towing without load dist bars

[stp2136]

Anybody have experience towing the smaller Airstreams without a load distributing hitch and bars? I have towed our 1992 21' Sovereign (5500 GW) without for short distances and only noticed a little more "bounce" but was otherwise stable. TV is a 2001 Dodge 2500 diesel.

[john hd]

i can and have towed my '92 29 footer without load distrubution bars with my '00 chevy 2500.

did not have any problems because the trucks springs are robust.

here is why i use them, when towing in south dakota a few years back with this same setup, i ran across what can be best described as a "whoop" in the road. without the bars my truck would have bottomed out and i could have lost control.

the bars transfer weight to the front axle of the tow vehicle.

my trucks suspention can certainly handle the weight, having the extra weight on the steering axle makes for better control and ride.

try running with them and see if you notice the difference in steering.

john

[uwe]

I agree with John. It's a safety issue.
Furthermore, with the hitch head angle set up properly, the bars will promote straight line driving, and help reduce sway on uneven roads.
I used to tow with a 1 ton Dodge, and it did not need the bars to level the suspension, but it definitely felt tighter and more controlled with the WD system in place. Might be more noticeable with larger trailers, but your 92 is not a lightweight, judging from the figures you posted.

[Over59]

Even though I have a 68 Caravel @ 2400lb empty the front end loading on the truck is very obvious and better with the bars. I would expect this tobe even more helpful with standing water on the road from heavy rain. Control is all about getting the weight on the front wheels. Also those wavy roads don't setup bouncing in the truck. Everyone and everything are just happier and get along better....

[Silvertwinkie]

I have a sedan, and the bars are required. When my new coach was delivered, they towed it with a 1 ton dually-- no bars. The rear of the truck only came up about an inch.

I have heavy duty cargo coils in my sedan and when I loaded the coach on the drive, just to move the 25' coach a few feet, it really brought the rear end down. Then again it was pretty smilar to what the 19' Bambi did too.

I would say get the bars and use 'em. Like John said at the very least it will create some added rigidity to the connection.....

Eric