hunter99
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Posts
- 284
- Reaction score
- 35
- Ram Year
- 2018
- Engine
- 5.7
Sorry, done quite a bit of towing over the years. Anything over 3000 lbs in a 1/2 ton or 5000 lbs in a 3/4 ton and it gets a WDH. As for unhitching when backing up, I have a Blue Ox setup and I don't have to unhitch at all to backup. Most of the ones that do is more to do with the friction sway control then anything.
Putin that load on the hitch pulls the front end down. As it was stated above, the WDH moves that weight back forward and helps put it on front wheels. You have to think of the rear axle as a pivot point. Putting weight on top of that just pushes the rear down, that's about it. Putting weight on the hitch pivots that weight down and pulls the front up pivoting at the rear axle. That is why the WDH helps to fix it.
Dubstep Shep, I have never seen a truck have the rear tires lifted off the ground by a WDH and it have seen some steep transitions before. I think if that was happening it obviously is setup way wrong but serious damage to the truck and/ or the trailer would have occurred.
I sometimes see folks out there towing heavy trailers without a WDH, I usually slow down or pull off to get away from them. That is a bad accident waiting to happen. They may have been doing it for years without an issue but eventually the tide is going to turn.
Matt, based on the weight you are describing, I would recommend a WDH. The airbags may help but as has already been stated the load isn't right and it is trying to tell you that. The WDH will help move the total load at the rear and move it across the whole truck. Remember the pivot I talked about above, the bouncing is a perfect example of what is happening there.
Putin that load on the hitch pulls the front end down. As it was stated above, the WDH moves that weight back forward and helps put it on front wheels. You have to think of the rear axle as a pivot point. Putting weight on top of that just pushes the rear down, that's about it. Putting weight on the hitch pivots that weight down and pulls the front up pivoting at the rear axle. That is why the WDH helps to fix it.
Dubstep Shep, I have never seen a truck have the rear tires lifted off the ground by a WDH and it have seen some steep transitions before. I think if that was happening it obviously is setup way wrong but serious damage to the truck and/ or the trailer would have occurred.
I sometimes see folks out there towing heavy trailers without a WDH, I usually slow down or pull off to get away from them. That is a bad accident waiting to happen. They may have been doing it for years without an issue but eventually the tide is going to turn.
Matt, based on the weight you are describing, I would recommend a WDH. The airbags may help but as has already been stated the load isn't right and it is trying to tell you that. The WDH will help move the total load at the rear and move it across the whole truck. Remember the pivot I talked about above, the bouncing is a perfect example of what is happening there.
