Repurposing a WDH w/Sway hitch

[Rooster Bob]

Hi All,

Back in September my wife and I purchased our first large travel trailer which was a Keystone Bullet 290 (34' overall/5,600 lbs dry). At the time I had a 2018 Ford Raptor which had a tow rating of 8000 lbs and a payload of 1,200 w/weight distributing hitch and 800 lbs w/o one. I knew it was a tall order for that truck but we gave it a shot. After a few trips we knew it was time to upgrade so yesterday I brought home a new 2020 Ram 2500 Mega Cab w/Cummins (my first truck was a 2000 12V Cummins 2500 so this brought back memories). The truck only has 100 miles on it so I'm not going to tow anything just yet but I did hitch it up to check the squat etc. With about 750 lbs on the tongue the truck barely squats an inch which has me questioning if I should even bother with the WDH. I tried jacking up the trailer to set the hitch bars but I couldn't get the back of the truck high enough to safely wrench the bars into position. Without the WDH bars I lose the sway control since the friction in the bars are what provide the anti-sway. Does anyone have experience with a similar setup and should I even both with the WDH/sway setup?

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Hi All,

Back in September my wife and I purchased our first large travel trailer which was a Keystone Bullet 290 (34' overall/5,600 lbs dry). At the time I had a 2018 Ford Raptor which had a tow rating of 8000 lbs and a payload of 1,200 w/weight distributing hitch and 800 lbs w/o one. I knew it was a tall order for that truck but we gave it a shot. After a few trips we knew it was time to upgrade so yesterday I brought home a new 2020 Ram 2500 Mega Cab w/Cummins (my first truck was a 2000 12V Cummins 2500 so this brought back memories). The truck only has 100 miles on it so I'm not going to tow anything just yet but I did hitch it up to check the squat etc. With about 750 lbs on the tongue the truck barely squats an inch which has me questioning if I should even bother with the WDH. I tried jacking up the trailer to set the hitch bars but I couldn't get the back of the truck high enough to safely wrench the bars into position. Without the WDH bars I lose the sway control since the friction in the bars are what provide the anti-sway. Does anyone have experience with a similar setup and should I even both with the WDH/sway setup?

Put the wdh in a shed and leave it there i don't use em unless absolutely needed which they usually are not needed

 

[John Jensen]

I never tow without my Equal-i-zer w/sway control. There are many like the above poster who thinks they are not needed.. In some cases, they are not needed until you have an emergency situation. I've seen too many rigs jackknifed or turned over because the driver thought a wdh wasn't needed.

 

[Brutal_HO]

The weight isn't the issue, it's that 34' sail behind you.

The setup will likely need some adjustment to work with the RAM. I agree with John and would take advantage of any additional sway control you have available.

 

[Rooster Bob]

Ok thanks - I'll figure out how to get everything in place and see how much adjustment my hitch has. The good news is the Raptor had a ton of squat so the hitch is set high in the bracket and has about two inches of drop possible. Even without the bars in the place the trailer was sitting front high so I obviously need to level it out.

 

[steve49]

I went from a Ram 1500 to the Ram 2500 which is quite a bit higher, so ended up buying a new longer drop bar to lower the hitch setup as needed. I didn't need to change much with the head angle, and the bars hooked up without issue. I would agree after having towed cross country and back, big semi-trucks, the WDH is a safe way to tow and control trailer sway.

 

[Epsilon Plus]

I moved my 7,600lb TT a few miles without the trunnion bars on and it felt sloppy. It will adjust, you may just need to figure out the right pieces.

There are drop shanks made for specific WDH heads and even drop hitches that will work with many unrelated company WDHs.

Instead of getting a drop shank from E2 for mine I'm looking to get a 2.5" class V shank that will work with their head.

 

[davis2]

I moved my 7,600lb TT a few miles without the trunnion bars on and it felt sloppy. It will adjust, you may just need to figure out the right pieces.

There are drop shanks made for specific WDH heads and even drop hitches that will work with many unrelated company WDHs.

Instead of getting a drop shank from E2 for mine I'm looking to get a 2.5" class V shank that will work with their head.

Let us know what you find out regarding the shank. I do not like using the sleeve on mine!

 

[John Jensen]

I got an Equalizer, 2 1/2" x 8" Drop - # 90-02-4225
So much better than using a sleeve.

 

[LateToTheParty]

I have the 2.5" Bulletproof Heavy Duty drop hitch and with the WD/Sway adapter, the E2 head bolts right up.

 

[davis2]

I got an Equalizer, 2 1/2" x 8" Drop - # 90-02-4225
So much better than using a sleeve.

I was pulling a neighbor out of the ditch,and had a hell of a time with the sleeve... In the dark of course!
I have an eaz lift from Camping World, I may give the 2" WDH to the wife for her 1500, and buy a new one for the 2500. I'm also considering a new shank if I can find one to work with the old hitch. That will be an hour trip to Syracuse...

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I was pulling a neighbor out of the ditch,and had a hell of a time with the sleeve... In the dark of course!
I have an eaz lift from Camping World, I may give the 2" WDH to the wife for her 1500, and buy a new one for the 2500. I'm also considering a new shank if I can find one to work with the old hitch. That will be an hour trip to Syracuse...

I dont find the sleeve to be trouble hell i made a set of kick back flaps that doubles as a 2.5”sleeve i can run them without a hitch in or with a hitch in

 

[davis2]

I dont find the sleeve to be trouble hell i made a set of kick back flaps that doubles as a 2.5”sleeve i can run them without a hitch in or with a hitch in

The dark was the main issue, but I hate having to screw around when in a hurry. I'm going to get 2.5" shanks. Like I said, the wife has a 2020 1500 we can use the 2' stuff on.

 

[mcspeed]

Without the WDH the weight on the truck gets shifted to the rear wheels when adding trailer. With the majority of breaking strength being up front you will lose brake performance because a lot of the weight normally on the front end gets shifted to the rear. With all the steering up front and it getting lighter too is will degrade steering as well.

If braking and steering are unimportant to you while pulling a trailer, then a WDH is not necessary.

These are the simple facts of weight distribution. Just because one ignores them, doesn’t mean they are not affected.


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[H3LZSN1P3R]

Without the WDH the weight on the truck gets shifted to the rear wheels when adding trailer. With the majority of breaking strength being up front you will lose brake performance because a lot of the weight normally on the front end gets shifted to the rear. With all the steering up front and it getting lighter too is will degrade steering as well.

If braking and steering are unimportant to you while pulling a trailer, then a WDH is not necessary.

These are the simple facts of weight distribution. Just because one ignores them, doesn’t mean they are not affected.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Braking loss is minimal thats why trailers have their own brakes no one is saying go squat the truck and think its safe but with in reason a wdh is not needed on a 3/4 and 1ton truck like it is with a 1/2 ton.

 

[roegs]

Braking loss is minimal thats why trailers have their own brakes no one is saying go squat the truck and think its safe but with in reason a wdh is not needed on a 3/4 and 1ton truck like it is with a 1/2 ton.

H3LZSN1P3R....your constant advice that WDH hitches are not needed is a disservice to others - especially beginners. HD trucks may not exhibit some of the 1/2 ton characteristics when towing, but much of that is a result of longer wheelbases. Stiffer rear springs may also give the appearance that weight has not been shifted from front to rear. None the less, they are still susceptible to the dangers of sway. You state above 'within reason'. Can you define what that means? Does that mean just a short trip around the block? As John Jensen stated above, you may never know that you need weight distribution and sway control until its too late. Forum after forum discusses the importance of properly set up weight distribution and sway control for those towing travel trailers. What you choose to do when you tow is your own business, but please quit recommending that good / safe towing practices are not needed just because you have a HD truck.

 

[LateToTheParty]

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

H3LZSN1P3R....your constant advice that WDH hitches are not needed is a disservice to others - especially beginners. HD trucks may not exhibit some of the 1/2 ton characteristics when towing, but much of that is a result of longer wheelbases. Stiffer rear springs may also give the appearance that weight has not been shifted from front to rear. None the less, they are still susceptible to the dangers of sway. You state above 'within reason'. Can you define what that means? Does that mean just a short trip around the block? As John Jensen stated above, you may never know that you need weight distribution and sway control until its too late. Forum after forum discusses the importance of properly set up weight distribution and sway control for those towing travel trailers. What you choose to do when you tow is your own business, but please quit recommending that good / safe towing practices are not needed just because you have a HD truck.

Lmao you disagree with me and many others who drive thousands of miles towing without wdh so i should stop posting about it because you dont like it... get over yourself all i am doing is informing people to take your truck for a run without a wdh if its good you dont need to spend a ton on a hitch... if it was such a dangerous thing to tow without a wdh dont you think there would be laws about it....

[MOD EDIT: Images of profanity are no different than using it here which is against the rules.]

 

[Frank]

Lol. WDH is only needed if you are overloading the rear axle to the point you take too much off the front axle. Beginners need to understand that, so they can understand how the hitch works and how to know when its properly set up. Otherwise you get a bunch of beginners who follow crappy instruction sheets to set it up wrong and then post questions like what kind of air bags to fix it. Or how far back to lean the ball to level the trailer.

No question about it, whether you measure or weigh my 2500 CTD can handle at least 900 lbs and stay well within spec. I haven't hooked anything bigger up to check.

WDH is a nice to have and a good extra precaution, but its not anywhere near chastizing level like overloading a half ton.

 

[Frank]

I got an Equalizer, 2 1/2" x 8" Drop - # 90-02-4225
So much better than using a sleeve.

I added a drop shank to my existing 2" system and use the sleeve. It does exactly what it should but it looks like total crap. I hate this pseudo-industry-standard 2 1/2 " stuff with tolerances all over the place. My next hitch will be 2 1/2" but I want to fit it up before buying.