Weight distribution hitch

CampRock · 08-11-2011, 06:41 AM

We have a 2012 swift and we tow with a toyota tacoma 4x4... We a very slight incline in our driveway...if we have nothing in the bed of the truck we can get the TT in the driveway with no problem, if we have stuff in the bed of the truck....scraaaaaaaaaapeeeee. Because the swift has like a 3 inch clearence.

Do you think a WDH would help with this? It is annoying to have to wait to load the truck AFTER we pull it onto the street.

hammerdown · 08-11-2011, 08:48 AM

It's hard to say but I think it will help. The WDH will move some of the load to the front axle of the TV.

BlueBrick · 08-11-2011, 06:08 PM

Come out or back in the driveway on an angle so that only one wheel at a time dips and you shouldn't scrape any more. Still sounds kind of low for daily driving. Is your truck and trailer combo level when hitched together? If not, then a WDH may be required.

yddad45 · 08-11-2011, 07:08 PM

You might also want to look into a set of air tow bags. That is what I am installing this weekend on my 3/4 ton pickup. My truck rear sags about 1 1/2 in to 2 in and this is after hooking up a WDH, but my RV does have about 1350 pounds of tongue weight. All research says air bags really beef up the rear end of a tow vehicle, we'll see.

Rustic Eagle · 08-11-2011, 07:11 PM

CampRock,

What part of the Swift is actually hitting the ground?

Bob

AndyGee · 08-11-2011, 11:18 PM

Air bags deffinately work. In the 90s I used to tow an extremely heavy stockcar trailer with a 80 Chev Suburban with airbags worked great.

MisterUg · 08-12-2011, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampRock

We have a 2012 swift and we tow with a toyota tacoma 4x4... We a very slight incline in our driveway...if we have nothing in the bed of the truck we can get the TT in the driveway with no problem, if we have stuff in the bed of the truck....scraaaaaaaaaapeeeee. Because the swift has like a 3 inch clearence.

Do you think a WDH would help with this? It is annoying to have to wait to load the truck AFTER we pull it onto the street.

I've tried a few different ways, as we've scraped a couple times as well.
For backing it in, leave wd bars on, then put blocks of wood under the back tires of your truck, then back in. My problem, besides scraping, was trying to get WD bars off of truck once we had trailer parked. A 2x8, 12 inches long, made it a lot easier. I also lay a 2x6 at the end of the driveway on the road, because it's when my back tires on truck are at it's lowest, thus making the front of the trailer really low as well.

So, to answer your question. Yes, get WD bars ;-)

CampRock · 08-15-2011, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic Eagle

CampRock,

What part of the Swift is actually hitting the ground?

Bob

The bottom of the jack....forgive me for not knowing the technical words...it is the one on the front of the trailer that you crank up and down.

Rustic Eagle · 08-16-2011, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampRock

The bottom of the jack......snip

CampRock,

If the bottom of the tongue jack is hitting, it is "possible" that a component of a WDH could also hit, depends on your particular driveway. The WDH may raise the TV/TT "hitch area" the little amount you imply you need, but not sure about clearing the lowest point on the WDH.

Difficult to say if a WDH would resolve your driveway problem, but it would address keeping the front of your TV from raising up (not good) as you load the bed of the truck. When loading your truck, keep the heavy stuff to the front of the TV's rear axle......, might help a little.

Bob

AndyGee · 08-17-2011, 05:38 AM

^^ I'd agree with Bob on this my WDH bars hang lower than the jack post sticks out of the bottom. NAPA sells driveway "ramps" they're made from recycled rubber and work well. That being said I would get a WDH anyway. I haven't used a WDH until this week and got one whith our new 29l and in the last 4 days have pullled about 2000 miles and will never go with out one again it makes the towing so much nicer smoothing out all but the most severe bumps.

BRDof3 · 08-17-2011, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyGee

^^ I'd agree with Bob on this my WDH bars hang lower than the jack post sticks out of the bottom. NAPA sells driveway "ramps" they're made from recycled rubber and work well. That being said I would get a WDH anyway. I haven't used a WDH until this week and got one whith our new 29l and in the last 4 days have pullled about 2000 miles and will never go with out one again it makes the towing so much nicer smoothing out all but the most severe bumps.

x2

The WD hitch may not solve your scraping problem, as noted above, but it will make the ride more even. It also evens out the wear and tear on your trailer tires. If the TT is hitch-down while towing it puts more pressure on the front TT tires, thus wearing them out faster than the rear. The WD hitch will level that out for you, in addition to the other benefits.

Northside · 08-19-2011, 06:11 AM

I have to agree with what's been stated above. I have a 2010 Frontier and a 2012 17Z, and everytime I pull in or out of the driveway the L-brackets that support the wd bars get pushed back on the frame and my bars hit the road. Without the bars though, my jack scrapes and, if I kept going, my hitch would dig in. That said, the difference in handling with and w/out the bars if Amazing wouldn't go around the block w/out them. I'm considering air bags and would love to hear more on their effectiveness.

TommyOC · 03-09-2013, 07:58 PM

Hi CampRock, read your post. I have just purchased a 2012 154BH, take delivery in April and am considering WDH. We also have a 2010 Tacoma as a TV which leads to a couple of questions. 1. How was the Tacoma for towing the 154bh?
2. How is towing with just the sway bar and did you purchase a WDH? Thanks.

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