The adventure begins!

[tjhva]

It's happening!

I'm making the trek to Rice, TX to pickup my Casita this weekend. I'll be sure to post more images of my journey along the way.

[Thomas G.]

Congratulations! We'll be looking for those pictures.

[Raz]

Pictures and details, please. Have a safe journey, Raz

[deryk]

Good Luck and a Safe Journey!

deryk

[jen b]

Congrats!

[Cam A]

The start of many adventures. Enjoy!

[BAMA & Pachyderm Posse]

come back through Quartizite, and join the fun

[EddyEd]

Congratulations. Fair winds and following seas.

[Randy Hagen]

WOW- that's a really good price for a brand spanking new 2012 Casita, hope to see some pic's of your shiny new trailer!

[theresa p]

i remember the day we picked up our outback.....ahhh, what wonderful memories!

good luck, safe trip and PHOTOS, please!!

and i agree with randy, the price IS right.

[Jim Bennett]

Nice!!!!

Looking forward to the photos, and stories too.

[Donna D.]

an egg is hatching! Safe travels and as others have said, we'll wait patiently for pictures!

[tjhva]

Hey ya'll! I'm writing from Corsicana, TX which is just a few miles South of Rice, TX - the home of Casita.

I was at the factory today getting my trailer dialed in. I would have taken her home but the banks were closed today (MLK Jr. day). I'll post some better images here in the next few days!

The folks at Casita were adamant about me not getting a WDH for my setup. Right or wrong, I was expecting to hear that from them. Other folks online had the same experience at their factory (although they will install one). I was also surprised to hear at the factory they were not aware that putting more than 12v to LED bulbs significantly shortens their lifespan.

Back to that lovely topic of WDH: I've done a good bit of research in the forums, both here and on Casita Club. I've read about the new Anderson Hitches, Draw-tite, Equalizer, etc etc. My thinking is that if Casita says I don't really need one, but I see my truck sink down a bit I can assume it's a good idea to get some of that tongue weight back onto the trailer axle, what if I just went with a bolt on Draw-Tite 3201 single round bar WDH option?

Weight Distribution - Draw-Tite

[Glenn Baglo]

Can't you just shift some stuff inside the trailer? I travel with BBQ, generator, propane tank inside the trailer. I generally keep the stuff over the axle, but I can move it forward or back to shift weight.

But, I'm most curious. Did they give you reasons why they are anti-WDH? Was that just for your set-up, in general or some weakness in the build? Did they think you just don't need it or that you would do some sort of damage?

My WDH is heavy and if I didn't need it, I sure wouldn't miss it when hooking up.

[tjhva]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Can't you just shift some stuff inside the trailer? I travel with BBQ, generator, propane tank inside the trailer. I generally keep the stuff over the axle, but I can move it forward or back to shift weight.

But, I'm most curious. Did they give you reasons why they are anti-WDH? Was that just for your set-up, in general or some weakness in the build? Did they think you just don't need it or that you would do some sort of damage?

I believe there are 2 reasons:

If you are selling these "light weight" trailers but you are also suggesting WDH's it complicates the identity of the product. Regardless if it's a good idea or not. It's another layer of complexity.

The second reason is most likely your solution, to shift and adjust weight.

[deryk]

Could add airbags to your rear coil springs to stiffen them while towing if need be!

deryk

[tjhva]

Originally Posted by deryk

Could add airbags to your rear coil springs to stiffen them while towing if need be!

deryk

That would level out the truck but it doesn't resolve the issue of too much weight on the tongue

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by tjhva

That would level out the truck but it doesn't resolve the issue of too much weight on the tongue

Who says there's too much weight on the tongue? There's no way that thing has more tongue weight than that pickup is rated for.

Define "squatting" when hooked up. Also, drive the thing first. If it's nice and solid heading down the road, there's no need for a WDH.

My car trailer loaded up will squat the pickup 4" or so, drives like a dream. You'll never convince me to put a WDH on it.

If your headlights are in the sky, and you can saw the wheel back and forth without the car turning...then you might need one (although then I say you need a bigger tow rig).

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by tjhva

The folks at Casita were adamant about me not getting a WDH for my setup. Right or wrong, I was expecting to hear that from them. Other folks online had the same experience at their factory (although they will install one).

I'd take their opinions seriously in this department- they build the trailer and know its limitations. I think many folks don't understand how much stress a w/d hitch puts on the trailer frame, and if a manufacturer strongly urged me not to use one, I wouldn't.

And, frankly, if the truck in that pic is your tow vehicle, I can't see why on earth you think you need a w/d hitch. Surely the Casita's tongue weight is well under the limit for that truck!

Francesca

[Jared J]

This will get the towing freaks wound up, but I towed my near 4,000# race car, on the 2,000# car trailer with a 1989 nissan hardbody. I didn't even know what a WDH was. 45 mile round trip to the races every friday night for several years.

It needed to be properly loaded, but that was it. If it handled that, I can't imagine you having the slightest problem. People are towing these things around with matchbox toys.