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Old 05-23-2016, 07:47 PM   #1
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WDH with sway vs friction sway only

Hello, i am new to the forum and new to rv camping. Recently gave in to spouse and purchased Jayco 174bh. supposed to pick up in a week.

Will be towing with 2014 Ford 150 5.0L supercrew 4x4, dealer says i will be wasting $ with a WDH with integrated sway control. says all i need is a friction bar. Friction bar and ball insert installed is $200. I have been looking at WDH with integrated sway control online. I like the reviews and cost of the Husky TS Centerline model 32215 400 to 600 lbs tongue weight $385 shipped to me). it comes with a shank but it only has 1 1/4 in drop. i know i have to use 2 1/4 drop with my utility trailer.

Questions am i really wasting $ and going way overkill with the TS Centerline? Since it is only single axle, my thinking is extra peace of mind in case of a blowout.

Also will the 1 1/4 drop work or will have to buy another shank. Even with buying another shank it will still be $100+ cheaper than Equalizer; the reviews say the ts centerline is quiter.

Thank you ; look forward to any advice anyone can give.
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Old 05-23-2016, 08:06 PM   #2
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IMHO, not wasting money in going overkill with a WDH and integrated sway control.

I have never ever heard anyone or ever heard of anyone complaining because they have way more hitch than they need.

Yet having too little hitch can cause stress, headaches and dollars.

Also, what if you decide to upgrade to a bigger TT in the future? That will be one cost you don't have to deal with again.
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Old 05-23-2016, 08:32 PM   #3
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WDH with sway vs friction sway only

Quote:
Originally Posted by trhoton View Post
Hello, i am new to the forum and new to rv camping. Recently gave in to spouse and purchased Jayco 174bh. supposed to pick up in a week.

Will be towing with 2014 Ford 150 5.0L supercrew 4x4, ...snip
Congratulations on the new trailer and welcome to the forum and to RVing.

Until you get into exotic and expensive hitches, all anti-sway systems use friction. Some use friction integrated into the weight bars etc. and others use an add-on friction mechanism.

Hopefully someone in the forum with a truck and trailer similar to yours will chime in with their experience.
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Old 05-24-2016, 12:11 AM   #4
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Congrats on the new Jayco and welcome to the forum! This is a great place to ask, learn and share.

My 195RB Baja is slightly bigger than the 174BH but very close. Our dealer made a similar recommendation for sway control only. Your loaded tongue weight is likely going to be around 400lbs or so - mine runs around 425-450lbs most trips. I'm towing with a RAM 1500 and use an Andersen No-Sway WDH hitch. The CAT scales tell me that w/o WD engaged that 425lb tongue weight pulls over 120lbs off the front axle of the truck.

I use it less for the WD with the 195RB and more for the integrated anti-sway which has worked very well. It's also light enough and simple enough to hook up that the DW can do it by herself.

I did quite a bit of research before picking the Andersen, but one thing that stood out is most seem to agree that integrated sway-control is a much more effective anti-sway set up than just a friction bar.

And I agree with NVGun40 - sooner or later you'll be thinking about the next trailer. A good WDH hitch can last through many units.

I'd say go with a good quality WDH + integrated sway control and afford yourself the added safety and comfort towing that it will provide.

Best of luck!
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Old 05-24-2016, 05:23 AM   #5
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Always get the best hitch you can afford. Having a complete setup that you won't have to worry about down the road is essential. Not saying to get a hitch that's rated higher but, a hitch that will match up perfectly with your setup. It's piece of mind and let's you concentrate on driving without the worry. There's nothing worse than looking in your rear view mirrors and seeing your trailer scooting back and forth across the lines. As far as preparing for the future, that's a hard one. Just because you probably don't know exactly what you'll be getting. Hitches need to be proportionate to it's duty. So yeah, you may have to get a different hitch in the future. Spend the money and protect your investment and family.


Happy Camping!
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Old 05-24-2016, 06:23 AM   #6
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Im going to say go with your gut... you will likely be fine either way. That's just not that much TW. It's like loading 10 bags of cement in the bed of your truck. Which many do in the winter around here just to get some traction...


However, I do believe you will benefit from some form of sway control. Especially if you travel any sort of distance. Where I travel it's not uncommon to drive 200 miles through the Columbia River Gorge in 30-40mph winds with gusts substantially higher and the trailer can be just like a big sail with a hinge in the middle.


Your going to spend a couple hundred bucks for a hitch with friction control anyway, I don't think of another couple hundred as a significant amount of savings (ie not "wasting" money) if it results in a more comfortable and confident towing experience so certainly go with your gut and get the better hitch if your inclined. With that said, I have used a basic WDH with a friction control and they work just fine with the exception that you have to remember to remove it when making sharp turns when backing if your going to exceed the limit of the device or you can bend it, that is a pretty extreme turn however and really not an issue.


Personally I'm a fan of the Equalizer system with the integrated sway control, but there are others that I'm sure are just as good.


In regards to your drop question, you will have to make the measurements to see if it will work. There is likely a difference in your hitch height between your RV and your utility trailer, but again that is another part that is just not that expensive to size properly and frankly is just as important in the setup as the sway control.


Don't buy the hitch you think you will need in the future, buy the proper hitch for the trailer your buying now.
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Old 05-24-2016, 06:51 AM   #7
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Welcome and congrats on the new rig!!!

I would go with a wdh with integrated sway control. Main reason is the side mounted units generally need to be removed when making sharp turns (like backing into a site).

As for a future tt, pending the weight some wdh models you can't just swap new wd bars.
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Old 05-24-2016, 11:20 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ttavasc View Post
Congrats on the new Jayco and welcome to the forum! This is a great place to ask, learn and share.

My 195RB Baja is slightly bigger than the 174BH but very close. Our dealer made a similar recommendation for sway control only. Your loaded tongue weight is likely going to be around 400lbs or so - mine runs around 425-450lbs most trips. I'm towing with a RAM 1500 and use an Andersen No-Sway WDH hitch. The CAT scales tell me that w/o WD engaged that 425lb tongue weight pulls over 120lbs off the front axle of the truck.

I use it less for the WD with the 195RB and more for the integrated anti-sway which has worked very well. It's also light enough and simple enough to hook up that the DW can do it by herself.

I did quite a bit of research before picking the Andersen, but one thing that stood out is most seem to agree that integrated sway-control is a much more effective anti-sway set up than just a friction bar.

And I agree with NVGun40 - sooner or later you'll be thinking about the next trailer. A good WDH hitch can last through many units.

I'd say go with a good quality WDH + integrated sway control and afford yourself the added safety and comfort towing that it will provide.

Best of luck!
are the Baja's really that that much heavier ? I have a 195rb and my tongue weight is right at 300lb we travel light and never have water in the fresh tank
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Old 05-24-2016, 11:30 AM   #9
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Agree with above. I had the same truck and went with the dealer recommended Husky WDH hitch with friction sway on my last trailer. Didn't realize it was the cheapest possible thing I could have used (but I bet the margin was great for the dealer).

If I had to do it over again I'd go with the Equalizer, but there are several other options just as good.
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Old 05-24-2016, 12:00 PM   #10
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are the Baja's really that that much heavier ? I have a 195rb and my tongue weight is right at 300lb we travel light and never have water in the fresh tank
The GVWR on the Baja is 3750 compared to 3500 for the standard model. My yellow sticker shows a weight from the factory with full propane of 3015 leaving 735 for cargo. The Baja has a 30lb propane tank compared to the standard model's 20lb which when full is about 17lbs heavier. I tend to run a little on the heavy side - I've added a second Group 24 battery and I keep at least 5-6 gallons water in the fresh water tank for use when traveling and will increase that some if needed to keep a consistent tongue weight. My most recent CAT scale at the beginning of this season shows a loaded trailer weight of 3685, trailer axle at 3260 and a tongue weight of 425lbs which is just under 12% of loaded trailer weight. On longer trips such as when we head south to Utah and Arizona I like to push the tongue weight up to closer to 450lb.
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Old 05-24-2016, 12:07 PM   #11
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[QUOTE=ttavasc;411494]The GVWR on the Baja is 3750 compared to 3500 for the standard model. My yellow sticker shows a weight from the factory with full propane of 3015 leaving 735 for cargo. The Baja has a 30lb propane tank compared to the standard model's 20lb which when full is about 17lbs heavier. I tend to run a little on the heavy side - I've added a second Group 24 battery and I keep at least 5-6 gallons water in the fresh water tank for use when traveling and will increase that some if needed to keep a consistent tongue weight. My most recent CAT scale at the beginning of this season shows a loaded trailer weight of 3685, trailer axle at 3260 and a tongue weight of 425lbs which is just under 12% of loaded trailer weight. On longer trips such as when we head south to Utah and Arizona I like to push the tongue weight up to closer to 450lb.[/QUOTE

I understand thank you for the info, I just couldn't understand how it could be so much heaver
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Old 05-24-2016, 12:15 PM   #12
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Also have the Husky WDH with Friction Sway Control.

This is about as basic as WDH get, and since the dealer "threw it in" to get me to sign, I'm sure it's the cheapest on the market (but also may be high margin). The biggest plus to the system is that it can be used with successive trailers with only an upgrade to the carrying capacity of the bars. Also the ball height has a pretty broad range of adjustment. Dead simple to operate and use.

The sway control I only use for highway; don't bother for short local trips where I won't be experiencing higher speeds. It IS a pain to always remember to remove it when backing, but not all installations require this, so test when you first get it; have a spotter watch while you jackknife left and right to see if the WDH closes or opens completely. My hitch/tongue geometry is short enough that this does happen.
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Old 05-24-2016, 07:27 PM   #13
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Thanks!

Thanks everyone for the help; i have decided to spend the extra $ and get the integrated sway control. Probably go with the Husky TS Centerline. Cheapest place online is amazon. anyone know any other good sites; e trailer does not carry the 400 to 600 lb tongue weight model

Thanks Again
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Old 05-26-2016, 07:21 PM   #14
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can anyone tell me what the frame dimensions are on the 174bh? Husky has a carriage bolt kit available to use when installing hitches to frames less than 2" wide
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Old 05-30-2016, 07:04 PM   #15
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can anyone tell me what the frame dimensions are on the 174bh? Husky has a carriage bolt kit available to use when installing hitches to frames less than 2" wide
My 2015 195RB is 2" wide and 4" tall. I would imagine that the 174BH is the same.
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