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Old 05-25-2012, 12:23 AM   #1
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Walnut Grove , California
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 6
Using WD hitch on new truck??

Hi all, several weeks ago we picked up our new Flying Cloud 25 at the dealer, spent the night and then headed home 115 miles from Los Banos north on Hwy 5 to our home on Grand Island in the Delta (California). Our 06 Dodge Ram 1500 with tow pkg and Hemi was technically within spec and up to the job with our WD hitch set up and confirmed correct by the dealer. We encountered very powerful head and cross winds heading north which isn't unusual for the area.

At times the front end felt a little twitchy but as we got closer to home this diminished, don't know if it was the decreasing winds or increasing comfort levels of handling on my part . The Hemi handled the hills and headwinds but worked at it in Trailer Tow mode, and while the truck was up to the task my wife and I both felt our faithful 1500 was at her limit power, braking, and handling wise. We plan on cross country trips, and after some discussion we traded her for a 2012 Ram 2500 HD Crew Cab short bed 4X2 Cummins diesel which we love so far. Going to take a short shake down camping trip at the local RV park for the weekend and I have several questions.

1) Do we still need the weight distribution employed for this much heavier (duty and weight) truck with a longer wheel base?? Our Ram 1500 was a short bed.

2) In backing the trailer onto our property I have to achieve a 90 degree angle at one point to get onto our lot. We live on a farm and get to our house and property via an elevated gravel roadbed. There is a moderately gentle slope down onto our lot and the other side of the roadbed is a deep irrigation ditch and a cornfield. No room for error and no avoiding the brief 90 degrees. So, are WD hitches meant to hit 90 degrees without problems??
After backing in I noticed the outside A frame chain bracket had migrated forward several inches. How do I know where and how to readjust the chain brackets on the A frame correctly??

Many thanks, and any insights or wisdom is greatly appreciated..........Norm
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Old 05-25-2012, 06:48 AM   #2
Vintage Kin
 
Fort Worth , Texas
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Any reading around here uncovers that the use of a WDH "restores" FA weight to the value without the trailer in tow. Braking and handling are positively affected.

Think of the trailer tongue as what it is: a long lever from hitch coupler to trailer axle center that can [will] exert thousands of pounds of force against the hitch ball under streuous circumstances. We measure this on a public weight scale as only the static version, a bare percent of potential dynamic force.

Why this discussion occurs is an interesting phenomenon. The best hitch rigging is dirt cheap, yet resistance to purchase and proper installation is deeply-dug.

The short answer is that anything can tow anything . . how well it does when it comes to the test is not a matter of skill or experience but simple enough physics.


A VPP hitch and trailer disc brakes are worth the time and money if one is going to travel (the main assumption behind an A/S) and not just "park the RV at the lake lot for the camping season".

Read the threads by phbarnhart for a recent example of setting up a TV and hitch in the best manner.

.
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Old 05-25-2012, 07:00 AM   #3
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2009 27' FB International
LA LA Land... , California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by greybeaard View Post
So, are WD hitches meant to hit 90 degrees without problems??
After backing in I noticed the outside A frame chain bracket had migrated forward several inches.
Take the WD system off before you make that maneuver.
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Old 05-25-2012, 07:02 AM   #4
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1991 34' Excella
Princeton , New Jersey
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If your truck was having control problems on the way home from the dealer the WD hitch was most likely not set up correctly. This is not a surprise as I have repeated said there is not a RV dealer in the country that has any idea how to set one up. It takes far to long to do it right for a dealer to spend the tine. Two reasons for that problem coma to mind. Not enough load on the front axle from the WD hitch and the bars were not setting correctly in the saddles. If the front of the truck rises when loaded there is not enough load from the WD hitch and thus the steering control is reduced. If the bars are not sitting directly over the saddles while going straight they become additive to sway rather than subtractive and will amplify the sway.

PM me if you would like a detailed system for setting up the hitch.

As for the 90 degree turn and grade problems of your driveway consider not using the WD bars until you get off property and are on leveler ground. I have to do this on my daughters property because of the steep transition between the driveway and and the roadway.

About the max angle you can get the rig in is 45 degrees before you run the risk of damage from jack knifing and serious damage to the A frame or truck rear quarter panel.
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Old 05-25-2012, 07:41 AM   #5
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2001 30' Excella
Somerset , New Jersey
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I second the above advice regarding removing the WD bars before any sharp / steep manoevering. We tow our 30' Excella with a Ram 3500 diesel. Seveal years ago we were traveling through Missouri and took a side trip through the town of Hermann, Mo. My GPS took me on the scenic tour on the way to the winery and a lot of very steep ups and downs. Not that my truck had any difficulty pulling these hills but that evening when setting up for the night I found one of my WD bar brackets twisted like a pretzel. I couldn't get the bar disconnected and had to replace the brackets the next morning. These were not the up's and downs that you would normally encounter on most driving roads. These were extreme hills. Welcome to Hermann, Mo.

So, simple thing. Remove the bars before any extreme manouvers. You don't need them for that stuff anyhow.
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