Front axle load restoration (FALR)

[Mikey]

So, after carefully reviewing my weight numbers and after multiple weighings, I'm very confident that my 2010 F-150 is enough truck for my 28DSBH Whitehawk, PROVIDED my WD hitch gives me 100% front axle load restoration (FALR). Without it, I end up too close on my max tongue weight and rear axle GAWR.

Ford only requires 50% FALR for my year/model truck, and my Andersen WD hitch accomplishes that and tows super smoothly. BUT (and as anyone who has considered the Andersen may have learned), while the hitch is GREAT at sway control, it struggles with weight distribution for a trailer the size and weight of mine (33', 7,200 lbs loaded). If I had a 25', 5,000 lb trailer I'd be set for life with the Andersen - I've simply loved towing with it that much. It's affordable, easy to hitch/unhitch, lightweight, grease free, backs smoothly, corners sharply, and all with no popping or noise. The company provides great customer support and the build quality of all the components is first rate.

Because of all these advantages I'm going to try fine tuning my Andersen setup to restore additional weight to the front axle, but sadly, I anticipate it will be unable to give me 100% FALR. I'm at 50% with 12 threads showing and if I compress the red urethane bushings much further they may split or deform. I figure I can get to 14/15 threads max, and I just don't think that's going to do it.

I'll report on my success with the Andersen in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime I want to lean forward on a possible replacement. I know plenty of folks who are satisfied with their Equalizer, Blue Ox SwayPro, and others, but my question is not just about tow quality. Who out there has a hitch they love that easily gives them 100% FALR AND tows great? Recommendations?

BTW, please don't recommend a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck. I already know this would solve my problem, but I love my truck, I'm not a rich man, and the truck just fits in my garage, which is a huge plus in a New York winter. Plus, my 5.4 engine gives me better daily driving and towing mileage than I'd get from a 6.2 Super Duty gasser and I'm not looking for an older diesel. Thanks in advance.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Mikey

snip...
I'll report on my success with the Andersen in a couple of weeks, but in the meantime I want to lean forward on a possible replacement. I know plenty of folks who are satisfied with their Equalizer, Blue Ox SwayPro, and others, but my question is not just about tow quality. Who out there has a hitch they love that easily gives them 100% FALR AND tows great? Recommendations?
...snip

I'm not sure what you're asking: Do you want recommendations from owners of hitches except for Equalizer and Blue Ox SwayPro? If so, please ignore the following:

I have an Equal-i-zer brand 4-point hitch that I love on a F350 that I setup years ago and have never needed to change. I'm confident it could provide FALR, but couldn't attest that mine is set at that currently. I'm very pleased with the hitch, tow quality, and its anti-sway capability. There is no exposed grease (sockets inside the hitch head, near the greasy hitch ball, need occasional lubrication), backs smoothly (bars do not need to be removed) , corners sharply, and (with the new design, beefier frame L-brackets) I have no popping or noise.

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

I'm not sure what you're asking: Do you want recommendations from owners of hitches except for Equalizer and Blue Ox SwayPro? If so, please ignore the following:

I have an Equal-i-zer brand 4-point hitch that I love on a F350 that I setup years ago and have never needed to change. I'm confident it could provide FALR, but couldn't attest that mine is set at that currently. I'm very pleased with the hitch, tow quality, and its anti-sway capability. There is no exposed grease (sockets inside the hitch head, near the greasy hitch ball, need occasional lubrication), backs smoothly (bars do not need to be removed) , corners sharply, and (with the new design, beefier frame L-brackets) I have no popping or noise.

Thanks, Oldman. I wasn't suggesting that people with your hitch or the Blue Ox not respond, those were just examples of hitches I know many are happy with. What I was asking is who has a hitch (ANY brand) that gives them 100% FALR AND tows great? I appreciate your feedback on the Equal-i-zer, thanks.

[LabMan]

Have a Husky Centerline. With a 1800# tongue weight and 1400# WD bars, I can shift more to the front than I take off. Only checked once by Cat scale, but it restored all the weight. Truck alone was 3600 steer axle, 3170 load axle. With TT ( Octane 29), it was 3580 steer axle, 4440 load axle. The front was back to the starting height, rear was down 1 1/2 ". That was with on 2008 GMC 1/2 ton, which had a extra rear leaf added. Currently using that same hitch with the Octane and our 2015 GMC 3500. Don't really need it for the weight, just slightly load it since it is fantastic for sway control.

[motorbreath]

I have a Jay Flight 28BHBE with similar weight and layout. I also have the Blue Ox WDH and am very satisfied with it's adjustability. It will definitely be able to restore 100% of the weight to your front axle, but keep in mind that it is a heavy unit and will contribute around 70lb to your tongue weight.

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by LabMan

Have a Husky Centerline. With a 1800# tongue weight and 1400# WD bars, I can shift more to the front than I take off. Only checked once by Cat scale, but it restored all the weight. Truck alone was 3600 steer axle, 3170 load axle. With TT ( Octane 29), it was 3580 steer axle, 4440 load axle. The front was back to the starting height, rear was down 1 1/2 ". That was with on 2008 GMC 1/2 ton, which had a extra rear leaf added. Currently using that same hitch with the Octane and our 2015 GMC 3500. Don't really need it for the weight, just slightly load it since it is fantastic for sway control.

Thanks, sounds like a hitch worth exploring!

[Mikey]

Motorbreath,

Thanks, I've been thinking hard about that hitch. It's only 15 lbs heavier than the Andersen, that's not a bad trade off for 100% FALR!

[bono]

Hi Mikey,

You know my towing setup. Propride is a great hitch. I do not have experience with any other hitch, but those who have are saying there is no way back to other hitch after using Propride or Hensley.

So, this should address 50% of your questions.

I do not know about 100% FALR. I would give a call Sean, the owner of Propride. He is very knowledgeable and provides great customer service.

I know that the hitch itself is heavy. If I did the measurements correctly, it appears that it does not add too much to the TW. Regardless, I think that many would prefer to be 200 lbs over payload with Propride than under payload with other hitches.

cheers!

Originally Posted by Mikey

Thanks, Oldman. I wasn't suggesting that people with your hitch or the Blue Ox not respond, those were just examples of hitches I know many are happy with. What I was asking is who has a hitch (ANY brand) that gives them 100% FALR AND tows great? I appreciate your feedback on the Equal-i-zer, thanks.

[Go West]

I towed a 6,000 lb Outback with a Hensley Arrow for many years. It's a good hitch, but with so many other capable hitches on the market today, I would not pay $2,000+ for a hitch again. The Hensley also adds 190 lbs to tongue weight -- a significant consideration for anyone towing with a 1/2 ton and a limited payload. My new hitch will likely be a Blue Ox.

[need-a-vacation]

If you are considering the Equal-I-Zer 4 way system, look closely at the Reese SC model. Two advantages the SC has is it has a little more fine tuning adjustability for the hitch head tilt, and the wd bars are able to be swapped out (to different tw rating) if you ever change your tt down the road.

Our Dual Cam has the same hitch head and last time I weighed I had 100% of the lost weight returned to the front axle with 1400lbs of tw. Still need to reweigh it after a few mods and changes.

One thing to also watch is the trucks receiver hitch rating for the tw.

Good luck deciding!!!

[bono]

There is no other hitch on the market which eliminate sway. YMMV, but for some it is important aspect.

According to my measurement, it does not add 190 lbs to TW. Bear in mind that the stinger extends the tongue, so in general it make the tongue lighter.

Originally Posted by Go West

I towed a 6,000 lb Outback with a Hensley Arrow for many years. It's a good hitch, but with so many other capable hitches on the market today, I would not pay $2,000+ for a hitch again. The Hensley also adds 190 lbs to tongue weight -- a significant consideration for anyone towing with a 1/2 ton and a limited payload. My new hitch will likely be a Blue Ox.

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by bono

There is no other hitch on the market which eliminate sway. YMMV, but for some it is important aspect.

According to my measurement, it does not add 190 lbs to TW. Bear in mind that the stinger extends the tongue, so in general it make the tongue lighter.

Thanks, buddy, but the ProPride 3P is just too much for me. Here's the reason - I'm concerned about more than tongue weight. If I substitute it for my current 50 lb Andersen hitch, my truck/trailer GCW will rise from 13,500 lbs to about 13,650 lbs. In other words, no matter how well the ProPride distributes its own weight away from the tongue/drive axle, that weight is going SOMEWHERE, specifically to the steer and trailer axles. If I can get 100% FALR and good sway control out of a 70-80 lb WD hitch, as thousands of people do, I'll have larger safety margins on all my axles. Saving $2K isn't bad either.

That said, I appreciate the advice and I'm glad the ProPride works for you.

[Murff]

Mikey,

If I recall correctly, didn't Andersen come out with new shorter urethane bushings to alleviate some of the problems.

Might want to check...

Murff

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by Murff

Mikey,

If I recall correctly, didn't Andersen come out with new shorter urethane bushings to alleviate some of the problems.

Might want to check...

Murff

Murff, thanks. Yes, they did, as well as thicker washers. I've got the latest of each, as well as an extra set of washers and an experimental frame bracket that Andersen fabricated for me at no charge - it's longer, to better align the chain with the triangle plate when used with underslung couplers like those on our Whitehawks. The improved alignment should theoretically help with weight distribution. I'm going to try and get it REALLY dialed in this spring. If it goes well, perhaps Andersen will routinely market the new bracket to underslung trailer hitch owners. Best, Mike

[Murff]

How about a picture of the fabricated frame brackets, Mikey?

I'd like to see it as I felt the hitch worked better on my KZ Jag with the Atwood hitch than the Lippert.

Murff

[kayakterp]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

I'm not sure what you're asking: Do you want recommendations from owners of hitches except for Equalizer and Blue Ox SwayPro? If so, please ignore the following:

I have an Equal-i-zer brand 4-point hitch that I love on a F350 that I setup years ago and have never needed to change. I'm confident it could provide FALR, but couldn't attest that mine is set at that currently. I'm very pleased with the hitch, tow quality, and its anti-sway capability. There is no exposed grease (sockets inside the hitch head, near the greasy hitch ball, need occasional lubrication), backs smoothly (bars do not need to be removed) , corners sharply, and (with the new design, beefier frame L-brackets) I have no popping or noise.

I have the same system bought in early 2016 and installed by RV Dealership.
I do notice loud popping when I do U-turns at the end of my culdesac and once in a while when I back-up into my driveway that requires a 90* turn from street onto driveway.
I was wondering what was making the loud noises so after reading this thread, should I assume it's from the weight distribution setup?

[Mikey]

Originally Posted by Murff

How about a picture of the fabricated frame brackets, Mikey?

I'd like to see it as I felt the hitch worked better on my KZ Jag with the Atwood hitch than the Lippert.

Murff

Murff, will do when I dig her out of storage in a couple of weeks. Basically it's just an 8" frame bracket with extra mounting holes drilled into it for a 5" frame. This way, the chain tube at the bottom of the frame bracket sits about 2-3" lower, making for better alignment of the chain/tube with the triangle plate.

[SkyBound]

My Equalizer will exceed 100% return if I put all 8 washers in the hitch head. I tried it once and the front end sat half an inch lower than stock ride height.

I run 7 washers and the fender gap is unchanged hitched/unhitched but I have yet to verify with the CAT scale. Hopefully this season I'll get to one. It tows really nice for what it's worth, so I think I'm where I should be.

I second watching the receiver limits - my truck came with a 1150lb limit hitch on a MaxTow.

[JeremiahM]

Okay, gonna sound like a dummy here, but are y'all saying by dropping/angling the ball further back/down towards the TT, nor weight is shifted to the front steer axle? My parents have an 01 F250 ECLB with a 2012 outback 31' and a GVWR of 7700 lbs. The one issue they can't seem to get straightened out is sway, it's terrible with that particular trailer. I had a 1996 Dutchman 31' before, and it never swayed, I didn't even use the WDH, just a friction bar on it. They're using an eaz-lift WDH with a friction bar mounted on both sides of the tongue, and still sways pretty bad

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[JeremiahM]

They also have a Hellwig rear sway bar on truck, just can't seem to shake the sway

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