Weight Distribution systems Yes or No

[Larry,C]

https://youtu.be/lVg8QgIFJoU

[David B.]

Originally Posted by Larry,C

https://youtu.be/lVg8QgIFJoU

Great info. Larry. I remember when front wheel drive was introduced by Oldsmobile, a WDH company used this car to advertise how the WDH distributed the weight to keep the trailer & car combo level even with the car's rear wheels removed. This set-up also puts more stress on the very light weight trailer frame. Thanks for sharing.
Dave & Paula

[Glenn Baglo]

Took that guy 45 seconds of the video to start saying what he was going to surprise us with. When he finally got around to it, he was making assumptions and creating a scenario to back up his claim, which doesn't apply to all single axle trailers. His was a 3,000 lb axle. Mine is 3,500 lb. axle. He fills his tow vehicle with junk. I don't. Guy needs to go back to school.

[Glenn Baglo]

Further to my previous comment, I have taken my rig over a truck scale, so I have actual numbers, not suppositions. WDH was in use.
Trailer axle capacity is 3,500 lbs.
Tow vehicle front axle was 2380 lbs.
Tow vehicle rear axle was 2138 lbs.
Trailer axle was 2821 lbs.
3,500 minus 2821 is 679 lbs of leeway.

[Raspy]

Glenn,
The guy in the video, as hard as it is to watch, seems to be making the point that if your axles is at capacity, you should not use a weight distributing hitch.

Your axle is not at capacity, so using your hitch is fine. Was there more to it than that?

[Glenn Baglo]

Nope. He went to great lengths to create the scenario and then wasted a vast number of pixels on a video.

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Nope. He went to great lengths to create the scenario and then wasted a vast number of pixels on a video.

I have to agree - could have been said in a sentence or two. The problem is there are many users that don't understand text - If you don't show them a video, it doesn't count. Check out the thousands (maybe millions) of YouTube videos taking 10 - 15 minutes to cover one sentence's worth of information.

[David B.]

I have a question. These numbers on TV axles front/rear and trailer are static numbers. Does weight on various axles change when one goes into a gas station with steep incline or such? I only ask since seeing that FWD Oldsmobile without any rear wheels sitting hooked up to a trailer with a WDH and both vehicles sitting level make me think that the weight does get distributed under variable conditions.

[Glenn Baglo]

If you were to jack up at the hitch and then install WDH bars that are way over the required rating, and shorten the chains beyond normal, you could get the rear wheels off the ground, but that's not what you do, except to take a picture.

[David B.]

Yes, I understood that for the picture they had to over tighten the WDH, but I was wondering about those steep approaches into and out of gas stations, and how they would effect the distribution of weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the trailer axle. I have seen a couple types of WDH, and one in particular has chains in place of bars, and I think that they connect to a urethane
dampener that would possibly counter act this problem? I once had a WDH/anti-sway bar combination that had no chains involved, (just two square bars that sat on top of an "L" bracket on the trailer tongue) and with this set-up when I went down a sand road with dips, my rear wheels would spin.
Dave & Paula

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by David B.

Yes, I understood that for the picture they had to over tighten the WDH, but I was wondering about those steep approaches into and out of gas stations, and how they would effect the distribution of weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the trailer axle. I have seen a couple types of WDH, and one in particular has chains in place of bars, and I think that they connect to a urethane
dampener that would possibly counter act this problem? I once had a WDH/anti-sway bar combination that had no chains involved, (just two square bars that sat on top of an "L" bracket on the trailer tongue) and with this set-up when I went down a sand road with dips, my rear wheels would spin.
Dave & Paula

Think about what WHD does, it stiffens the connection between the trailer and tow vehicle in a vertical position. In the Front wheel drive demo the total weight is on the front axle of the tow and the trailer axle(s). Not a problem.
The problem occurs when you still have weight on the rear axle of tow and additional weight on the trailer axle. When there is an attempt to at a different attitude than the trailer the weight on the trailer axle will be different than both on level ground. Tow nose down and trailer level, trailer wheels are unweighted, Tow nose up and trailer level extra weight (force) on the trailer axle. Basic HS science.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by David B.

I have a question. These numbers on TV axles front/rear and trailer are static numbers. Does weight on various axles change when one goes into a gas station with steep incline or such? I only ask since seeing that FWD Oldsmobile without any rear wheels sitting hooked up to a trailer with a WDH and both vehicles sitting level make me think that the weight does get distributed under variable conditions.

Axle ratings are static ratings, yes. But they take into account driving with that load. Not sure how much more than the static load they can handle, but I know they can handle a lot more. It's also not possible, without some fancy equipment to figure out the instantaneous spike in the load, and it doesn't matter. There is a comfortable margin.

Unless you are going over repeated jumps, with more than the rated static load, you have nothing to worry about. Worst case is the wheels will develop some camber and then you'll know you are nearing the limit.

I recently read about a couple with an Escape that bent an axle going over ice heaves. So they upgraded to the next higher rated axle and springs.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

Think about what WHD does, it stiffens the connection between the trailer and tow vehicle in a vertical position. In the Front wheel drive demo the total weight is on the front axle of the tow and the trailer axle(s). Not a problem.
The problem occurs when you still have weight on the rear axle of tow and additional weight on the trailer axle. When there is an attempt to at a different attitude than the trailer the weight on the trailer axle will be different than both on level ground. Tow nose down and trailer level, trailer wheels are unweighted, Tow nose up and trailer level extra weight (force) on the trailer axle. Basic HS science.

Basic HS science? Not so much.

If you have tandem axles with an equalizer system, the weight each axle carries is the same over different ground conditions and wether the trailer is nose high or nose low. This is true for about 3" of travel difference between the two axles. So if the trailer is out of level, or you drive into a driveway, or you run over a big bump, the axles share the load equally. It also means the WDH loads both axles equally. Torsion tandem axles are different as they don't have the equalizer.

[David B.]

Thanks Byron, so the guy in the video wasn't an idiot after all? HWY 191 in northern AZ was the worst road we have ever been on....I swear that the front wheels of the truck came off the ground at 10mph less than the posted speed limit.
Dave & Paula

[Cliff Hotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

I have to agree - could have been said in a sentence or two. The problem is there are many users that don't understand text - If you don't show them a video, it doesn't count. Check out the thousands (maybe millions) of YouTube videos taking 10 - 15 minutes to cover one sentence's worth of information.

Problem with the Internet , you have to wade through a pile of crap to get a kernel of truth.........

[k0wtz]

I think wdh ranks at the top for disagreements about when you need them and when you don't!

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by k0wtz

I think wdh ranks at the top for disagreements about when you need them and when you don't!

How about we stir in an ST vs LT tire discussion concerning the trailer we are possibly adding a WDH to. While at it, we can factor in whether the trailer is level enough to allow the propane fridge to work and how to run it on 12 volts.

[k0wtz]

you could throw in trailer brakes

bob