2019 174bh and tacoma - WDH needed?

[Dan in PA]

I just for a 2019 174bh and have a 2015 Tacoma v6 with tow package. I am reading conflicting opinions on the need for a WDH. I read some folks are concerned with over stressing the 3” trailer frames. What do you all suggest? A WDH? (If so, which one - they all seem rated too heavy for this weight trailer) or just a sway bar? Or just go hitched? Thanks for your opinions! Dan in PA

[Midnightmoon]

First, welcome to JOF. I hope that you find your time here friendly and informative.

My feeling is that yes you should be using a WD hitch with your setup. A well setup WD hitch will help you achieve optimum handling of your combination.

I would suggest a WD hitch that includes integrated sway control, Andersen, Equalizer, etc.

[Dan in PA]

Thanks. I have been looking at Husky Centerline TS with spring bars. Do you have an opinion on that one. Rated for 600-800 pounds tongue weight.

[Midnightmoon]

I don't have any personal experience with the Husky. However, someone here on the forum will likely have feedback for you.

[Rustic Eagle]

Dan,

Welcome to JOF

Originally Posted by Dan in PA

snip...... I read some folks are concerned with over stressing the 3” trailer frames.....snip

In the past Jayco would attach a sticker to the TT A-frame if there was a WDH restriction/rating limit.

Bob

[spaniel]

I'm still pretty new to this RV thing; I've had my 174BH since July 2019. No history with RVs or trailers of any kind prior to 2019 (other than farm stuff which is entirely different -- but I can back a trailer up like a boss).

Being total newbies when we bought ours I knew nothing about weight distributing hitches, and our dealer did not educate us. Summer 2019 we made mostly short trips no issues.

This summer we made a >4000 mile, 2-week tour from Indiana through the Southwest national parks and back. Several days of it were utter hell. 45mph on the freeway due to sway, no other traffic having issues with the wind. White knuckling 10 hour drives. F150 as tow vehicle, well within limits. Saw all the hitches in the campgrounds and did research; had one waiting on the porch for me by the time we got home. I went with the Curt TruTrack.

I think the sway issue was exacerbated by a lean we got in the trailer during the big trip; leaf springs were subsequently replaced under warranty.

We just got back from our first trip using this hitch. It is NIGHT AND DAY. We left on a windy day, I was worried, I had zero issues and barely knew the trailer was there. Well worth it. FWIW I went with one for 800lb TW.

[RogerR]

I have towed without a WDH in that category and would not if at all possible. Once a sway event starts it can get disastrous in seconds.

Your driving comfort is also a big plus with a WDH. What I mean by that if you have to much tongue weight it causes the front end to get light and makes steering feel "floaty" if I can use that word to describe not having positive control. If you hit the brakes at that point a spin, etc. could easily happen. When we bought our current 195RB the dealer hooked it up and we headed out on a test run. Before I left the dealership I tightened it up as they set it to loose. I stopped twice more in 30 miles before I got it tuned in. Now, after 15,000 mile I have never had a sway or control problem.
My recommendations is Andersen. Why? light weight, easy on and off, no big bars or heavy lifting. And Andersen has great customer service. I owned two prior bar hitches and hated them compared to Andersen.

[Cerberus]

Originally Posted by Dan in PA

Thanks. I have been looking at Husky Centerline TS with spring bars. Do you have an opinion on that one. Rated for 600-800 pounds tongue weight.

I am currently using the Husky Centerline with spring bars with my F150 and a 264BHW trailer. I've towed smaller travel trailers without a WDH and it wasn't the worse experience but for the money it is cheap peace of mind and insurance. My experience with this WDH has been very positive, the only downside is that it is very noisy when the windows are down on the truck.

[Scott&Leslie]

Good Morning Dan,

I was expecting to get a Travel Trailer this size, which would have been easy to pull with my 2017 Tacoma TRD Sport, with the Towing Package. This would have been my first time pulling a Travel Trailer, and I was told the WDH was the way to go. Then, the seller backed out and my MIL found a Jayco SLX 267 BHSW, a7,000 lb 29'11" Travel Trailer.

I ended up getting an F250 to pull this Travel Trailer and was given a Fastway E2 Trunnion Style WDH, which has Sway Control built it, as my wife's Uncle was selling his 30' Grand Design, 8,000 lbs. The Hitch was already set up this Trailer, and it just slid into my Receiver. We drove it about 4 hours and it almost seemed like it wasn't back there.

The next week I went and got the pulled the Jayco home for the first time. I had to reset the Hitch to fit this Trailer and it was fairly easy to do.

The WDH is the Only Way to go!

I hope this Helps!

Scott

[Zenar]

Huskey Centre line in my setup. Used it on two trailers, 3 vehicles and I love it. only problem seems to be the noise(Which are only an issue making big turns, But the noise can be almost removed with grease on the bar before loading. Not the parts near the TV.

[iamusingamd]

I have the 2020 174bh and a pathfinder as TV, 5000lb rating. I've done much reading and decided a WDH is needed. At least for my peace of mind. I was not sure if equalizer with the 4 way is necessary or the blue ox is enough. My dealer recommended the blue ox swaypro (of course, they carry it). So I agreed.



We've taken 2 trips up in New England and down the east coast, from NJ. Honestly I don't feel much pulling the rig. I give credit to the WDH. I can get to 65 on flat road and climb up interstate grades at 50-55. Can feel the 18 wheeler go by but not that bad. I've made one sudden lane change at 35-40. Not feeling much. Although it's not a good thing.

[iamusingamd]

By the way, blue ox chain style takes me about 10min to hook up or unhook as a newbie. So very easy. Totally worth it.

[JFlightRisk]

Originally Posted by iamusingamd

By the way, blue ox chain style takes me about 10min to hook up or unhook as a newbie. So very easy. Totally worth it.

I'm glad you added one from the advice here. There are many good hitch set ups available, and there'll be bias opinions on which is better. The best one for you, is the one you own, and are happy with. They take the stress out of towing, make the ride more comfortable, and do their job to keep you safer.

[ultrarider]

I have a 2012 Tacoma v6,crew cab, 6’ bed with tow package. I also have another leaf spring added. I’m pulling a 2018 16XRB hybrid. I just put on the equalizer weight distribution/ anti sway hitch from Etrailer. You tune in the WD with you vehicle loaded. Then adjust with Trailer tongue wt. coupled. It takes a bit of time, getting the truck setting correctly, taking the tongue wt. off & on, and adding spacers, but once it right, makes a world of difference on how it pulls. I’m glad I got it. Make sure you buy the WD for you trailers tongue Wt.
My trailers Tongue wt. is 325lbs so I got the equalizer with the max tongue wt of 600.

[joe w]

I have the Husky centerline TS for my rig. We just finished a 7K + trip which included many a windy day in addition to the 18 wheelers blowing by me on the 80 MPH roads in SD etc. Never had a "white knuckle" moment. Proper installation and setup is key.

[rewen]

I have a 2021 174BH which I tow with 2019 Ford Ranger and a standard hitch, and while it tows very well, I can only imagine how much better it would be with a WDH when the wind is blowing hard or when driving past a semi. It would probably help with some of the bounciness at times.

I'll be getting a WDH in the spring sometime as I plan to do some trips further away than usual.

[GarlicDude]

2012 Tacoma V6 with tow package towing an 18RBM using an Anderson WDH. Have towed through the winds of Wyoming without problems.

[Murff]

For a trailer the size of the 174BH, the Andersen is a perfect choice!

https://youtu.be/L0VHves-v8g

Murff

[Bob K]

2017 Tacoma TRD, 185RB Baja, Fastway e2 Trunnion Style hitch (combined WDH and anti-sway).

I towed with and without the WDH. While the truck is capable of pulling without it, I greatly prefer it with. First, it levels out the ride height of the vehicle by transferring weight to the front axle...no saggy back end. Second, the combo isn't nearly as bouncy going down the road. Third, the anti-sway is built in and I can definitely feel its performance in the seat of my pants out in the windy West: In high crosswinds, the trailer and truck push more as a single unit rather than feeling separated.

Definitely look into the trunnion style WDH versus the chain style. Some advantages I saw:

• The trunnion bars sit up higher for more ground clearance
• No need to disconnect while backing up...ever. You can fully jackknife the truck and trailer and it has zero impact on the hitch (as opposed to some anti-sway bars that will begin to bind/bend at a certain point).
• No extra anti-sway bar holes to drill into the trailer frame.
• No separate anti-sway bar, so one less thing to fuss with.

The only downside is price: The trunnion style runs $100 to $200 more. FWIW, I'm so glad I chose the trunnion style over the weight style and the convenience was easily worth $150.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...2-00-0600.html

If you go this route, consider loading your trailer and truck up to full capacity and getting an accurate tongue weight so that you can get the trunnion bars for the correct tongue weight. I started with the 600 lb trunnion bars and quickly realized that, with a fully loaded trailer, full freshwater tank, and a truck bed full of goodies, I was quickly pushing that 600 lb rating. I subsequently spent another $200 to upgrade to the 800 lb bars. Fastway says it's better to go up to the next weight rating rather than be over the bar's rating.

[Kim Gass]

Haven't needed one on my 195 RB with our tow vehicle. No sag. No sway. And we have been cross country twice.. Southernmost Tuscon , northernmost Beaufort Sea in Alaska. From Maine.

Even with the crosswinds of the prairies which are not to be underestimated.

Why did we not get one? Not recommended for our tow vehicle . The combo has worked very well even with the idiot that backed up in the high speed lane in Oklahoma and we had to make an evasive maneuver.

If at any time we were uncomfortable we were receptive to a WDH but its worked out well. Our next TT will be bigger so yes WDH.