Weight distribution/anti sway
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Topic: Weight distribution/anti sway
Posted By: Johncmarshjr
Subject: Weight distribution/anti sway
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 4:02pm
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I am towing a 2016 179 with a 2016 Volvo XC-90. Are there recommendations on which weight distribution and anti sway bars I should install? ------------- ALICE |
Replies:
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 4:33pm
For simplicity, you should look at a system that combines WD and anti-sway. I have been using the Equal-i-zer 4-point sway control hitch. It has served me well except for once when ice and wind were too much for it to correct. I doubt other systems in the price range would have done any better in that situation. It works well, especially if one uses a hitch tightener to stop the hitch shank from clunking around in the receiver. Another option is the Fastway E2 hitch which uses 2 point sway control. It is similar to the Equal-i-zer as both are made by Progress Industries. It is less expensive, but probably not quite as good on sway control. A third option is the Andersen No-Sway hitch. Unlike the bars of the above two hitches, the Andersen uses chains and urethane (I think) "springs" to accomplish the weight distribution. The sway control is accomplished by the hitch ball which is locked in a sheath or friction material so that it resists turning. It is the lightest weight of the three systems I have mentioned. There are others also which you can find by searching. Some of them, like the Jim Hensley ProPride hitch cost $2445.00 (plus $195 shipping). Admittedly, it is probably the best hitch available, but it is way too much. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 4:35pm
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You are definitely doing the right thing getting WDH and antisway. You can get either the cheaper Fastway E2 600 lb model which has two point sway control, or the more expensive Equalizer or Blue Ox which have four point. Our dealer who sells all three said for the RPOD the Fastway is plenty so we bought it and it is great going over steep hills and windy highways
------------- OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel |
Posted By: Johncmarshjr
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 6:01pm
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Very helpful and thank you. Is there a detriment to going a bit larger, i.e. The Fastway 800 instead of the 600 for the Rpod 179? ------------- ALICE |
Posted By: rawest50
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 6:08pm
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I have the e2. Not sure wher the low numbers are coming from unless it is the model. Mine in 10,000 pound rated pulled by 2017 Jeep Unlimited. I think it cost me about $360. Easy to hook up. Not kidding when I say the Jeep's control is amazing as far as handling. Pod tracks beautifully. Biggest problem is HP. But sway and load have nothing to do with that. ------------- 2017.5 RPod 179 2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing. 
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Posted By: PilotPodder
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 6:11pm
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The one thing to note is that the Equalizer can be pretty noisy. I went from using the Equailizer on my 2016 Rpod 171 for the entire season (2,200 miles) to a Blue Ox now with my new 179 (about 1,300 miles so far). The Blue Ox is much easier to use in my opinion and much less noisy. I have the 500lb bars meaning it will take up to 500lbs tongue weight and 5,000lbs trailer weight. The 179 is just about 300lbs tongue weight and 3,000lbs trailer weight. I have had great safe towing with both WDH's, but would recommend the Blue Ox for easier use (attach/detach) and quieter operation. It is likely more expensive, but I do not know. ------------- Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — https://johnmarucci.com/r-pod-video-list/ - My RPod YouTube Videos |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 6:12pm
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Get the trailer tongue weight measured. Preferably when loaded, full propane, battery(ies), full fresh water, all cargo, all you expect to bring with you on your trips. Weigh it. Weigh it. Weigh it. You cannot select your WD tension bars until you weight it, otherwise you're guessing. WD bars too strong and it will be very rigid and possibly unsafe, too soft and it won't help with weight distribution. Alternately, the Anderson has NO tension bars, and uses a different torsion method for distributing weight. It worked very well for my R-Pod 177, it controlled the up-down porpoising effect very well, and my Pod was level after adjustment. Only slight sag on my tow vehicle. Never had any indication of sway. It is adjustable for trailers up to (supposedly) 14,000 pounds. I know from experience it doesn't work well at 5000+ pounds. I tried it. And I had to buy a different brand for a new bigger trailer. I purchased a Blue Ox (1000 pound bars) for my new trailer (550-800 pound estimated weight range for tongue), but haven't had the chance to use the trailer on a camping trip yet. Can't wait for the second week of August!! The Blue Ox was $615. The Andersen was $500.
------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: rawest50
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 6:22pm
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ToolMan you are absolutely correct about weighing tongue weight. Bought a scale. Found out I was loading 400 pound tongue weight but less than the 3,500 I can tote. Rearranged load in the Pod and got it down to 300. Readjusted again and got it up to 330. ------------- 2017.5 RPod 179 2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing.
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Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 7:20pm
As long as you don't have sway or handling problems, it was the right thing to do. Most people (myself included) have been trained to believe that only a 10-15% tongue weight is safe and less is not safe and unacceptable. This simply is NOT true of ALL trailers and tow vehicle combinations.. ALL travel trailers built in Europe have about 8% tongue weight recommendations. They tow at a LOWER regulated speed limit when a travel trailer is in tow. They are not allowed to exceed those limits. The trailers are also built lighter and have their mass central near the axle(s), no heavy kitchens and baths options near the ends of the trailers. High speeds EQUALS sway. In the US, people expect that they should be able to tow their trailer at the posted speed limits, whether it's 55 or 80 mph. This is a problem for trailer manufacturers who make all these heavy optioned out trailers, the only way to keep it safer at high speeds is either to centralize the mass or increase tongue weights. This means bigger and bigger tow vehicles for heavy trailers. It means weight distribution and sway control HAD to be invented, or trailers would still be small light canned hams. I think it's safe to expect that a tow vehicle can pull 1.5 times it's own weight. 8% or more tongue weight WITH sway control. My new toy hauler will range from 9% (lightly loaded) to almost 11%(fully loaded to gross carrying capacity). It just fits within the maximum capacity of my SUV. My SUV weighs 5000 pounds. Of course testing is key. When you have your rig setup as expected for towing, always give it a test wiggle at highway speed (starting at 50 mph) to see how it behaves. Do it safely when no one else is near you. Watch for the trailer to straighten out nearly immediately when you center the tow vehicle again. I did this many times with my 177 when I first owned it, and I will again with the new trailer in the next couple of weeks. I want to know exactly how it will behave. Then there's crosswinds, semis, road surfaces, these things will all come in time but it's best to be able to know it's already stable when things are right. ------------- 2017 ATC 7X20 Custom Toy Hauler 2013 R-Pod 177 (SOLD) 2013 VW Touareg TDI |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 24 Jul 2017 at 8:45pm
------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 11:21am
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Higher weight rated WDHs are harder on the tow vehicle structure because they don't absorb as much force. This is especially important if you're using something like the Highlander, which is unibody. Ideally, you should get the next size above your actual tongue weight.
@rawest50: The low numbers are the tongue weight values. Typically, WDHs are rated by tongue/pull weight (e.g. 600/6000 for the E2 I use). I suspect your 10000 pound rated WDH is 1000/10000. |
Posted By: rawest50
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 11:57am
You are correct. I was at the dealer today and looked at their e2 display. Saw the 1,000 tongue weight and 10,000 tow weight. I will say it tows behind my Jeep like it is not there when on level or downhill road. I assume the load/sway is doing a fantastic job. ------------- 2017.5 RPod 179 2017 Jeep Unlimited Wrangler 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 Off Road Crew Cab 2 Weiner dogs Great wife puts up with my BS ❤️ Thoroughbred Racing.
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Posted By: Johncmarshjr
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 1:21pm
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Thank you for the advice Has anyone used the EAZ-LIFT 48056 ELITE? It is rated at 600 lb and has a 2 5/8 ball that will need to be changed out. ------------- ALICE |
Posted By: Johncmarshjr
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 1:23pm
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Is a four way significantly better than a two way for a 179 Rpod? I am pulling with a Volvo rated at 5,000lbs. ------------- ALICE |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 2:54pm
We used almost that exact setup at first and the biggest drawback is that you have to remove the sway bar before backing up. My wife didn't once and the ball on the A-frame anchoring one end of the sway bar ripped right out. The E2 doesn't have that restriction and my wife finds it easier to set up. |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 25 Jul 2017 at 2:57pm
In fair weather, I doubt you could tell the difference. If you have moderate to high crosswinds, the 4-way will do a better job of fighting sway than the 2-way, but the 2-way still does a pretty good job. |
Posted By: wdwrkr
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 9:12am
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I have a 2019 R-Pod 180 and pulling it with a 2018 Highlander. I've been looking at Blue Ox (BLU36FR) Weight Distribution w/Sway Control. Is this compatible with the R-Pod 180? |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 10:33am
That would be pretty close. The BLU36FR is rated for a tongue weight of 600 lbs. For an RP180, I might be inclined to go up to a BLU47FR, which is rated for 800 lbs. It's usually better to go up a little than to be too low on the weight rating. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: PilotPodder
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 11:04am
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I’ve used the Blue Ox Sway Pro for five years on my 179 and love it. I’ve had the 550lb bars and it’s worked fine. The adjustability on the fly is a big benefit - if you go out with a full freshwater tank and add tongue weight, it’s easy to notch up the tension and move weight off the tongue fore and aft. ------------- Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — https://johnmarucci.com/r-pod-video-list/ - My RPod YouTube Videos |
Posted By: Winterpod
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 11:21am
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I tow a R-Pod 178 using the e2 400-4500 WDH WITH SWAY CONTROL. ------------- Winter pod 2013 R-Pod 178 2007 Silverato 1500 LT. Trek Stash 8 29er hard tail Old Town Kayak |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 11:25am
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I would recommend the 600 pound spring bar set up. Going more than that the bars are to rigid, and will actually begin to cause damage. You always want to be as close to the actual tongue weight as possible. I've been told this is not a "bigger is better" situation. Otherwise I'm pretty sure they would only sell the 1000 pound set up. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: Winterpod
Date Posted: 26 Feb 2022 at 11:40am
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Tongue weight 330, spring bars 400 seems to work fine the last five years. ------------- Winter pod 2013 R-Pod 178 2007 Silverato 1500 LT. Trek Stash 8 29er hard tail Old Town Kayak |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2022 at 2:53pm
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There is no reason to expect damage from stiffer wdh bars. Regardless of what bars you have you will be setting up the wdh to bring the weight on the front axle back to where it was before the trailer was attached. On my Highlander with the 179 at 500 lbs tongue weight that was a tension of about 750 lbs. You would have the same tension on a lighter wdh to achieve the same result. That's just the way the math works out.
So the problem with too low a rating is that the bars might fail in bending when hitting a swale if they don't have enough reserve capacity beyond what is needed to load the front axle. The problem with heavier bars is that the ride might get stiffer than you prefer. I ran 1000 lb bars on my rig and the ride was fine. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Rpod-Couple
Date Posted: 27 Feb 2022 at 9:22pm
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I did a search for WDH failures and all I could find is wear at the spring bar sockets or a blue ox spring bar weld failure. And these are on trailers weighing over 7000 lbs with 1000 lb spring bars. I couldn’t find any where the spring bar failed. We all read about R-pod axles and frames being bent. Sizing the spring bars to the hitch weight (or next size up) seems best. I started with 1000 lb spring bars and switched to 600 lb and it smoothed out my ride. The 1000 lbs bars made for a jarring ride. Anyone able to point to a 400-600 lb spring bar failure on a 400-600 lb tongue weight application? ------------- Steve & Elaine 2021 R-pod 2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport |
Posted By: Colt
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2022 at 9:18pm
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Isn't that a uni-body SUV? If it is, you may not be able to buy a hitch that can accommodate a weight distributing hitch. With your self-adjusting air suspension, you likely don't need it, either. I use and recommend a friction sway damper as suspenders. But, if you get your tongue weight %-age right, you won't need that either. ------------- John '16 R-Pod 180 |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 28 Feb 2022 at 9:22pm
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I took the wise advice from some on this forum and found 11% or more of the total trailer weight on the tongue works great under all sorts of weather/wind conditions. Having a 177 for 11 years now we have only used the anti-sway bar and it has worked well. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2022 at 9:06am
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An air suspension is not at all the equivalent of a wdh.
All an adjustable suspension does is bring the ride height of the tow vehicle rear axle up. It does nothing to place weight back on the front axle, which goes down, not up, when you attach a trailer. Having sufficient weight on the front axle is critical to safety and h proper handling since the front axle does the steering and had the best brakes. So by all means get a wdh if you have a relatively light yuw vehicle for the trailer youre hauling around. Of course, regardless of whether you have a unibody or body on frame vehicle, do not exceed your tow vehicle, trailer, and combined vehicle specs, and don't use a wdh if the vehicle manufacturer disallows it. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Rpod-Couple
Date Posted: 01 Mar 2022 at 8:09pm
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I think the question was directed at my 2010 Mazda CX-9? Yes it is a unibody, but there is a beefy boxed sub-frame around the rear axle that the hitch attaches to. The vehicle has the same chassis, suspension and drive train as the Ford Flex. Interesting that Ford rates the flex at 4500 lbs with a class 3 hitch, brake controller and transmission cooler which I have. The CX9 tow rating is 3500 lbs in the US but the identical model in the rest of the world is 4500lbs. I think Ford forced Mazda to derate the CX9 in the US to help out sales of the Flex. Probably more info than you wanted to know. I can’t help it - I am an engineer. 😉 My tongue weight with WDH included is right at 425 lbs. ------------- Steve & Elaine 2021 R-pod 2023 VW Atlas Cross Sport |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Mar 2022 at 9:28am
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In Europe and elsewhere there are different standards for rating tow capacity. So theoretically identical vehicles can have different ratings in different jurisdictions.
This is very common in all kinds of products. As an engineer responsible for global product certifications I saw this all the time. There are many reasons for this, some purely a matter of how the standards evolved, some based on real differences in usage. We for example travel longer distances at higher speeds, have higher mountains, and have more extreme weather than in most other countries. In many countries there is also specific training required for towing. Regardless, we and the product manufacturers that sell here have to abide by our standards, so what a similar vehicle is rated for or what the theoretically identical vehicle is rated for elsewhere is not material. It is illegal to overload your tow vehicle, and that includes not only trailer and tongue weight but also gross combined vehicle weight and axle weights. If you get stopped or are involved in a crash and are found to be exceeding your 3500 lb tow rating you will be the one cited. Don't do it. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: gpokluda
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 2:36pm
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I see a lot of unibody vehicles pulling trailers. Just yesterday I saw a Highlander pulling a small Airstream Bambi down I25 near Las Cruces. I've always heard a frame on body tow vehicle is best but it seems unibody vehicles do just as well. A friend pulls a Retro with her Highlander with no issues. I use a Fastway E2 600lb WDH on the Frontier. I've pulled in blazing sun, wind, rain, snow, hail (sometimes all in the same day) with no issues for the past 5 years. Gino 2017 Rpod 179 2016 Nissan Frontier SV
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2022 at 9:10pm
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Nothing wrong with unibody construction. All vehicles regardless of construction are engineered to a set of specifications. It's not like the design engineers go around over engineering and adding unneeded material cost and weight just because they want to. They would be looking for a new job.
Unibodies have significant advantages. They are lighter to meet a given load, have less body flex, and more interior space. But if you do bend a unibody vehicle's frame it's more difficult to fix than if you bend a body on frame. Either way, no one wants a bent frame so just stay within specs to avoid damaging the vehicle and you will be fine. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |