Eaz-lift wdh ( are you happy with it )

[alan H]

I m curious if those that have this are happy with it or not and did you install it your self
I still on the fence with this issue
I have 2015 tacoma dbl cab v6 with factory tow pkg... It is rated for 6500 lbs with tongue rating of 500
My 17'casitas is close to 3000
With tongue of about 350
Eazlift has model 48057 1000lb hitch w/sway control and model 48056 600 lb hitch w/ sway control
Very little diff in $
My ? Is if i need one ?
Would you go with this brand ?
Which would you pick ?
Would or have you installed this yourself ( dealer want $175 to setup)
Are you happy with yours.... The hitch head portion on both seam very heavy
Thanks in advance
And yes i posted this on casitas forum as well



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[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by alan H

I m curious if those that have this are happy with it or not and did you install it your self
I still on the fence with this issue
I have 2015 tacoma dbl cab v6 with factory tow pkg... It is rated for 6500 lbs with tongue rating of 500
My 17'casitas is close to 3000
With tongue of about 350
Eazlift has model 48057 1000lb hitch w/sway control and model 48056 600 lb hitch w/ sway control
Very little diff in $
My ? Is if i need one ?
Would you go with this brand ?
Which would you pick ?
Would or have you installed this yourself ( dealer want $175 to setup)
Are you happy with yours.... The hitch head portion on both seam very heavy
Thanks in advance
And yes i posted this on casitas forum as well



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From the numbers you quoted you don't need a WHD.
You're well within the towing parameters of the tow vehicle. Why put more stress on the trailer axle if it's not needed?

[alan H]

Thanks Byron
I may be over thinking this wdh ( we have a long trip in june and I'm just trying to cover all my bases
We have a much shorter trip in 11/2 weeks... Im going to use that as s test run so to speak


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[Carol H]

Alan, I like Byron would be surprised if you need a WDH which is why there is not a lot of good solid info on them here. But the only way to really know if you need one or not is to hook it up and if the back end of the truck drops and your headlights are point up then it will indeed correct that problem.

BUT you need to be VERY careful re the choose of WDH on a fibreglass trailer or any trailer with a lot of rivets & fairly light frames! ;-) Put one that is over built or one with the wrong style of bars (tapered/untapered) can damage the trailer over time. I would suggest that one rated at 1000lbs is probable over the top.... I know it is considered to be to much for my SOB larger/heavier trailer that also has lots of rivets.

You might want to send Andy Thomson at Can Am RV an email and ask him what he thinks the rating on the WDH should be if you feel you really need one. He btw is a fan of the Eaz-lift WDH over some of the newer types of WDH systems that many claim are easier to set up. While some of the newer types of WDH systems may be easier to set up correctly I know having the Eaz-lift on my SOB the Eaz-lift is not at all difficult to attach & take off once the trailer is set up correctly.

[Jack L]

If your trailer is level or the tongue is slightly lower, and your trailer is not overloaded loaded with too much weight in the front or rear, I don't think you need a WDH. I tow a 17 Bigfoot with an 07 Tacoma 4X4 with tow package and never felt one would benefit me.

[Civilguy]

Alan,

My understanding is that the selection of which WDH to buy, if any, should be based on your trailer's tongue weight plus the weight of cargo stowed behind the rear axle. So, I "think" the 600-pound rating would be the closest match in our case.

My Casita came with an Eaz Lift w/ 1,000-pound bars so I have not used it as I think these bars are much too stiff for our tongue weight.

The Eaz Lift drawbar assembly is indeed a heavy booger; just about 46 pounds without the spring bars attached. The bottom of the assembly would hang about 7-inches below the top of my receiver. The top of my receiver is only 14-inches above the ground, or 13-inches when the trailer is hitched. So, it would have somewhat limited ground clearance in my case. This is probably not an issue for your Tacoma.

Additional to the weight, there are greasy components involved. So, if you tend to hitch and unhitch a lot, these might be considerations.

My vehicle is rated at 440-pounds tongue weight and 4,400-pounds trailer weight. It only squats about an inch, as measured at the ball, when I hitch the trailer. I have been dithering about whether to get lighter springs for the Eaz Lift, trying a different WDH, or continuing without any weight distribution and just adding anti-sway. After reading the Andy Thomson article Carol linked, I am now going to give stronger consideration to just getting lighter springs.

My installation has two short sections of capped 3-inch square tubing welded outboard of the A-frame to maintain clearance from the dual propane cylinders. That's something to consider if you also have two cylinders located there.

The Casita's A-frame is constructed of significantly heavier channel than many of the older FGRV frames I have seen. Casita installs many WDHs at the factory when people pick up their trailer. So, I anticipate that the trailer's frame would handle a properly sized WHD just fine.

If you don't have any, you might consider adding anti-sway even if you find that you don't need weight distribution.

[ninklink]

If your tow vehicle rear end is sagging check out Timbren SES load buddies. I've installed these on 2 different trucks and really work when the truck is loaded down.

[Chris Z]

Sure would not use one if I didn't have to. A pain!

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Chris Z

Sure would not use one if I didn't have to. A pain!

Chris,

So, does imply that you are using one or that you are not?

[Glenn Baglo]

I don't like my weight distribution hitch either. It and the bars weigh 76 lbs. But, I wouldn't tow without it. I get a more comfortable and secure ride.
An extra few minutes of aggravation installing it is more than compensated by hours of confident towing.
How much you benefit depends on your tow vehicle and your trailer.

[Fallon]

I have a 2009 Tacoma TRD sport. It pulls our 2002 17' Casita Freedom Deluxe just fine with no WDH.

A WDH might help a hair, but I dont see it worth the effort & expense. A different story on something with less towing capacity compared to trailer weight though.

I have towed 6,500lbs with the Taco & that wasnt that pleasant. Have a beater F250 farm truck for towing the tractor on the trailer now.

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[hwdornbush]

Using or not a WDH is more than considering the towing capacity of the towing vehicle. In my case, my Jeep Grand Cherokee is rated for 6200 lb but the owner manual says that if the gross weight of the trailer is more than 3500 lb then it is mandatory to use a WDH "to ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control of your vehicle and cause a collision." Some may argue that this is written by the corporate lawyers, but I wouldn't tow my Escape or prior trailer without a WDH. I have had a flat tire at 65 mph and handling was controlled as I came to a stop. Others may (will) argue that it is not necessary and the hitch components are heavy but I feel my (and others) safety is well worth it. I used an Eas-lift with 1000 lb bars on my prior trailer, a vintage trailer weighing 3000 lb, and it worked great. I sold the hitch with the trailer and miss it sometimes as it was a great performer.

[Chris Z]

Civil guy
I use it


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[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

I don't like my weight distribution hitch either. It and the bars weigh 76 lbs. But, I wouldn't tow without it. I get a more comfortable and secure ride.
An extra few minutes of aggravation installing it is more than compensated by hours of confident towing.
How much you benefit depends on your tow vehicle and your trailer.

Having been studying this subject off and on over the past year or two, I took the rather extreme step of once again consulting my tow vehicle's owner's manual (2010 Audi Q5). The manual calls for using a "weight-carrying" hitch and setting up the trailer to have the "maximum allowable or slightly lower" tongue weight.

My Eaz Lift paperwork has ratings for use as "a weight distribution hitch with spring bars", and also as "a weight carrying hitch without spring bars". So, I think Audi's use of the term "weight-carrying hitch" is very clear.

The Audi manual's section on "weight distribution" discusses having the tow vehicle as heavy as possible and the trailer as light as possible. It advises moving cargo from the trailer to the tow vehicle "to the extent possible and permissible". I guess it's a good thing I'm not hauling a trailer full of manure.

Between this and reading articles by Andy Thomson, Collyn Rivers and others, I find I still have a lot to digest on the subject of weight distribution.

Collyn's discussion on inertia and the benefits of adjusting loads to be closer to the trailer's axle is very sound and could benefit any trailer owner, though unfortunately much of this would best be done in a trailer's design phase. For those who might be interested, I have posted a link to one of his articles here.

http://caravanandmotorhomebooks.com/caravan-dynamics/

I hope these reflections are not hijacking Alan's thread here.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by alan H

I m curious if those that have this are happy with it or not and did you install it your self
I still on the fence with this issue



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One thing I forgot to mention with the Ez-lift that came with my SOB its recommend it be disconnected for backing up..... if I were looking for a new WDH and I am for that reason as well as the fact Mr. Thomson suggests mine is a little over designed for my set up, I would look at the specs and make sure it did allow backing up, as some of the newer models WDH do. Haven't got into looking at all my options yet to know if any of the new EZ-lift offerings are designed for back up.