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Chuck · 05-16-2003, 11:44 AM

..weight distributing hitches on anything but travel trailers? I never even heard of the devices until I got hooked myself.

I used to work for a landscape services company, and we had some pretty heavy stuff to tow...those big flat-bed trailers designed to carry a backhoe and other heavy equipment. We didn't have a backhoe, but we did have a couple of very heavy tractors. They must have outweighed most travel trailers. but they just connected to the trailer hitch with either a ball or a pintle-type hookup. no weight distribution needed. The tow vehicles were all 1-ton or better w/ duallies, etc, and they didn't droop much from the trailer, if at all. But reading about the way these weight-distributing hitches work, it would seem to me that they would still be advantageous, even on a 1-ton truck.

I've also noticed that I've never seen a horse trailer with one of these, either. lots of 5-ers, but I know I've seen some pretty darn big horse trailers that hook up w/ a regular old ball mount. those must be pretty heavy, too, wouldn't you think?

Pick · 05-16-2003, 02:21 PM

I see a lot of trailers that do not appear to be set up right. All kinds. Lots of tag along horse trailers with the truck hitch set up to high.

I do have a flatbed trailer that I haul my tractor on. With the tractor and rotovator on, I gross around 12K on the trailer. I just pull it around town, hardly ever gets above 45 mph. I should use a WD hitch on it, but I don't because most trips are about 6 miles.

I think the bottom line in all of this is EDUCATION. RV/Camper type folk are well educated on our TRAILERS. Horse and boat people are well educated on HORSES and BOATS. The trailer is secondary or thirdly to them. Sounds ironic, because the cargo they are carrying is sometimes much more valuable than a typical trailer, you would think they would be more concerned, but they are not.

Just a few weeks ago, I remarked to my mother-in-law that the tires on her fifth wheel gooseneck horse trailer were bald, and the sidewalls are getting cracked. Didn't seem to phase her. Bolt holding the spare on is so rusted that you would need a torch to loosen it. People just don't think about this stuff until it is too late. I will make another attempt this weekend to get her to understand the importance of these things.

Chas · 05-16-2003, 03:20 PM

You would be lucky to find many people pulling utility or equipment trailers around here that even have properly functioning indicator lamps, let alone any WD equipment or breakaways. I would assume most are just pulling locally. Local police seem to be busy at other things but get on the open road and they will get you, the highway patrol (DPS) that is. (That is when they aren't busy rounding up our legislators

) I did see a bunch of landscapers the other day beside the road, shifting the hundreds of bags of mulch towards the front of their trailer. It was at the bottom of a series of good sized hills, I bet they were getting a bit of wag coming down.

Chas

**jcanavera** · 05-16-2003, 03:34 PM

I once was behind a fellow pulling a single axle U-Haul with a Chevy Caprice that went into the infamous yaw situation. I saw it coming and with each yaw the swing got wider and wider. At the most severe point he threw on the brakes and his car and trailer went perpendicular to the highway as he skidded off. He was lucky, neither the trailer or car overturned.

You can be sure he probably needed a fresh pair of underwear after that experience.

Jack

working · 05-16-2003, 04:00 PM

I have many miles, local and interstate pulling small equit. Bobcat, riding concrete trowels & the like. Mostly with 1 ton pu's and 1 ton dual wheeled dump trucks. LOAD the trailer properly and you get to the job and back home again. No problem. You get a feel for your trucks and loads. Horse Trailers have interior compartments so that the load (Horses) can be placed and secured as needed. It appears to me that the majority of horse folks have duallie pu's and/or 5th wheelers. The trucks, the driver and proper loading are the keys. Most of us pull our AS with 1/2 ton vehicles, myself included. We NEED the WD hitches

femuse · 05-16-2003, 05:24 PM

I will have to disagree here.

I have already posted about all the good advice we have received on the road from horse trailer places, compared to the incompetence from the majority of RV dealers.

One of them told us "we do care about safe towing, it's our best friend we are pulling behind"

You can check one of the many sites I have found: EquiSpirit

In the end, you have a lot of everything. People who care, other we don't.

I don't think I want to dig out the thread somebody started here: "we have Airstreams, so we are all safety concious people", or something as stupid as that. Better forget that gem.