tow question

[tacoma]

I towed my new x17z with my Tacoma this past weekend with no problem. Only drove about 50 miles. Just looking for feedback if I should install a wd hitch? I only towed it with the sway bar.

[howie]

You have a sway bar without a WD hitch? I am far from a towing veteran, but I have never seen a set up like that.
As far as needing a WD hitch, is your truck & camper riding pretty level when loaded & hooked up? I see the weight on the X17Z is 2810. I pulled a big pop-up that weighed in close to that without a WD hitch, but that was when I didn't even know about a WD hitch. Once I got one, I could tell a difference when towing.

[mcfarmall]

Originally Posted by howie

You have a sway bar without a WD hitch? I am far from a towing veteran, but I have never seen a set up like that.
As far as needing a WD hitch, is your truck & camper riding pretty level when loaded & hooked up? I see the weight on the X17Z is 2810. I pulled a big pop-up that weighed in close to that without a WD hitch, but that was when I didn't even know about a WD hitch. Once I got one, I could tell a difference when towing.

Usually the sway control without weight distribution can be found on some towing setups for small trailers like popups. Often times though, the hole in the hitch extension is smaller than the shank on a 2 5/16" ball.

[DocBrown]

The primary reason for using a WD hitch is to transfer weight back to the front wheels for proper steering control. Check your owners manual. There should be a front wheel well height spec for this. Measure your front wheel well height before hooking up and measure it again after. In the case of GM, after WD hitch is adjusted the front wheel well should be back to stock height. Some manufactures allow for a 1/2 difference. Either way for what a WD hitch costs for that small trailer you'll have a much better towing experience if you have one.

[All In]

Have you weighed the loaded tongue weight on it? That would be a good starting point.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by All In

Have you weighed the loaded tongue weight on it? That would be a good starting point.

1+ for weighing. The CAT scale is your friend.

[ryanb-72]

I towed our x17z with a nissan frontier for two years and could not imagine pulling it without a wd hitch. Although the x17z is a relatively light trailer it is pretty tongue heavy.
Ryan

[tacoma]

Thanks for all the responses. I am going to look into getting a wd hitch for my next trip.

[campingva]

I have a 2013 DCLB Tacoma with the Starcraft equivalent of the 17Z. I tried towing it on a slightly curving road with a few small hills without a WDH. I went from the campground home and got my hitch and will never tow again without it. You will immediately notice the difference on the open road especially on windy days.

[eldermike]

From a simple math standpoint you can measure the distance from the center of your rear tow vehicle axle to the hitch ball and call this the effort distance. Now measure the distance from that same axle to the front axle and call this the resistance distance. Effort distance divided by resistance distance is mechanical advantage. In the case of a tow vehicle is usually a negative number. Each pound placed on the ball will remove some fraction of that weight from the front axle. The exact fraction is the equation effort distance divided by resistance distance.

you cant cheat this its physics. A WDH allows you to get most that weight back on the front tires.

[ncooper96]

I tow my 17z without a WDH with the same truck with no issues. The Tacoma's are known to have soft rear leaf springs and Toyota has a TSB that addresses this issue. Initially when I got my 17z I had some significant sagging and I addressed the problem by installing Firestone air bags. I decided to go with the air bags over the WDH as towing is not the only thing I use my truck for, comes in handy to air up the bags when I got my toys in the bed. I understand the air bags do nothing to transfer weight to the front wheels but the tongue weight of the 17z isn't much to begin with. Do you have the 3 or 4 leaf spring pack?

[tacoma]

Thanks for the response. I have the 4 leaf springs on my truck with tow package. I found the trailer to tow easily with only the sway bar. I was just not sure if the frame on this trailer would handle a wd hitch.