Weight Distribution with Sway Control

[foldbak]

Upgraded to an Anderson and love it! I can pass a big rig at 70 and not feel it! Light weight, quiet and easy to use.

[Urbish]

For you guys with Andersen WDH setups, do you ever encounter a situation where your brackets on the trailer frame slide forward or tilt at the bottom? I hadn't seen their product until today and it seems like that would be a problem since the chains are pulling those brackets straight forward vs. loading the brackets vertically like a spring bar WDH.

[wiredgeorge]

Not sure why folks knock Harbor Freight; all their hardware is made in Pittsburg and all their electric tools are made in Chicago. Geesh.

[foldbak]

Originally Posted by Urbish

For you guys with Andersen WDH setups, do you ever encounter a situation where your brackets on the trailer frame slide forward or tilt at the bottom? I hadn't seen their product until today and it seems like that would be a problem since the chains are pulling those brackets straight forward vs. loading the brackets vertically like a spring bar WDH.

Not with a spot weld!

[cdigger67]

I am currently using the Blue Ox Swaypro 1500 for the last 3 years on my 38 ft. Outback TT. After using several different brands over the years on different trailers I feel that the Blue Ox is one of the best. Almost no sway when traveling and you can back up without doing anything.

[FlyingAroundRV]

We have the Husky WDH with builtin anti-sway. It is quick and simple to set up and a bit easier on the wallet than the equal i zer.
That said, it is NOT a cheap hitch.
Our trailer is a 30 footer with all up weight at 7600# and our truck is an F250 2WD dual cab med bed.

[Urbish]

I have a BlueOx TrackPro (10,000#/1,000#) on an Aspen Trail 17BH (3850# Gross Trailer Weight) and about 650# on the tongue. General price on that is $530. It is a bit stiff and way over-rated for my application in my opinion. I went back to my trailer dealer who installed it. They said, "We put those on everything." I might get a set of 8,000#/800# spring bars for it and see what difference that makes.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by FlyingAroundRV

We have the Husky WDH with builtin anti-sway. It is quick and simple to set up and a bit easier on the wallet than the equal i zer.
That said, it is NOT a cheap hitch.
Our trailer is a 30 footer with all up weight at 7600# and our truck is an F250 2WD dual cab med bed.

My SIL was sold a Husky when he bought his 39 foot Salem Hemisphere TT. It does look to be a hefty hitch. He pulled it with a Ram 1500... Shortly after he bought a Ram 2500 Diesel to match the hitch.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Urbish

I have a BlueOx TrackPro (10,000#/1,000#) on an Aspen Trail 17BH (3850# Gross Trailer Weight) and about 650# on the tongue. General price on that is $530. It is a bit stiff and way over-rated for my application in my opinion. I went back to my trailer dealer who installed it. They said, "We put those on everything." I might get a set of 8,000#/800# spring bars for it and see what difference that makes.

To me that's like a shoe store saying they only sell one size to every customer. Time for an appropriatly sized hitch bars and a new dealer.

[FlyingAroundRV]

Originally Posted by Bill-2020

My SIL was sold a Husky when he bought his 39 foot Salem Hemisphere TT. It does look to be a hefty hitch. He pulled it with a Ram 1500... Shortly after he bought a Ram 2500 Diesel to match the hitch.

Wowsers!
Don't tell the weight police...

[Weldon]

My Equalizer and 2 5/16 ball finally arrived. It definitely has some weight to it. I bought an Equalizer 14,000 ball, but the shank is over 4" long and the Equalizer instructions say it can't be over 2 3/8." That seems extremely small, but maybe I need to look for a different one? I was looking at the installation instructions, and see that one specific bolt requires over 430 ft lbs of pressure!? I thought my HF WDH was high at 260 (or whatever it was).

As I've mentioned, we live in a cul de sac and our driveway has a high grade, so the camper stays at a covered storage place 15-20 mins away. However, my spot isn't level (north-to-south). I would need to pull the camper to a flat place, determine the correct height / angle for the hitch, install, put the camper back in place, then take the hitch head to somewhere that can attach the bolts with the right torque. For once, I'm taking the TT and new hitch to Gander and letting them install it. My appt is about 10 days from now, which isn't bad. Most places are booked up until mid-May around here.

After they have installed it, what do I need to check before leaving? I've seen a lot of folks say they had their dealer install their hitch and had no problems. I've also seen others say their dealer install was less than admirable. Other than checking to make sure the TT and TV are level and bolts are tight (I have no way to verify they are torqued to specs), is there anything else I need to inspect before pulling the TT back to storage?

[jfk69]

I can’t even fathom trying to put 430# of torque on a bolt lol.

[Weldon]

Originally Posted by jfk69

I can’t even fathom trying to put 430# of torque on a bolt lol.

Glad I'm not the only one. Page 9 at the bottom, talking about the hitch ball installation.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/docum...D015_PRINT.pdf

[Northofu1]

Originally Posted by cdigger67

I am currently using the Blue Ox Swaypro 1500 for the last 3 years on my 38 ft. Outback TT. After using several different brands over the years on different trailers I feel that the Blue Ox is one of the best. Almost no sway when traveling and you can back up without doing anything.

This is what I used on my Premier 26 RBPR loved it, little to no sway.
Cheaper than the equalizer.

[Northofu1]

Originally Posted by jfk69

I can’t even fathom trying to put 430# of torque on a bolt lol.

You need a mighty long piece of steel pipe over that ratchet handle

[Northofu1]

Originally Posted by Weldon

Glad I'm not the only one. Page 9 at the bottom, talking about the hitch ball installation.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/docum...D015_PRINT.pdf

Air impact gun, set it accordingly. they're cheaper than you think.

[jfk69]

Originally Posted by Northofu1

You need a mighty long piece of steel pipe over that ratchet handle

Funny. I was thinking the exact same thing!

[flybouy]

I use a Dewalt DCF899B cordless impact gun. https://www.dewalt.com/products/powe...l-only/dcf899b It has no way to measure the toque but it has no problem with compressing the split lock washer flat. I have other Dewalt tools so didn't need the battery or charger and it wasn't too expensive buying the gun alone. The gun also makes it real handy to remove lug nuts f you find the need to play NASCAR pit stop on a busy highway.

[Urbish]

Any tractor or heavy truck mechanic ought to have a 3/4" (or larger) drive torque wrench that is able to properly torque the hitch ball to 430 ft-lb and would probably take the five minutes to do it in exchange for a 6-pack. I wouldn't rely on an impact tool since you have no way of knowing what it is actually torqued to.

Don't rely on the fact that the lock washer has been totally flattened out to ensure proper torque. Lock washers are imprecise are not intended to be indicators of anything. "Looks tight" and "Is tight" are two very different things.

A friend of mine arrived at the campsite next to us with his popup camper in tow, having just driven 300 miles to get there. When he went to back it into place, I heard a clunk. His hitch ball nut was hanging on by only a couple threads. He had tightened it with an impact driver. Apparently wasn't enough.

[Urbish]

Originally Posted by Weldon

After they have installed it, what do I need to check before leaving? I've seen a lot of folks say they had their dealer install their hitch and had no problems. I've also seen others say their dealer install was less than admirable. Other than checking to make sure the TT and TV are level and bolts are tight (I have no way to verify they are torqued to specs), is there anything else I need to inspect before pulling the TT back to storage?

Ensure that the safety chains are crossed under the tongue and properly attached. Make sure the breakaway cable is routed so that it won't snag on anything or drag on the ground. Some people connect it to the safety chain loops on the hitch. I connect mine to a rigid point on the vehicle unaffiliated with the hitch. Some people have had their entire hitch fall off or the welds that hold the receiver tube break free which results in the trailer brakes not being set.

If you're interested in where you are at weight-wise, hit up a CAT scale on the way home and weigh your rig for about $13. That lets you know where you are at and how much more stuff you can consider loading (and where you should load it).