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Spacecadet View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Oct 2018
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sway Control Questions
    Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 8:42am
Looking at the the hitch weight of 285 lb. of my new-to-us RP180, I don't think I want the hassle of a WDH for my Tacoma but I think I should get a Friction Sway Control Bar, seems like cheap insurance.  Other any potential backing-up issues, any reason not to have one? Any recommendations for good reasonably priced one for Pods?

I found Lots and Lots of info from sway control manufacturers why I need one but I would like to see a more neutral article outlining the drawbacks if any.
2015 Toyota Tacoma 4X4
2016 RPod 180 HRE
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 8:53am
If you really ended up with a 285 lb tongue weight on a 180 you'll probably be the only one. That number is based on a completely empty trailer with no water, propane, or batteries. My 179 tongue weight loaded is about 570 lbs with dual batteries, full propane and full fresh water. I would never take it on the road behind my Highlander without a wd hitch. 

I would suggest that before you decide not to get a wd hitch you load up your trailer the way you plan to use it and then measure the actual tongue weight and also see how your Taco handles it.  

There are a couple ways to get the tongue weight. One is the bathroom scale method, the other is to put your tow vehicle on a commercial scale with and without the trailer attached. The difference will be the tongue weight. I like the commercial scale method because its easier, I use the one down at our local waste transfer station. Those nice folks weight me for free if I go when they're not busy.
 

Heres the bathroom scale method:
https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Spacecadet View Drop Down
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Posts: 6 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 9:11am
The Taco is factory rated for 640 lb. hitch weight, my plan is to load most of the heavy stuff in the truck, but the wild card is water, not sure how much hitch weight the three tanks may add.  I would love it if manufacturers would start publishing fully loaded worst case scenario numbers as oppose to the dry best case scenario numbers.

A question about commercial scales, I know RVs are not required to drive through them but can I use them just because I want to? Is there a display of weight as you drive through?  (Sorry, total noob here, never seen one up close)
2015 Toyota Tacoma 4X4
2016 RPod 180 HRE
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2629 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 9:30am
Originally posted by Spacecadet

The Taco is factory rated for 640 lb. hitch weight, my plan is to load most of the heavy stuff in the truck, but the wild card is water, not sure how much hitch weight the three tanks may add.  I would love it if manufacturers would start publishing fully loaded worst case scenario numbers as oppose to the dry best case scenario numbers.

A question about commercial scales, I know RVs are not required to drive through them but can I use them just because I want to? Is there a display of weight as you drive through?  (Sorry, total noob here, never seen one up close)
Our F-150 is rate to tow > 11,000 lbs with the resulting tongue weight. According to Ford, it will handle up to 500 lbs of tongue weight without a WDH. Once you go over that, a WDH is recommended. I would scale those numbers to your Tacoma, and would expect to have to accommodate tongue weights over ~~ 350 lbs or so with a WDH.
bp
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 9:31am
Take a look where your tanks are on the 180. I start with a full fresh water tank in the front and return with some or all of that water transferred aft to the black (middle) and gray (rear) tank. Since the gray tank is behind the trailer axle as it fills tongue weight is actually reduced. You have to watch for low tongue weight in that situation, if it goes less than about 10% your risk of sway goes up. 

I can't think of a situation when you'd ever have all 3 tanks full at once. People that always camp with hookups or have water available at the campgrounds they stay at usually don'f fill their fresh water tank before departure. Others like me are always leaving with a full fresh water tank because we pretty much only camp at remote dry campgrounds. 

We also have dual batteries like most boondockers do, that adds a lot of weight right on the tongue. So it depends on what you want to do with your Pod. 

My Highlander has a 550 lbs hitch rating but I would never want to put close to that weight on it, the front gets way too light. My guess is you'll feel the same way with your Taco if you go out heavy for dry camping/boondocking, and will feel more comfortable towing with a wd hitch. It certainly won't hurt anything having it. 

i haven't tried to use a commercial scale as I can use my county transfer station. There might or might not be a weight display but if not just ask them to write down the numbers for you. If they're accommodating, as you're going through, you might want to roll each axle on one at a time and get all the data at once. You can then subtract to get each axle weight separately with and without the trailer. That way you can check against the max load for each axle in your Taco manual and also check the gross combined vehicle weight. The rPod trailer axles are rated at 3500 lbs. 
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 1:44pm
Also.. remember, your Taco has a max payload allowance. You, her, the dog, skittles, bacon, extra undies, ANYTHING in the truck, or even on the truck, say a topper, and winch/bumper, must be included in that weight, after you remove the TW, and the weight of any hitch assembly you choose. Many small trucks have 1000-1300lb cargo weights.. take away 4-500 for the hitch and tongue weights, and suddenly, two people and the dog in the truck is all you might be able to carry.. kids have to stay at grandma's..
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 3:11pm
Here is a great online calculator for trailer towing. Put in all your loadings, wheel base and other dimensions, and max load limitations and it has little dials showing you where you are at. It also lets you add a weight distribution hitch and tension it as you would like. The wd hitch itself gets added to the rear of the tow vehicle (not the trailer) as furpod suggests.

https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.phps. 
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Posts: 153 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 4:50pm
FWIW, I would get a WD-hitch even if you can marginally do without it.  You'll be able to get the sway control in with it and have the full package without having to worry about it.

With the capacity of a Tacoma my preference would be to get a superior hitch set up and then enjoy the drive.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 5:36pm
+1
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2018 at 6:02pm
+2, but operational word is marginal.
Mike Carter
2015 178
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