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Topic ClosedWDH or no WDH???
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ArenaBlanca View Drop Down
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Joined: 07 Sep 2016
Location: Alamogordo, NM
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Posts: 158 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: WDH or no WDH???
    Posted: 20 Sep 2019 at 9:07am

Three years ago while in northern NM, we purchased a 179. I bought a 2 inch ball from a local Tractor Supply store and towed the 179 home to southern NM with my 2004 ¾ ton pick-up. The ride seemed a bit bouncy and sway was noticeable when I got caught in a dust devil. So I replaced the shocks (they were the original shocks for the truck) and added a sway control bar. The trailer connection for the sway bar was welded onto the camper frame. But the combination of new shocks and the sway bar solved the bounce and sway issues.

Last week we traded our beloved 179 for a new 195 from the same dealer in Colorado. Because this was a trade and part of the sway control was welded to the camper frame, I towed home without sway control. The tow vehicle was the same ¾ ton pick-up. It is a diesel and only has 140,000 miles on it. The ride also seemed a bit bouncier than I was used to but I figured this was due to the extra tongue weight of the 195. I feel safer with sway control although many believe I don't absolutely need it with this tow vehicle. So I am planning on adding sway control.

I am wondering whether a weight distributing hitch would dampen the bouncing as well provide sway control. If so, what make and model would you suggest?
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2628 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2019 at 9:52am
We pull with a 2015 F-150, and we find the WDH makes the trailer+truck move together as more of a "unit". We believe we could tow without the WDH, but we like the combination better with it.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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ArenaBlanca View Drop Down
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Posts: 158 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2019 at 11:39am
I was thinking the same thing.  Do you have a suggested make/model?  I have a WDH for another camper but that camper has almost 900 lbs of tongue weight.
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mcarter View Drop Down
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Location: Greenbrier, TN
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Sep 2019 at 5:20pm
5 years with a Chevy Silverado 4X4, 2015 178, sway control, no WDH, no issues. It's a personal choice. Last time I had a WDH was a 25' plus Airstream, towed with a 3500 Chevy dually. My current tongue weight is @370.
Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2019 at 6:28am
Originally posted by mcarter

5 years with a Chevy Silverado 4X4, 2015 178, sway control, no WDH, no issues. It's a personal choice. Last time I had a WDH was a 25' plus Airstream, towed with a 3500 Chevy dually. My current tongue weight is @370.

+1. With a 3/4 ton pickup, you shouldn't need a wdh, but you might prefer the ride with one. Sway control couldn't hurt. Some wdh's have integrated sway control, some are completely separate systems. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Pod People View Drop Down
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Posts: 1066 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2019 at 8:04am
We tow our 179 with a Ford Expedition El.  I'm sure we don't NEED a wdh--however, I am also sure that the wdh adds a safety factor in 2 ways that it is designed for.  One, it does help the ride by making the tow vehicle and rpod more of a unit as well as leveling the vehicle.  secondly, the anti-sway properties have made it safer and also peace of mind.
This is our second rpod-we had a 173 prior to the 179.  we have towed both units all over the country, including 2 cross country NC-California round trips.  We have never experienced sway.

We use an Equalizer 4 point hitch system with 600 pound bars for both pods withut issue. maybe the best
$550 I have spent on rv items.

There are several other important considerations in thinking about eliminating sway.  Good tires(Goodyear Endurance ) with a stiff sidewall and properly inflated go a long way in eliminating potential sway issues.  the second important thing is properly loading the pod with weight forward of the axle and having the correct amount of tongue weight. tow vehicle suspension and the pod being level when towed are also considerations.
Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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crankster78 View Drop Down
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Posts: 163 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2019 at 8:59am
Greetings:
I have owned 2 pods and for years I did not have a WDH.  I purchased and installed one this past spring.  I have found that it does make a difference even with my long wheel base PU.  It is easier to steer, feels better on the road,  It reduces wear and tear on the truck.  It was a good investment.  My 179 has dual LP tanks and a electric hitch jack, so it very likely has a hitch weight in the upper 400 pound range. The hitch I installed is a Equal-izer  R3 

Crankster78  F-150 R-179
Crankster 78 R-179 2015
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2628 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Sep 2019 at 6:13pm
I just came across this article as a link attached to a story about someone's receiver failing, and losing their trailer (it was in a campground, and at low speed, so no great damage was done). It is interesting as it states the "general rule" is that you "should" use a WDH if the trailer weighs more than 50% of the tow vehicle weight. To quote the statement:

As a general rule, if your trailer weighs 50% or more of what your tow vehicle weighs, you need one. There are definitely other factors to consider. Most travel trailer/tow vehicle combinations really should be using this type of hitch.

The owner's manual of our F-150 recommends using a WDH if the tongue weight is over 500 lbs. That is well above the recommendation of the above article, but none-the-less there is a lot of good information in this article and all in one place. Not a bad place to start.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2019 at 5:46am
The basics of this article are fine, and it gives a great explanation about how to weigh your rig at a public scale.

I don't agree though with their hitch recommendations (other than the Hensley being the best of the best). The Anderson chain system is under a lot or tension so puts some weird stresses on the trailer frame. Despite their disclaimers it sure reads like an Anderson advertisement....I'll stick with spring arms myself, thanks. 

Also, the weakness of the designs where the spring arms also provide the antisway friction is that you can't separately control the two functions. That is probably fine for most folks but I like being able to set up the two functions independently. I often want to have full weight distribution with little or no antisway when on wet pavement or low speed twisty mountain roads. And, when backing into a tight campsite it only takes a couple of seconds to take off separate antisway bars because they aren't under tension. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2019 at 6:30am
I tow with my Tacoma. I would think the same option for all 1/2 ton TV's.. 
What's the thought on air-bags vs. WDH.
Byways no Highways
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