WD hitches - Event Date: 07 Nov 2016 - 01 Dec 2016

Hi all,

We were having trouble finding a WD hitch that had the right tongue weight (more is not better).  We pull with a F150 4x4.  With the gearing we have way more pulling capacity than is needed.  The dealer actually talked me out of the WD hitch and told me to pull our 180 home (1.5 hrs) before I decided to buy one.  He was right, with an adjustable height ball hitch and only 300 pounds of tongue weight it all sits level and pulls great at 55 - 65 mph.  At 70+ there is more of a head wind resistance that we feel, but not at 65.  Wind dynamics I guess...and a WD hitch will not fix that.  But I am thinking of installing a sway controller.  The trailer does not sway during normal driving, even passing, or being passed by 18 wheelers.  But the Boy Scout in me (Be Prepared) says I need something.  Also, the engineer in me wants to experiment and gather data to make an informed decision.  I wanted to test how much sway would be introduced if I were to swerve to miss something on the road.  So on our last trip I slowed down to 60 and jerked the steering wheel a bit as if trying to miss something on the highway.   The look on Tina's face stated two obvious facts: 1. I should have warned her what I was doing.  2. The back end of the trailer going in and out of her side mirror was outside of her comfort zone and needed something to control it.   Oh yea... 40 years of marriage to this lovely lady this December and I am still learning...

I spoke to E2 and was cautioned at purchasing a 600 pound tongue weight hitch for a camper that only weighed 300 on the tongue. The dealer told me the same thing.  I agree the WD makes it a solid feel which is why I wanted it originally.  I have pulled heavier campers and would not have wanted to tow them without WD.   But the heavier rear suspension on the 4x4 feels solid with this lite camper.  If I could find the correctly sized hitch for less than $400 I would buy it just for the added insurance but the only correctly sized hitch I found was $900 so I opted out.  Does anyone know of a 300 lb hitch less than $500?

I have to raise the BS flag here. Hundreds or more owners use the 600/6000 class WDHs on Pods and similarly weighted trailers. True the larger 1000/10000 hitches are overkill, uncomfortable, and maybe stressing, but the 600/6000 class is very satisfactory for Pods. Remember that when you add two propane tanks, dual batteries, some water in the WH and three tanks, and all your personal stuff you will be pushing up toward the 3500# axle rating. Keeping at the 10-15% tongue weight rule you will well within the E2 range. If you want a truth check, load the camper for normal camping and weigh the tongue. You will be surprised. I don't know who you spoke to at the Progressive, but others have gotten very different advice from the same source. 

We pull our 179 with a 2012 Highlander V6 2WD with tow package and after first using an EazLift WDH and separate sway bar, we switched to the Fastway E2, which replaced both. We're using the 600/6000 round bar model and love it! My wife hated setting up with the old WDH, but she's commented several times how easy the E2 is to set up.

Tongue weight is going to greatly depend on what you have on the tongue in the way of propane tanks and batteries. We're still using a single 20-lb tank, but we're running dual 6V golf cart batteries. Each of those batteries is heavier than the single battery that came with the Pod, so battery weight more than doubled with the switch.