WD hitch with 3500

[JAPEKA]

Hello,

I am currently towing a 9000 lb 5th wheel camper with 2016 3500 Laramie, 6.7 and 68FRE. Truck does a great job with this trailer but I'm considering trading for a much lighter 7300 LB GVWR travel trailer.

I considering trying the lighter trailer without using a wd hitch. My 2016 3500 SRW has a 12300 GVWR.

Does anyone have any experience running without wd hitch?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

[AH64ID]

I have towed travel trailers in that weight with all 3 of my 3500’s, both with and without a WDH.

The WDH is not required, but the towing experience is night and day better with the WDH.

The biggest improvement is a reduction in proposing due to the long length of the truck and trailer, but there are also other handling improvements.

I would say try it and see what you think, but personally I’d add a WDH.

We just bought a smaller TT with a 5,500lb GVWR and I’ll likey tow it with a WDH most the time, but I’ll certainly tow it without as well for short trips around town and such.

 

[rossagge]

Yes, but only with my 2500 6.4L and a TT weighing 5500lbs. No issues with porpoising or sway. Towed it on a 1k mi trip. But winds were calm and no bad weather. To be safe/safer if I did it again, I'd use a WDH. JMO.

 

[Brutal_HO]

The new B&W WDH is said to be "A game changer."

Recent thread somewhere here on it.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

I dont like using a WDH personally but its up to you have you feel when towing

 

[flan]

Sway control of my equalizer WDH is worth the money alone. How long a trailer are you looking at?

 

[JAPEKA]

Sway control of my equalizer WDH is worth the money alone. How long a trailer are you looking at?

Thinking 26' - 28' Airstream but won't make the switch for another six months at least.

I plan on trying without WDH to start and see how it does. I have an 8' x 16' cargo trailer that I have pulled over 8000 miles while heavily loaded with no wdh and experienced no sway issues at all.

 

[AH64ID]

Thinking 26' - 28' Airstream but won't make the switch for another six months at least.

I plan on trying without WDH to start and see how it does. I have an 8' x 16' cargo trailer that I have pulled over 8000 miles while heavily loaded with no wdh and experienced no sway issues at all.

WD and sway control are two different things.

WD transfers tongue weight back to the steer axle and trailer axle. This provides for improved handling and ride.

Generally speaking, sway control is a gimmick. A properly built and loaded trailer does not sway, period. Nearly all cases of sway are insufficient tongue weight, but some are insufficient tow vehicles. Fix the cause of any sway, don’t bandaid it.

I run the equalizer WDH and it does have built in “sway control” but that’s not why I run it. I prefer the square bar hitches for how and where I tow. The equalizer also doesn’t derate the head when the bars aren’t attached. I keep the friction that provides the “sway control” at the lowest torque setting since I don’t have a sway issue.

I probably wouldn’t run a WDH on a 16’ trailer either, but any longer and I would. We have a 16’ stock trailer that is setup for a WDH, but I only use it on rough back roads. For highway towing I leave it off.

 

[flan]

Generally speaking, sway control is a gimmick. A properly built and loaded trailer does not sway, period. Nearly all cases of sway are insufficient tongue weight, but some are insufficient tow vehicles. Fix the cause of any sway, don’t bandaid it.

I’m not looking for a large debate, but it’s not a gimmick if it does the job. I towed my 27’ TT with my 2nd gen without the WDH and really only got sway passing tractor trailers on the interstate. I can also recall a windy (25mph+gusts) towing trip that sucked as well. After that I started doing the research and came up with the equalizer and used it since. Pulls straight as an arrow now. It did what the name implies, sway control.

As far as trailer construction it’s not a item we can spec so you gotta play the hand you’re dealt. I never scaled mine, I do load most stuff for the trip either in the bed of my truck or inside the camper door (forward of the axles) tongue weight seems sufficient. My equipment trailer 10k combined never sways. I attribute that to it being a open design, not a sideways billboard going down the road.

On edit; one closing thought if my wdh broke or went missing I’d tow the trailer without a second thought. Once you know what to expect you adapt. Is it REALLY needed? Nah. But it’s another item that makes your trip more comfortable as there’s one less thing to have to predict going down the road.

 

[JAPEKA]

I didn't have sway control on the wdh I used on the TT I had two trailers ago. Had a little movement passing or being passed by semis but didn't really bother me.

On another note, I was on an Airstream forum where the topic was wdh's. There was some commentary about how a wdh can be considered part of the suspension system and is beneficial in reducing shocks to the trailer frame when driving on rough roads or just running over bumps. And, how on an Airstream TT this will stop or prevent popping rivets on the lower front skin of the trailer since the wdh reduces the amount of frame flex on the TT. So this is something I need to look into a bit more before I make up my mind on whether to go with no wdh.

 

[BikePilot]

Imo for really long and heavy bumper pulls wdh/sway control is nice to have and calms things down. For smaller or lighter trailers I find it's not useful. I tow a 20' enclosed motorcycle trailer and get no sway, bobbing or other untoward behavior whatsoever with just a standard hitch.

 

[scrmblr2]

I had a wdh I used my my old 99 f350 srw with the 7.3.
I tow a 28’ enclosed trailer. It is about a foot taller than a standard trailer in height. With tat setup, I noticed a large amount of sway passing or getting paseed by any size vehicle that created a pressure wave. I also had sway control, wich had minimal effect on dealing with the uneasy feeling I would get on the highway with any vehicles passing.

When I got my new 23 drw ram, the reason I went drw was to assist in eliminativpge sway, I a using a straight ball with no weight distribution or sway control. It is night and day difference. I went back and forth about whether a srw new truck would be any better with the sway control than moving up to a drw. The difference for me is night and day. Is it due to the drw? Is it due to the 20+ year newer vehicle? In the end, I don’t much care as towing now is a dream that comes with little to no control concerns.
Also…..the Cummins has a little more torque than my old 7.3 ford

 

[Blythkd1]

There's no doubt a dually truck does a lot for towing stability of larger travel trailers. I used to pull a fairly heavy 26ft TT behind a SRW 3500 and it was ok but far from a perfect towing experience. I've stuck mostly to DRW trucks on the past few purchases. I have a WDH in the receiver but rarely use the spring bars, only when I have to. Ultimately, I traded for a 5th wheel camper and that fixed the entire situation, even with a SRW truck. I originally bought a TT because I wanted to keep the bed of my truck open for hauling generator, firewood and such. Now I have a 5er and still haul that stuff on the bed of my truck, flatbed. Generator goes in front along with an 85 gallon fuel tank plus firewood and other items go under the front of the camper. Would never consider another TT.

 

[Deltron]

Generally speaking, sway control is a gimmick. A properly built and loaded trailer does not sway, period. Nearly all cases of sway are insufficient tongue weight, but some are insufficient tow vehicles. Fix the cause of any sway, don’t bandaid it.

Obviously you haven't driven down I-10 with 50 mph crosswinds or go down 8% grades. A properly set up system gives you a margin of safety. Who cares about the trivial cost. $80k truck, $30k to $80k trailer, $1k hitch.

I'm with Blythkd, I'll never go back to a bumper pull.