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Old 10-19-2010, 07:14 AM   #1
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WD hitch & sway bars needed?

I'm anticipating the answer to this question but will ask anyway

Do I need a WD hitch & sway bars to tow my t-1950 ?
The bars & connections on tongue were included when I bought this trailer but last owner said he didn't use 'em & predicted I wouldn't need them. He only towed trailer maybe 20 miles to a campground & they only owned it 4 months. I towed it 35m home (no interstate travel) w/o problems nor noticable sway but stayed @ 55 mph & didn't encounter any passing semi's. I have an 06 Toyota Tundra dbl cab, 4.7L V-8, factory installed tow pkg
We towed our former TT, a 16' wilderness, 9000m last winter traveling to & from SW w/ a non WD hitch. Had no problems doing so but that rig was 2000lbs empty vs 3815 empty wt of t-1950, in addition to being shorter in both length & ht.
I'm intimidated by all things tech. & not anxious to buy learn how to tow w/ a new hitch system but want to be safe
Do I need a WD hitch ? If so would getting one @ U-haul be a good idea. Unsure of other local sources but guess I'm gonna be investigating same. Any other recommendations/suggestions appreciated. Thanx
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Old 10-19-2010, 07:47 AM   #2
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I know I can tow my 2461 without using the trunion bars in a pinch, my class IV will take the deadweight. But it does help with 'bucking' should you get on an undulating road heading to a campground or boondock spot.

As for sway control....that really depends on over all length, loading and personal preferences. My prowler 29R needed sway as it towed 2000lbs heavier than my sunny. some think that shorter does not need it but I pull a 13ft jayco king 6 popup that at only 2000lbs can sway real hard against my truck....its a single axle

dual axle trailers with heavier fronts tend to be more stable. your factory tongue weight is 420 and should be within the limits of dead carrying - dunno how the back end of toyota would like that.
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Old 10-19-2010, 08:48 AM   #3
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Welcome. I went through the same issues when I bought our 2653 earlier this year.
The trailer weighed in (took it to a metal scrap yard scale) at 5500 lbs. w/o water, clothes, housewares, food on board so I'm guessing we tow close to 3 tons. (I had an '05 Tundra but traded last month for a '10)

I towed the trailer several times with the '05 which is the same engine and tow package you have. I encountered no sway but I did use a WD hitch.
To decide if you need a WD hitch do a simple test. Measure the distance from the grouind to the outside edge of both front and back wheel wells. Hitch up the trailer. If the rear drops more than 2 inches and the front rises any, you would benefit from a WD hitch.
You said the trailer came with WD hitch components? Why can't you use them?

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Old 10-19-2010, 09:56 AM   #4
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I expect JohnB will be along shortly to give you some expert advice. But I've got opinions... and one is that Uhaul would be nowhere near the top of my list for buying an RV hitch--ask around, find a good RV dealer. We have a number of members in upstate NY. Add your location into your profile and someone may be able to direct you to a good local source.

Secondly all-in-one WD anti-sway hitches like the Reese DC and Equal-i-zer are not difficult to use and have some big advantages over stand alone sway bars.

WD and anti-sway provide a margin of safety in a gust of wind, a mis-judged turn, an emergency stop, a quick lane change etc. No amount of seat-of-the-pants feel can tell you whether you need one. It's the margin of safety for the unexpected that you need.

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Old 10-19-2010, 06:44 PM   #5
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YES !!

Don't even consider doing without. Mine tows like there's nothing back there but one time I forgot to tighten my sway bar. After several miles on the highway a truck passed me and I thought I was going to lose control. I slowed to 50 until I got to a rest stop. We have a manual control on the brake controller in case we fishtail. I don't want to have to try it out. If you start bouncing because you don't have WD, you can lose steering control. With neither, your camper and tow vehicle could try to swap places.

No question.
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Old 10-19-2010, 09:25 PM   #6
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Hi GK

I understand your concerns. However hooking up a WD hitch once sorted out is no more complex then hooking up the camper to go camping with. One of the beauties of SOC is we as a group are patient enough to help anyone who wants help for as long as it takes them to understand something.

Your truck and towing experience will benefit from using a WD hitch and you can lower the odds of not having a sway induced event by adjusting the hitch and anti sway control correctly.

Let me explain a little so you can see why I’m saying this. The day the camper left Sunline it has a published dry tongue weight of 420#. That is without 1 stick of camping gear in it, no LP gas in the tanks, no battery on the tongue and no dealer or prior owner installed options. Sunline also did a good job at creating proper balance in a TT of where stuff can go to create a stable towing TT. Yours in the dry configuration can be about 13.2% tongue weight for the actual gross vehicle weight the day it left the factory. The 13% tongue heavy is good and makes for a stable towing TT all by itself. That is step 1 in creating a stable towing rig.

However most of us who buy a camper and have a PU truck actually put camping stuff in both. It is the camper way!!! We like to have our stuff with us. And stuff adds weight that creaps up on ya with out knowing it. 20# here, 10# there, etc etc. It is not shocking (to us at least) that you will and can add 800 to 1,000# of stuff to your camper. And then there is stuff you put in the truck bed. Do you have a cap on the back? Do you put camping chairs, fire wood. Etc etc in the truck? We do…. And so will you in time.

Now your loaded camper tongue weight can end up in the 500 to even 600# range loaded. And the back of the truck is loaded too with say, 150 maybe 200# behind the rear truck axle plus the weight ahead of it. Well this puts the rear truck suspension into more then just carrying the 420# dry tongue weight that was on the camper the day it left Sunline. That much weight, loaded tongue weight and truck bed weight needs help in your rear TV suspension. With out the help the front of the truck get’s lighter then normal, steering control is lessened and a condition called under steer can develop. Understeer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or basically the front of the truck being light, the truck will keep going more straight then turn when you want it to turn.. Being wet and slippery and it gets even worse. And with the front being light, sway induced effects on the TT magnify that much worse on the truck as the front is light.

How to help correct the understeer and straining rear axle weight is to use weight distribution. It’s main purpose is to return the front axle to it original unhitched weight and ward off the understeer condition. The next benefit is removing extra weight imposed on the rear axle by the tow ball being some 60 to 65” behind the rear axle. That is one big lever to have 500# pushing on it plus the bed weight aft of the rear axle.

Your truck receiver in weight carrying mode most likely has a 500# weight carrying limit and at that limit it takes a lot of flexing going on. By adding the WD hitch it helps correct the wind up in the receiver that gone unchecked can cause ills in the truck receiver.

Then there is anti-sway controls on top of the WD hitch. They are there for when bad things come your way when towing a TT. Yes your camper pulled home empty with no issues and it should tow well with no sway control. Sway controls are for the bad days of fast passing buses or semis, doing hard panic maneuvers, dropping off the side of the pavement, high winds and other things that come at us towing a camper.

Now how to help this deal, lets start with taking a picture of the pile of hitch stuff that came with the camper. If you do not know how to put it on the truck and TT, then just take a picture of the pile of parts. We can tell what it is you have and then help on how to set it up.

You mentioned U haul. Well there are some that I’m sure are very good shops. However you have a TT, not a cargo trailer or open trailer. I have rented many U haul dual axle cargo trailers and never once did they have any kind of WD hitch on them. Or would I trust the rental place to properly adjust the WD hitch that I brought to them. If after seeing the pile of hitch stuff you have and after we try and talk to you on how to use it, and it still seems too much, then need to find a good RV dealer to help. And that can be complex too but the odds are better then U haul for a TT. Regardless even if you get an RV dealer to do this, learning how to adjust it and “why” is something that can help you greatly in the future.

Hope this helps. Glad to help more.

John
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