WDH Gurus Weigh In Please

[paulandkaci]

Towing a Hummingbird fully loaded less than 4000lbs. TV is F150 V8 with brake controller, so plenty of TV. New to TT towing, have towed many a boat and cargo trailer. Have been towing TT without WDH and it is OK but no prolonged towing yet on Interstate or with windy conditions. Have reviewed Fastway E2, Reese SC, Husky Centerline TS, and Blue Ox. Opinions from the Gurus please. Also any input on trunnion vs round bar. I am also looking for ease of setup/takedown upon arrival/departure from campground. Thanks for your input.


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[Marcm157]

Not sure what year F150 but you are most definitely within weight tolerances of the truck regardless. I tow a much longer and heavier trailer with my truck.

I have nothing but positives to say about the Equalizer WDH. Built in 4 point sway control, fairly easy to hitch / unhitch. It is heavy though. I have virtually no sway and after getting the hitch dialed in which took me about 4 tries and a couple of visits to the scales I sit perfectly level.

I do most of my backing up with the bars still attached. The only time I drop them first is if it's an extremely tight back, with a sharp angle. Even that is just for my own peace of mind.

[TWP723]

I double that. The Equal-I-Zer has done the job for me...with no sway. But there are plenty of good WDH's out there.

[paulandkaci]

Originally Posted by Marcm157

Not sure what year F150 but you are most definitely within weight tolerances of the truck regardless. I tow a much longer and heavier trailer with my truck.

I have nothing but positives to say about the Equalizer WDH. Built in 4 point sway control, fairly easy to hitch / unhitch. It is heavy though. I have virtually no sway and after getting the hitch dialed in which took me about 4 tries and a couple of visits to the scales I sit perfectly level.

I do most of my backing up with the bars still attached. The only time I drop them first is if it's an extremely tight back, with a sharp angle. Even that is just for my own peace of mind.

F150 is a 2014


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[Wireman]

I use a Husky Centerline TS. Again, there are plenty of good WDH's out there.


Just did a 5200 mile, 39 day road trip and it worked great towing my 23RLSW.

[need-a-vacation]

Probably the only rating you may be close on is the truck's receiver hitch rating when towing without a wdh. But that all depends on your actual loaded tw and the hitch rating. At one time most factory hitches were rated max of 500lbs tw without a wdh. Just double check to be sure.

Of the wdh models you mentioned, I would suggest leaning toward the Reese SC, or the Equal-I-Zer model. Though if it isn't much more, consider the E4 as well. I don't recall which Centerline it was, it one of the complaints when I looked into it was the need to be in almost a straight line when hooking up or removing the wd bars (again, don't recall which model). Not real familiar with the BO other than what users have posted. For the Reese vs E2/E4, the Reese hitch head does offer a little more fine tuning of the hitch head tilt.

Usually a round bar system works better for a top mounted coupler, and the trunnion for a bottom mounted coupler. Reason being is the trunnion bar could hit the trailer frame in a very tight turn depending on how the hitch head tilt is adjusted. Not having enough tilt back, with very few chain links under tension is usually when it can happen. If you need to find the right balance between having enough clearance for the trailer frame and having enough ground clearance.

If possible, weigh your tt and truck ready for a trip hooked up, and then the truck only. You can get your loaded tw and knowing this allow you to order the correct rated wd bars. If you are under all the weight rating, just adding a side mounted sway bar is another possiblility. The downside is they usually need to be removed when making tighter turns to prevent damage.

Good luck deciding!

[DocBrown]

Biggest reason to get a WDH is to bring weight back on the front tires of the truck to restore full steering ability. Check your owners manual for the spec, I believe Ford's spec is when adjusting the WDH to bring the front end down 1/2 way from the distance it was raised.

GM's spec is to bring it back to stock height.

[SkyBound]

If I were you I would be using a WDH for that trailer. It will improve your towing experience by returning weight to the front axle of your truck giving you better stability and control. If you've ever noticed the steering wandering a bit while towing it's because of the weight that has been removed and placed on the rear axle.

The other benefit is sway control. If you get a hitch with integrated sway control your trailer will track much better behind the truck especially in windy conditions or situations that generate sway.

My vote for you is the Equalizer 600/6000 (600lb max tongue weight / 6000lb max trailer weight).

[mike837go]

I'm by no means an expert. But I won't tow without a WDH ever again!


(I'm hoping the pun in the title was deliberate)

[hboy]

Considering the size of your trailer, I'm not sure I would use a WDH either. For me once the camper gets about 23+ feet, and is high profile then the driving gets worse and a WDH is a must.

I used the equalizer WDH and have no complaints (30+ foot campers). If I had your camper I would probably use nothing unless highway driving got uncomfortable. The weight of the trailer I doubt takes much weight off the front axle making steering a problem. If you notice steering problems at highway speed, then the WDH will cure that problem. If you are comfortable diving without a WDH, I wouldn't recommend spending the money on one, and the extra time using it.

just my opinion.

[SouthCo]

I'm very happy with my Blue Ox WDH with built in sway control. Very easy to setup and easy to hookup/unhook. As some others have said there are a few good choices out there...

[01tundra]

Can't really give much of an opinion since our Hummingbird will not be here for another couple weeks, but I did a lot of research and decided to go with an Andersen 'No-Sway' WD hitch (model 3324). I think it's a good fit for such a small TT.


I see a lot of benefits to their design, i.e. weight/portability, backing while attached, simplicity, etc.

[bansai]

Originally Posted by paulandkaci

Towing a Hummingbird fully loaded less than 4000lbs. TV is F150 V8 with brake controller, so plenty of TV. New to TT towing, have towed many a boat and cargo trailer. Have been towing TT without WDH and it is OK but no prolonged towing yet on Interstate or with windy conditions. Have reviewed Fastway E2, Reese SC, Husky Centerline TS, and Blue Ox. Opinions from the Gurus please. Also any input on trunnion vs round bar. I am also looking for ease of setup/takedown upon arrival/departure from campground. Thanks for your input.


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General advise is you need a WDH if Your trailer weight (GTW) is more than 50 percent of your vehicle's weight (GVWR).

I'm not sure what your GVWR is, but it sounds like you are in that grey area where you could possibly benefit from one, but it's not necessarily required. I like my Equalizer hitch, but I have to agree with the others that are saying if you don't really need it, maybe allocate that money to something else.

[Camper_bob]

Granted, I'm dealing with a lot more trailer than you, but I'll throw in some of my thoughts anyway.

I started with the Fastway E2, and it was a fine hitch. Its weak point IMO is in the spring bar hangers. The way they are designed, it's too easy to bend them. The Equal-i-zer (made by Progress Manufacturing, same as the Fastway, but Equal-i-zer is made in USA) is a big step up, and adds another 2-points of friction sway control in the hitch head, AND you get the upgraded spring bar hangers that are the weak link on the E2.

My Fastway E2 was underrated for my load, so I shopped hitches and narrowed my options down between the Blue Ox SwayPro and the Equal-i-zer. I ended up choosing the Blue Ox because of the simplicity of install. This was the reason the Reese SC was not included, I didn't want to deal with setup intricacies, even though it is purported to be an EXCELLENT hitch when it's dialed in right. There are no adjustments to the Blue Ox setup, the only "adjustment" is how many links are under tension on the rotating latches, so install is dead simple. Operation has been flawless so far. The only notable exception is that I lost the included wrench that you use to turn the latches on our first trip out No big deal, I just picked up an 18" breaker bar and a 1" socket that is a dedicated tool. Whole thing cost like $15, and works better than the supplied wrench anyway.

There are many options out there, and most of them are at least adequate for your situation I would say. I would recommend you stay with one of the big brands (Equal-i-zer [Progress Manuf], Blue Ox, Reese, etc).

[bankr63]

I'd put it this way. At under 4k lbs loaded, you are in the weight class of a pup trailer. I don't think I have ever seen anyone with a pup using a WDH. I certainly didn't use a WDH until I moved up to a full trailer and never felt I need one with the pup. The biggest difference for you is that your Hummer will be putting more face to the wind than a pup, but less face and more aerodynamic than a full size TT. I agree with the camp that says wait and see, you'll know after the first trip if you need one. If it feels at all dicey (I doubt it will), slow down a bit and stability should settle back in.

[SkyBound]

I've seen plenty of large pop-ups with WDH on them. Some of those things are big trailers, even dual axle at times. A lot of the larger pop-ups have storage bins on the front (presumably full of tools) propane and battery(s) so tongue weights may surprise you.

[DocBrown]

The trouble is that you may feel just fine towing it without a WDH. Until you tow in a 40 mph cross wind. Then you'll understand the value of steering control.

Honestly, we spend many thousands on our trailers. Why take a chance and cheap out on something that's a few hundred dollars?

Your tongue weight is probably around 500#. Doesn't sound like a lot. Mine is somewhere over 600#. My trailer is only about 500# more than yours. No way I'd tow without a WDH.

[RedHorse1]

We towed the X23B with our Expe. It weighed in around 4500# and we used the e2. It seemed a good hitch for our modest HTT. We had a 5er in our sights so I didn't buy a hitch that I'd use after an upgrade.

[Dropnaduece]

I have the re-curve R3 WDH and it works awesome!! You can hitch up at any angle and it is super easy to htich up too. They make a 400lb one as the it's the smallest one. They are fairly new to the market and I would say for the price and how well it works is one of the best in the market. You can back up with no problem takes tight turns and has an easy adjustable friction collar to control the sway using the same system as brakes on a car. The head is fully adjustable like others are and no chains are involved. When you adjust for a Ford you want to return the front end to just a 1/2" above the original measurement unhitched. I don't know why but it does make a difference. I had it back to the original measurement and it didn't handle as well when you use the 1/2" method. The manual says to do it that way and it works. The equalizer is very popular but it's been around a long time and a proven product that many RV places sell but where I live many of the rv dealerships are starting to sell the Re-curve product.

Just my opinion not a salesman for any one product. Good luck

[wanderlust]

YOU DO NOT NEED a WHD... until you need one. Then it's TOO LATE. Years ago my partner and I were towing a load of cabinets (that we just finished building) to the job site. Ford 150 pulling a small flat bed with a small load of cabinets. It started to sway out of the blue... we lost about 3/4 of the load.

I love my Equal-i-zer