Hitch height - please check my math

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

''I routinely come across threads or articles about the tube type receiver hitches experiencing damage. Where the tube or pipe across the rear of the TV has been twisted or torn. In my mind it's the result of an under rated or overloaded hitch or a combination of both."

If your referencing the GM units... they are not under rated in what they are specced to tow, they are under rated/fail because they are junk...

+1

Another way to look at this is that these receivers don't fail because they use a tubular crossbar design. They fail because they are poorly designed. The welds were breaking on mine when I bought my Suburban, so I hauled the whole thing to the scrapyard and replaced it with a much more solid aftermarket hitch. The root cause of this is that the V5 testing standards for WD hitches are woefully inadequate, and GM (among others) design to the V5 standards.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Jammer.

If the bump is a speed bump, then the front wheels of the tow vehicle get hit first, which drives down the rear, which adds stress to the bars. When the rear wheels hit the speed bump, then when they return to level, they should lower to some degree, however momentary, which again, adds stress to the bars.

When a chug hole is hit by a front wheel and the by the rear wheel of the same side of the tow vehicle, then the front wheel offers little change, but the rear wheel dropping in the hole, will add stress to the hitch bars.

Of course, that all depends on the depth of the chug hole. The deeper, the worse the reaction becomes.

Andy

I'm not buying it because any speed bump/chug hole the tow vehicle will recover from without leaving a control arm or two behind has to be shallower than half the tire diameter. If we use a practical maximum of 12" then with a 135" wheelbase you get around a 9% incline. On the other hand the maximum approach angle on these vehicles is around 17 degrees or a 31% incline (tangent of 17 degrees times 100). The spring deflection on such an incline will be three times what you could possibly get in a chug hole.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Jam,

First thing I did when we got the 06 Burb....not even funny though.
Can't count how many we replaced at the Chevy Store.

Bob

[JazzDad]

Bringing it back around.

Do you advocates of additional sway control feel that the manufacturer of my TV has not designed a sway control system that really works?

I can't elucidate geometry as some of you folks can. I thought the settling I had front vs back (when I lowered the trailer onto the standard hitch) seemed to be acceptable, perhaps allowing me to forgo the WD type hitch.

I'm not trying to argue with anyone. I'm here to learn from the folks who have towed bizillions of miles. (Insert bowing smilie face.) I'm BIG on safety, and want the easiest towing experience available. I also want to keep my GVW as low as possible. (I don't see fuel costs coming down in the future.) Am I still leaning in the wrong direction for this 22 footer being pulled by a 1/2 ton pickup (5 liter engine) with integrated OEM sway and brake controllers?

[exthemius]

I have an F150 with the "integrated sway" and brake controller, and towed 25k miles with my A/S last year all over the west...if safety is what you're about, then you need to have something in place outside of the electronic sway control on your truck (which only kicks in when you're really wagging tail). We ended up getting a Hensley, because with the amount of miles we travel, we wouldn't put a price on the cargo (myself, wife and two kids) we travel with, and the statistical likelihood of something going wrong -- think of it as an insurance policy or sorts....you might not "need" it, but when you do and you don't have it, then it's too late.

[Jammer]

JazzDad

No matter how good the electronic stability control on the pickup is, the question remains of weight distribution between the front and rear wheels. The tongue weight of the trailer has the effect of reducing down force on the front wheels which results in some loss of steering control. Even if there is an autoride-type system that adjusts the ride height so that the reduced down force on the front wheels is not evident from the suspension loading, the loss of steering remains.

The question then is whether you lose enough down force on the front wheels, when hitching the trailer, to be problematic. I would imagine that you do, but others might disagree. The main purpose of WD is to restore most of the down force so that steering control is maintained.

I don't believe the weight of the WD system will affect your gas mileage measurably.

[ROBERT CROSS]

JazzDad,

POI... the integrated sway control only comes into play AFTER the sway is initiated, it does nothing to help prevent it from starting.

As others have noted a WD hitch with sway control would be the best option for all around performance and SAFETY.

Bob

[JazzDad]

Alrighty, then. Now I'll have to do my math all over again as I search for the right WD hitch with sway control. At least most of them seem to have a range of adjustments that will work for my situation.

Thanks for the replies and the gentle nudging.

[Jammer]

Etrailer.com should have what you need -- I've found them to have an easy to use web site, and they've always shipped same day or next day when I order from them. They have good prices and, in most cases, free shipping. You shouldn't have to spend much more than $300.

Most of the WD-only hitches have provisions for adding a friction sway bar later if needed. I don't think you'll find it necessary.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Etrailer.com should have what you need -- I've found them to have an easy to use web site, and they've always shipped same day or next day when I order from them. They have good prices and, in most cases, free shipping. You shouldn't have to spend much more than $300.

Most of the WD-only hitches have provisions for adding a friction sway bar later if needed. I don't think you'll find it necessary.

A sway control, of any kind, is far superior to NONE.

I did the claim where a 17 foot Airstream Caravel being towed with no sway control by a 1/2 ton truck lost control and flipped, that was not speeding.

I settled with the family of the two seniors that were in the truck.

Why the family??

Because the two seniors, were killed.

Safety is something that should never be kicked to the curb, and should as best possible, be maximized.

Andy