not hard to use. They are almost universally recommended. So what's up? This is a serious question.

Bill

1. They are a hassle to hook up everytime you move.
2. They are not needed on heavier duty trucks or SUVs on trailers as light as TMs smaller models.
3. Someone suggested wearing suspenders and a belt, this equates for the heavier TVs.

Most folks may need them, a few of us don't.