Can someone explain WDH?

I've read a lot here, some say you need one, others say you don't....can someone tell me how you know if one is needed, and would it mean that I had to replace the factory receiver/hitch already mounted on my vehicle.
thanks.......

[Bill]

Taking things in opposite order, you don't need to replace the receiver that is on your vehicle. A WDH has a 2-inch bar that slides into the existing receiver. On the end of the bar you'll find the ball mount (the place where you bolt on the hitch ball) and the springbar sockets - the heart of the WDH.

Do you need one? There are two real ways to tell, and if you can, you should check both. First, measure the height of the tow vehicle at the front bumper, and at the back bumper. Then put the expected load in the back of the tow vehicle, put the tongue weight on the hitch, and see a) how much the back end of the tow vehicle squats, and b) how much the front end of the tow vehicle rises. If both the squat and the rise are small (maybe 1/2") then you probably don't need a WDH.

The other way is weigh the front axle of the tow vehicle, then load the vehicle up with the cargo weight, put the trailer's tongue weight on the hitch, and weigh the front end again. The front end will now be lighter than it was; if it is lighter by more than about 100 pounds (round number), then you need a WDH. Ideally, the weight on the front end should increase, since the front end now has to steer and stop a bigger load. But without a WDH, the opposite happens - it gets lighter. A WDH corrects this problem.

The second method is more complex, since it requires access to a scale. So most people use the first method alone.

These numbers are guidelines, of course, not drop-dead hard requirements. To summarize the expectations, most "ordinary" vehicles need a WDH, the exceptions being larger SUVs (on the order of a Ford Expedition, but not an Explorer) or a heavy pickup truck (perhaps a Ford F-250 but not an F-150), or a vehicle with a very long wheelbase, such as a full crew-cab pickup.

To be more specific, an '08 Highlander must have a factory-installed towing package in order to tow a TM at all. And even with the tow package, it almost certainly requires a WDH.

Bill

[Wavery]

Well said Bill........

You may even have some Highlander owners tell you that they don't use one and have "never had a problem" (famous last words) . Kinda like saying, "Gee, Michael Jackson never had heart problems". The problem is, it only takes one time of not being able to stop in time before hitting the vehicle in front of you or, worse yet, go into a skid going down a grade and loosing your steering .

I recently installed a WDH on my S-10 pick-up. I never had a problem but never felt really secure under hard breaking. I installed air bags to control the slight squatting problem (maybe 1/2" and 1" if I really loaded the bed of the truck) but it never addressed the handling issue (if there was an issue). My TV feels better now and I feel that we (and others on the road) are safer. That is worth the cost and inconvenience of the WDH, to me.

I have a Honda Ridgeline and put a WDH on after 1 or 2 trips without one. It feels a lot safer towing now. I would guess that about the only TV that would not need a WDH is a 3/4 ton pickup or some 1/2 full size pickups. My Ridgeline is rated at 1,500 lbs and I still needed a WDH.

I've been reading all I can, so no need to suggest that. There is a tremendous amount of info here and I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into! LOL

What load rating WDH should I be looking at? Looks like most on here use 1000 lb???
Or is it that simple?

I sometimes tow with my 1500HD. This is a light duty 3/4 ton pickup.

I used to brag around here that I did not need a WD hitch. Then I added two motorcycles, tools, gasoline etc to the bed of the crew cab truck and suddently it was no longer sagging only 5/8 inch. It was now sagging enough that I could no longer slide the TM front wheel on.

Instead of a WD hitch, I bought another truck, 2500HD long bed. I no longer need the WD hitch.

I mention this to demonstrate the impact of cargo in the tow vehicle.

Sometime since February 2005 (when I joined) someone wrote an excellent post about WD hitches. I can no longer recall the author, but several of us chuckled when he coined the term "final squat".

A search for final squat in the archives may find it.

[Bill]

Ha! I'd forgotten about that, Wayne. It showed up somewhere in this rather long thread.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2287

Aside from the chuckle, there was a lot of good info in that thread, since it included inputs from Denny_A and RockyMtnRay, both towing gurus who, unfortunately, seldom post these days.

Bill

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Redhawk

I've been reading all I can, so no need to suggest that. There is a tremendous amount of info here and I'm starting to wonder what I got myself into! LOL

What load rating WDH should I be looking at? Looks like most on here use 1000 lb???
Or is it that simple?

Your problem may be similar to mine. Although I have a much higher towing capacity than you do, I think that our weight ratios and wheel base may be similar (I didn't check).

Anyway, I am using a 1000# rated WDH. I think that it may be a bit too heavy for my vehicle resulting in a lack of "Spring" action on the WDH. I am experiencing a small amount of "Porpoising" (as one member calls it). I think this may be due to the WDH being too stiff for my set-up. I would certainly like to try a 600# hitch some time to see if that solves this problem. Although the problem is minor and I only experience it on certain road conditions.

I just got back from the Jubilee in Branson, where the TM founder's son Mike spoke in a "tech talk" session. He suggested that the max for a WDH on a single axle TM is about 750 lbs. The reasoning was (partially) that the very sudden weight transfers during a "porpoising" session can overwhelm the tires, especially the 14" ones. Think of 500 lbs or more suddenly appearing, then disappearing, on the axle/tires -- repeatedly.

Still, many factors will determine what you need. One item that has occurred to me is that pickups, unlike some other vehicles, are engineered to run both with and without a load in the rear (up to a point, of course). Just food for thought, to add in to all the other items people have discussed here.