Which weight distribution bars?

[s1000pre]

Originally Posted by SailorSam205

I'll agree with you for a ball mount hitch. Original question was specific to a Hensley style hitch. On a ball mount hitch, weight is transferred at the ball, Hensley and Propride weight transfers inside the receiver. Difference is that potentially less weight is transferred due to laws of levers.

Sam,

That is what I would conclude. And yes, there should be less load. Not a huge difference...though still less.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

So mine is TW & yours isn't?

BTW our RW is 860.
That still doesn't change the TW does it?

Bob
[emoji631]

Bob, I really can't tell what you have going on in that pic. TW would be removing your Haha and weighing up under the ball pocket on the as, with the extension that came with your sherline scale.
BUT, your Haha Jacks, part of the struts, and part of the spring bars are part of tongue weight and part of receiver weight. Since the bars and struts are suspended between the the A frame and the hitch head, a portion of their weight are either. That only matters when you calculate trailer tongue weight. If you're after receiver weight, place the scale as in my pic.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Bob, I really can't tell what you have going on in that pic. TW would be removing your Haha and weighing up under the ball pocket on the as, with the extension that came with your sherline scale.
BUT, your Haha Jacks, part of the struts, and part of the spring bars are part of tongue weight and part of receiver weight. Since the bars and struts are suspended between the the A frame and the hitch head, a portion of their weight are either. That only matters when you calculate trailer tongue weight. If you're after receiver weight, place the scale as in my pic.

Here....More clear?

Bob
🇺🇸

[dznf0g]

Ok, well, that's a ballpark receiver weight, but not correct, due to weight difference between that "stinger and your actual one. More importantly, the distance to receiver opening is quit a bit different. As noted above, the lever theory math will give you a very different receiver weight. You're weighing a bit heavy than actual, I'd wager.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Ok, well, that's a ballpark receiver weight, but not correct, due to weight difference between that "stinger and your actual one. More importantly, the distance to receiver opening is quit a bit different. As noted above, the lever theory math will give you a very different receiver weight. You're weighing a bit heavy than actual, I'd wager.

Well, ok...as long as it's not Yankee Stadium.

Bob
🇺🇸

[guskmg]

I can't resist this: to be exact, the tongue weight is applied half way between the front end of the shank and the back edge of the receiver. So yes the longer the handle the lighter the load. Think wheelbarrow. In a perfect world all tongue weight including the hitch is transferred somewhere. I was alway intrigued by the the rule of thumb: 1/3 of the weight is transferred to the TV front wheel, 1/3 to the rear wheels and 1/3
to the TT wheels. If the weights are within the load limits of the vehicles (TV & TT) and the hitch is set up correctly the rig will be level when hooked up. Then go to the Cat Scales and weigh the rig hitched up and separated.
I have had receivers that were so flexible they would not transfer much weight, so I had to go to a rigid receiver. Be sure your receiver is rigid.
guskmg

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by guskmg

I can't resist this: to be exact, the tongue weight is applied half way between the front end of the shank and the back edge of the receiver. So yes the longer the handle the lighter the load. Think wheelbarrow. In a perfect world all tongue weight including the hitch is transferred somewhere. I was alway intrigued by the the rule of thumb: 1/3 of the weight is transferred to the TV front wheel, 1/3 to the rear wheels and 1/3
to the TT wheels. If the weights are within the load limits of the vehicles (TV & TT) and the hitch is set up correctly the rig will be level when hooked up. Then go to the Cat Scales and weigh the rig hitched up and separated.
I have had receivers that were so flexible they would not transfer much weight, so I had to go to a rigid receiver. Be sure your receiver is rigid.
guskmg

Ok,.I'm going to try this.....because I had to get my engineer brother in law to help with this. I too believed the half way point (should be the pin location) was the spot for RECEIVER WEIGHT, not tongue weight. He talked about the torsional forces that are applied with wd actually change the point. But it was minimal, and as long as you take all related measurements from the same spot, it matters little.

[dznf0g]

"I was alway intrigued by the the rule of thumb: 1/3 of the weight is transferred to the TV front wheel, 1/3 to the rear wheels and 1/3"

This is frequently thrown around. It is rarely the case in the real world. The only way this could work, is if the wheelbase of the TV = the distance from rear TV axle to trailer axle.

[Blighcapn]

Follow advice of manufactures re which bars.

Hensley very helpful. For what it is worth, we like both for anti-sway.

Essentially no sway at all with the Hensley but more difficult to hitch with it. We now use BlueOx and there is still sway, but not too many know that the most modern trucks also have anti-sway built in via reduction of speed and adjust of rotation of the wheels as necessary. We experienced this automatic effect 4 times in a recent trip. It really does help reduce sway as it is developing. I am impressed. Of course, driving more slowly helps as well. So good driving habits are still necessary.

Originally Posted by s1000pre

I’m towing with an F150. My previous trailer was the Int. 25 FB (837lb.) hitch weight. I just traded it in on a FC 30 bunk (903lb.) hitch weight. The BlueOx sway Pro I purchased for my 25’ has 1,000lb bars. I recently purchased a Hensley, the sales rep really pushed me to get the 1,400lb. Bars. He was concerned that I might possibly run out of adjustments and not able to properly distribute the weight. I have already towed using the Blue Ox. The BlueOx distributed the weight, I thought it worked quite well. I don’t think I have much more adjustment left in the chains, though it pulled nicely.
My concern is, my truck is the Limited with the ridiculous 45 series tires...it already has a slightly rough ride. Without as much flex, won’t the 1,400 lb. bars project more vibration into both the trailer and truck?
The Hensley adds an additional 18” to the length from ball to trailer. Does that help with the leverage which the bars produce against the weight of the trailer?

Thoughts?

[Ultraclassic]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

He never mentioned 1,200lb. Bars. I agree, I think that would be the answer! 1,400 seems extreme!

I had 1500 lb bars on my Blue Ox on my 30ft classic and on my 30 ft SOBs on a F150 now say that fast three times. And it worked great. Never tried the Hensley style hitch.
Just recently changed tow vehicle to a MB ML350d and are using a custom hitch set up by Can-Am. Based on the Eza-lift with hitch reinforcement, shortened shank.

Towed like a dream but we only got to test it out for 2 hours of highway speeds before winter storage