It pays to shop around

[Ian G.]

After extensive reaserch on this forum and the Casita forum I came to the conclusion that towing my 2008 Freedom Deluxe / 4Runner combination would be easier and safter with a weight distribution system.

I also decided on the Reeses SC weight distribution trunnion system as it has a built in sway control and did not require modifications to the trailer frame or relocation of the propane tanks.

I checked on-line (being in Canada everything is more expensive here) and initially found the best price at RV Parts ASAP. After placing my order and them accepting my PayPal patment they stopped all communications, would not return phone calls or email, the order ststus remained as "processed" After 4 weeks of attempting to communicate with this company I filed a dispute with PayPal and after 14 days of PayPal trying to contact the seller without any response PayPal refunded my money.

Pricing the WD system locally was a real suprise, prices quoted were:
$1089; $884; $750; $599 and finally $550. These prices were all for exactly the same part, all had the same part number Reese #66151. I find it amazing there could be a $500+ price difference in a $550 item

Needless to say I purchased the $550 one from The Hitch Shop here in Calgary. What was also suprising is that the price I paid was actually less that buying it online when you add in shipping costs. It does pay to shop around.

[Steve Hammel]

Not to mention supporting your "local" economy regardless of where you live.

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

Not to mention supporting your "local" economy regardless of where you live.

These are wise words and very true

[rabbit]

10,000lb. axle rating and 600lbs tongue on that model. Does that seem heavy to you cf. to your Casita trailer and tongue weight?

jack

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by rabbit

10,000lb. axle rating and 600lbs tongue on that model. Does that seem heavy to you cf. to your Casita trailer and tongue weight?

jack

Hi Jack

Casita's are known for having a higher tongue weight, the Freedom Deluxe has a dry TW of 365lb. The specifications for this model WDH were verified by several shops, including Reese themselves. The 66151 will support a TW of up to 600lb, the Casita TW is about 400-425lb loaded and the cargo in the TV behind the axle should also be taken into account when calculating size of a WDH.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Steve Hammel

Not to mention supporting your "local" economy regardless of where you live.

Not to highjack, but....

What I don't understand is why more "local" places don't sell via the internet. I mean every place that sells this product on the internet is "local" to their immediate proximity, right?

When I go to little local shops and raise my eyebrows over the prices, they say, "we sell so few that we have to have a high markup".

Check out this place as an example, and tell me if it isn't "local"?

Lighting- LED, RV and Trailer Trim, Seals items in R and P Carriages Trailer Sales store on eBay!

[Ian G.]

Only two of the local shops had an online store, their store and online prices were $884 and $1089. I agree with your comment but the $$$ figures do not make sense.

[Ice-breaker]

Ian, I do not know if these guys have the same WDH as you were looking for, but my experience buying a Brake Controller from them was excellent. Prices were very good, shipping was free, and since they shipped from Canada there were no customs brokerage fees. They were also very fast. I had my controller delivered to my door within 3 days of placing the order (with standard shipping).

Trailer Hitch, Trailer Parts, Towing Store — hitchweb

cheers
dave

[Ian G.]

Thanks Dave
This site does have very good prices. In all my internet searches this site did not come up (and trust me I spent many hours searching every possible combination of key words) The internet was once described to me a an endless desert where each grain of sand is a website. When searching you are flying over this desert at 30,000ft

I will be saving this website for future use, thanks again Dave

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Ian G.

Only two of the local shops had an online store, their store and online prices were $884 and $1089. I agree with your comment but the $$$ figures do not make sense.

You did the right thing - you compared and rewarded the supplier with the best deal for you.

[cpaharley2008]

I find switching search engines beneficial, such as Bing, Yahoo other than just Google which by the way generates income from the order it displays searches.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I find switching search engines beneficial, such as Bing, Yahoo other than just Google which by the way generates income from the order it displays searches.

Great point, the deck is somewhat stacked.

[Ray N]

I find that I can usually, or at least often, beat internet prices locally. I usually end up just buying from an internet site for what I can't find locally, and for the customer reviews that Amazon, epinions, and other sites have.

[deryk]

the local rv/trailer place that installed my break controller he suggested with my Rav4 soft rear end to get a weight distribution hitch...i asked him how much and he said buy it online and you will get a better price...i was surprised by that...figured he might want the business!

[brian m.]

Google does put the first couple of links up as ads, but they are marked as such. The links just below come up because those company's SEO matched your search wording. I know that's how my websites come up on Google, and I don't pay them anything.