Single Bar Weight Distribution Hitch

[Doug Mager]

Hey Greg:

Just how many pesos would you be lookin at for some o' that thar 'used' snake oil?
P.M. me IF you're interested....K?

[Greg Janke]

Hey Greg:

Just how many pesos would you be lookin at for some o' that thar 'used' snake oil?
P.M. me IF you're interested....K?

Towing a 17' Casita with a 2002 Ford Ranger 4.0L. I'm going to hang onto the hitch for now and tinker with the adjustments. Honestly, it does seem to smooth out the highway bumps a little but that's about all I've noticed.

Greg

[Robert Scallan]

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/rvs/293725911.html

Some one is selling a load leveling hitch for $50....................I did not check it out.......
LOL



LIFE IS GOOD!!

[Doug Mager]

Our Trillium 'follows' behind our '37 Plymouth hot-rod quite nicely but I have tire rubbing issues with the rear suspension. I have changed off the rear springs for new units, replaced the air shocks with new ones. What I am trying to do is keep the cars fenders from cutting the rear tires. I was told that a single bar equalizer hitch would help spread the weight between the car and trailer and thus raise the rear of the car to a more managable height while towing. A two bar set up I'm told would be overkill. If I can't get the rear fenders up high enough off the tires, I MAY have to resort to locating a narrower Mopar rear end and adapt it to fit the (fairly narrow) confines of the Plymouths body. I might add that the rear suspension work was done last fall and as yet I have not road tested the set up to see if the work performed is going to be enough to cure my rubber rubbing issues....

[Gina D.]

quit rubbing it! It will get infected!!!!

I got the single bar because I thought it would be easier for me to use (It's like Buttah!) and yes, 2 bars would be overkill for my whimpy in comparison with others Tongue Weight.

No, I still haven't measured the weight yet, but as mentioned, since my rig and Per's are danged near identical, his #s are what I went by. (I have more dog toys to compensate for, but he has a wife. OK, maybe mine weighs a tad more....)

All I can say is "All the science, I don't understand... it's just my tug two days a week...)
It makes a world of difference and is certainly worth the $$ and extra 2 minutes to hook up.

The ONLY issue I have with it is that because these were designed for a center mount jack, they purposely swing it down to allow clearance. It hangs pretty low, but I haven't used it enough to run into any problems.

We'll see when I pull into a gas station today. I'll take pictures of the process when I get hitched up. Right now, I am enjoying my coffee after a nice shower YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brian B-P]

Doug, I don't think it's going to matter whether the rear of the tug rides higher because it has more spring (the air) or less load (WDH) - in a static situation.

While driving, if the outer shoulder cutting on the outer fender lip on the inside of turns, maybe lateral distortion is part of the problem. In that case, the WDH could help, although my guess is that axle is the one in your rig most capable of handling load... besides being the one that needs the traction for control. In this case, would more tire pressure help?

WD systems seem to be rated by hitch weight. Their operation has nothing to do with hitch weight, but it makes some sense because rigs with higher hitch loads are likely to want to use more re-distribution force. The Reese single-bar is not much different in rating than the same brands lightest two bar (which not not their common two-bar, and is actually rated for lighter trailers than the single-bar), so I think "a two bar setup" is just not specific enough.

I suggest at look at Reese's Light-Duty WD page. Valley/Husky also has a low-capacity model, but the company doesn't like to provide information about their products... they do post an image of a catalog page. (See their Browse Pages link and choose Weight Distribution). I think only the spring bars change between Valley's weight ratings, which means the rest of the hardware would be excessively heavy and bulky for the application.

[Per Walthinsen]

Gina:
A cautionary note here: As far as tongue weight is concerned it should be noted that I have two group 31 batteries mounted just behind the wheels, not on the tongue. Then there is the 31 miles (and counting) of wiring........
My twin tongue battery boxes contain the stabilizing jacks and sewer hoses only. I would be surprised if your weights are close to identical, especially the tongue weight. After I glued on Frederick's rubber duckie I notices more rear suspension sag.
On the other hand my AC setup is probably somewhat lighter than yours. Too bad California doesn't have the drop-in-and-weigh-it-for-free places scattered along the highways.

[Gina D.]

Per, they do, you just have to find the lonely chp officer on the lonely desert hiway who is bored silly. He will weigh you. (I had my 13 weighed that way once.

I meant similarly equipped. Battery on tongue.. AC on the back may balance things.. I dunno..

This I do know...

I measured with and without the WDH. I get rid of 2" of squat with the WDH. I would like to get a little more, but the guy adjusted it so that the "Pull em up" on the bar is at the limit of my abilities to pull the bar over, even with the tongue jack pushing up as much as I can get it to go. (There is a limit to my strength) A breaker bar would be helpful, I could have they guys at work make me one.

Here are pics of the squat before.. keeping mind that this was taken with the trailer completely empty. as stock as it gets. You can see the squat clearly, even tho it isn't horrible.








Here it is after I hitched up today. Fully loaded as I normally would for travel. (Sans water)

Quite an improvement. Nice and level, with maybe a hint of tongue downward motion.

[Gina D.]

Here are the individual parts.

The shank was extended and a new hole for the pin was added so it would clear the spare tire. It only goes as far as it needs to .. and no more. The extenstion is weldeed onto the BACK of the shank to provide support when in the hitch.





and the single bar. It fits up into a socket just to the left of the ball (Drivers side)





Drop trailer onto ball and then jack trailer and car up (Do not insert the bar before you do this.. it moshes into the ground and is pretty much unmovable with all the tongue weight on it... don't ask me how I know this...anyway, this in itself tells me it does quite a bit)

[Gina D.]

Flip the breaker bar on the wdh to the "install/no tension side..





OK.. NOW insert the bar into the shank...

Attach the chain to the J hook in the breaker bar and pull the bar over to the Tension position





Insert the breaker bar lock into the hole and secure the clip. This thing looks identical to any hitch pin, and I am sure that is all it is.





Drop trailer jack, fold up, Locate dogs, put in car and drive away!.. uh.. preferably after you have stowed your chocks.

[Doug Mager]

Thanks for puttin' that info up for us Gina

[Brian B-P]

Thanks, Gina, especially for the photos.

...I measured with and without the WDH. I get rid of 2" of squat with the WDH. I would like to get a little more, but the guy adjusted it so that the "Pull em up" on the bar is at the limit of my abilities to pull the bar over, even with the tongue jack pushing up as much as I can get it to go. (There is a limit to my strength) A breaker bar would be helpful, I could have they guys at work make me one...

By "measured", I assume you're talking only about the Jeep's ride height. Is that 2" at the hitch, or at the axle? And how much does the Jeep squat with the trailer load before engaging the WDH? Did you also check for the change at the front axle? I'm not trying to be a pest, I was just wondering if you already had some more of this information to share...

Since effort to engage the handle is an issue, Gina, have you considered relocating the battery to allow the "lift unit" assembly to sit further back on the tongue, so you are pulling closer to the end of the bar? It looks like you're only 2/3 of the way along the bar, right at the minimum, so getting out to the end should require significantly less pulling force on the chain (and thus on the handle to engage it).

[Gina D.]

Brian,

Since the squat was in the back of the CAR, and not the trailer, thats where I measured .... at the top of the wheel well, just as instructed to by the instructions. I am a girl, I am allowed to read them.

The lift assembly is precisely 18" back from the center of the coupler ball socket. (Don't think I didn't check) He had to scoot the battery back a bit to get it there. The battery is not going back any farther due to the tank cover.

I like the battery where it is and have no desire to relocate it or undertake the chore it would be to move it.

I did not measure the front, however, eyeballing it shows it near level with the rear, which is where it sits normally, and is also OK according to the instructions. Only a slight decrease in height by comparison to the rear is allowed, and there is enough there for me to notice the handling difference. Thats what counts.

By the book, this thing is set up correctly.

[Brian B-P]

Thanks Gina. I know that you can read the instructions, as I did; however, most people don't so I would not assume that your installer followed them.

Of course I would not expect someone to be judging "squat" by the trailer suspension height, but it is very common for people to report the amount that the hitch drops (rather than at the rear axle), which is why I asked.

I'm not suggesting that this thing was not set up correctly (did it sound like that?), just wanting to learn from your experience. There seems to be a lot of interest in this particular model of WD system.