13' Boler with WDH

[pbraunton]

is it possible to use a WDH on a 13' boler?

i heard through another forum, which escapes me know that the original trailer frame for the boler was not built to take the stress of a WDH???

any comments/sugestions on this?, ......I am pulling it with a 2003 Jetta TDi.......

thanks

Paul

[mcbrew]

Weight distributing hitches can only be used with class III and up hitches. Unless you are having a custom hitch made for your Jetta, it won't work with the car, so it is pretty much a non-issue.

Having some experience with TDIs, I have to say that they make nice tow vehicles. Lots of torque at low RPMs, so you don't have to downshift nearly as often as a similar gasoline car. The only thing I'm not too keen on is the way the US-made hitches mount to the A4 VW chassis. The Euro hitches mount where the bumper goes... much more solid. I put a Curt hitch on my '03 Golf TDI because I wanted the receiver style hitch and not the gooseneck Euro hitch that makes it difficult to mount a bike rack or cargo rack.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine with the TDI. You might want to install AirLift bags in the rear springs... they really help to keep the car level with something hitched up, but don't give you a rough ride when you aren't towing, like stiffer springs would. I used them in my Golf and also use them in my Scion xD.

Originally Posted by pbraunton

is it possible to use a WDH on a 13' boler?

i heard through another forum, which escapes me know that the original trailer frame for the boler was not built to take the stress of a WDH???

any comments/sugestions on this?, ......I am pulling it with a 2003 Jetta TDi.......

thanks

Paul

[HikeSticks]

I pull my 13' Trillium with my Jetta (2.0L gas) and find it a great tow car, especially since I installed brakes on the trailer. I had never heard about the 'Airlift' spring bags. I checked their web site and they don't have any for the Jetta (just for vans). Have you used these on a Jetta and have you used the van set?
Barrie

[pbraunton]

hey thanks for the replies, ..........

i am not too worried about the pulling abilities of the jetta, I recently recovered my roof and hauled about 3000 Lbs or 1X4 strapping about a 45 min drive home, and could only do about 80 on the highway cause it would start to sway, (it was really back end heavy)

but i was more concerned about stopping, and since WDH would add more weight to the front of the car I was looking into them

i think i might just find an antir sway bar to keep my mind at ease, and just keep it slow on the way home tomorrow night, with no brakes, no swaybar, and ne experience with this trailer ................

thanks for the replies, ..

on a side note, this is a great site, i am on the tdiclub.com forums alot, and this ones ranks up there with it, ........very informative and well laid out!!!!!!!

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by pbraunton

hey thanks for the replies, ..........

i am not too worried about the pulling abilities of the jetta, I recently recovered my roof and hauled about 3000 Lbs or 1X4 strapping about a 45 min drive home, and could only do about 80 on the highway cause it would start to sway, (it was really back end heavy)

but i was more concerned about stopping, and since WDH would add more weight to the front of the car I was looking into them

i think i might just find an antir sway bar to keep my mind at ease, and just keep it slow on the way home tomorrow night, with no brakes, no swaybar, and ne experience with this trailer ................

thanks for the replies, ..

on a side note, this is a great site, i am on the tdiclub.com forums alot, and this ones ranks up there with it, ........very informative and well laid out!!!!!!!

Just wanted to throw this out there... I'm not the whining nanny type, but 80+ MPH with a trailer is usually not a great idea. The faster you go, the quicker sway will arise. There are a number of things that contribute to sway, but the top two are tongue/trailer weight ratio and speed.

I don't have a problem with people driving fast when it is reasonably safe... but it is never a good idea with a trailer in tow. This is one of the reasons that car companies lower their tow ratings or eliminate them completely for the US market. There's just something about us that makes it hard to slow down. Many countries impose a separate speed limit on anyone hauling a trailer... many states in the US do this, too, but it is rarely enforced here.

As for the stopping power, the Jetta has better brakes than my Scion... but if you want more braking power, get a trailer with electric brakes (they can be added to most trailers for a couple hundred bucks).

[floyd]

Originally Posted by pbraunton

hey thanks for the replies, ..........

i am not too worried about the pulling abilities of the jetta, I recently recovered my roof and hauled about 3000 Lbs or 1X4 strapping about a 45 min drive home, and could only do about 80 on the highway cause it would start to sway, (it was really back end heavy)

but i was more concerned about stopping, and since WDH would add more weight to the front of the car I was looking into them

i think i might just find an antir sway bar to keep my mind at ease, and just keep it slow on the way home tomorrow night, with no brakes, no swaybar, and ne experience with this trailer ................couldn't resist![lol]

thanks for the replies, ..

on a side note, this is a great site, i am on the tdiclub.com forums alot, and this ones ranks up there with it, ........very informative and well laid out!!!!!!!

I assume you meant the roof of your house...And that the 3000lb was on a trailer?

[pbraunton]

80 km's per hour so about 45 mph

Originally Posted by mcbrew

Just wanted to throw this out there... I'm not the whining nanny type, but 80+ MPH with a trailer is usually not a great idea. The faster you go, the quicker sway will arise. There are a number of things that contribute to sway, but the top two are tongue/trailer weight ratio and speed.

I don't have a problem with people driving fast when it is reasonably safe... but it is never a good idea with a trailer in tow. This is one of the reasons that car companies lower their tow ratings or eliminate them completely for the US market. There's just something about us that makes it hard to slow down. Many countries impose a separate speed limit on anyone hauling a trailer... many states in the US do this, too, but it is rarely enforced here.

As for the stopping power, the Jetta has better brakes than my Scion... but if you want more braking power, get a trailer with electric brakes (they can be added to most trailers for a couple hundred bucks).

Originally Posted by floyd

I assume you meant the roof of your house...And that the 3000lb was on a trailer?

[floyd]

Originally Posted by pbraunton

80 km's per hour so about 45 mph

notice his location .... I'm thinking 80 "KPH".

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by pbraunton

80 km's per hour so about 45 mph

Oops... That makes a big difference, doesn't it? Sorry for pestering you... I know there are a lot of people driving too fast with trailers out there, though. Every person who gets into trouble when towing with a car is just taking it one step closer to enacting more legislation preventing those of us whom tow safely from being able to do it at all.

Again, sorry for the finger-wagging.

[Byron Kinnaman]

First one has to discover what it is that a WHD hitch does? Answer it stiffens the connection between the trailer and the tow vehicle. Without the WHD there's certain amount of weight on each axle. Add the WHD and load the torsion bar(s) to stiffen the connection and remove weight from the rear wheels of the tow vehicle. That weight removed is now applied the the front wheels of the tow vehicle and the trailer axle. Lots of excess stress on the trailer frame and suspension. Which is ok if the trailer is built for those stresses. Your Boler is NOT designed for those stresses. Results would be broken frame, destroyed axle, blown tires. In my opinion it's not a good idea.

[pbraunton]

so i got the trailer home the other day, no issues at all, it tows like it is not even there, .......only had do down shift once while going up a hill, other than that it cruised in 5th gear most of the time, TV is an 03 jetta TDi

as for the WDH i think i am not going to need one, ....haven't weight the tongue, but the car hardly sat down when i hooked it up maybe a few inches but that's it, I plan on weighing the whole thing once i get it fixed up (door, trickle charger for battery, re-wire the interior lights and running lights) and put all the camping stuff into it

i am currently redoing the door, it was not sagging, but bowing out at the top and bottom, going to go this route for the fix, ....... http://www.fiberglassrv.com/files/BolerDoorFix.pdf

just got everything apart this evening, going to cut it into half on thursday (gotta work a 24 hour shift on wednesday), I am taking pics along the way, and will post them when i am done, ....and anything i found out of context from the above link!!!!

happy trails

[mcbrew]

Like I said... TDIs make great tow vehicles. VW Golf TDI was just rated number 1 tow vehicle for caravans under 3,200 pounds in the UK.

Good luck with your Boler... I look forward to seeing pictures!

[pbraunton]

Originally Posted by mcbrew

VW Golf TDI was just rated number 1 tow vehicle for caravans under 3,200 pounds in the UK.

so you saying the Golf is tow rated for 3200 Lbs??, I am assuming that is with a Euro hitch that replaces the rear bumper?, or is it with a hidden hitch or similar style???

my owners manual only say 1000Lbs, ....so i am pushing that limit already!!!!

[mcbrew]

Yes, that rating assumes that your hitch is rated at least as high. All of the Us-made hitches I know of are rated to 2,000 pounds. The Westfalia and Bosal hitches are the heavy-duet European ones.

However, the rating I mentioned is for the new Golf. The manufacturer's rating for yours is somewhere around 3,000 pounds, but I can't remember off the top of my head. Again, only with the proper hitch setup.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by pbraunton

so you saying the Golf is tow rated for 3200 Lbs??, I am assuming that is with a Euro hitch that replaces the rear bumper?, or is it with a hidden hitch or similar style???

my owners manual only say 1000Lbs, ....so i am pushing that limit already!!!!

While the car as sold in Europe may have a higher tow rating, Your owner's manual is correct for the United States and Canada. Also, contrary to popular belief, increasing the rating of the hitch components alone will NOT increase your towing capacity.

My Honda Odyssey is rated to tow 3500 pounds. I bought a generic Class III receiver because of Honda's markup on their identical unit. A generic Class III receiver is rated for 5000 pounds but Honda's is marked as 3500 pounds due to their limit. Going generic did NOT increase my capacity.

[mcbrew]

Frederick, I have to respectfully disagree with you. Car companies have their reasons for lowering or eliminating the manufacturer's tow numbers for the US market, but vehicle capability is not one of them.

Having said that, you might get into trouble with your insurance company or the law if you tow more than your vehicle is rated for in the country you are in. That doesn't mean the car won't toew it safely, though.

[pbraunton]

I would agree that an European hitch is fastened more securely to MY car, on tdiclub.com many members have installed them knowing full well that it increases their towing ability

In compairison the hitch I have attaches to the rear tow loop and the side of the spare tire well (sheet metal)

Whereas the European hitch is installed into the frame rails behind the bumper, it actually replaces the metal part behind the plastic bumper

And because of the difference in intimation I can see how it would be a different tow rating

[mcbrew]

You've got that right. I installed a Curt hitch on my Golf TDI. I really wasn't too impressed with the installation. I much prefer the hitch on my Scion, which is also a Curt brand hitch... but all of the bolt holes are already there. No bolts through sheet metal.

The Euro hitches are great. You dont get the Americal-style receiver, though. Just a ball on a goose neck... but the hitch is very sturdy. I almost bought the Euro hitch for my Scion, but it turns out that it doesn't have a higher rating than the US hitches, so it didn't matter. If I had it to do over again with the Golf, I would buy the Bosal hitch.

[pbraunton]

yeah, but at the time of install a curt hitch was something like 150 bucks, and a bosal is 400 plus............

i might re-enforce the sheet metal side of the hitch though, make some kind of backing plate out of 1/4 metal to beef it up a bit, I am going to see how much it all weighs when i get everything loaded,

On a progress report i got the door all stripped, after some rusted and stubborn bolts on the hinges, ...had to cut them off with a grinder, ........

time to split the door tonight, and then bend the aluminum frame tomorrow

[Rick G]

I just noticed your original question about weight distributing hitches. Having owned both a 70’s Boler and a (now) 1980 Trillium 4500, in my opinion the frames on these trailers were of similar structure, though it seems to me that the Trillium has a slightly better overall robustness to the frame, but not much.

Here is what the TrilliumRV website has to say about weight distributing hitches on the vintage Trilliums (Don’t use them!) :

“Weight Distributing Hitches
In the 70's & 80's, many of the small cars had a tow limit of 1,500 or 2,000 pounds. As a consequence, most of the fiberglass trailer manufactures were under pressure to keep their units under this weight limit. As a result, the steel frames were designed to carry only the weight of the trailer. Weight Distributing (WD) hitches place a great deal of extra stress on the trailer frame. Do not use a WD hitch on vintage Trilliums. The new generation Trilliums have a heavier duty frame, and can use a WD hitch with a bar rating no greater than 350 pounds. However, anti-sway bars can be used on all Trilliums. (WD hitches do not have an anti-sway function.)
It should be noted that, if the trailer is loaded properly, anti-sway bars should not be necessary. Hitch weight should be a minimum of 10%, measured at the coupler, not under the front jack. (Range: 150 - 200 pounds; heavier is better than lighter.) “

Rick G