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Old 05-28-2009, 04:40 PM   #1
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Why not more WD hitches on the road?

As a happy new owner of both a new 19' International and a Reese dual cam WD hitch, I find myself being very curious about what other people are towing and how they are towing it. And, after several months of rubbernecking at other people's gear I have only ever seen one other Reese round bar setup around here, and have yet to see a hitch with any kind of sway control.

Furthermore, what I have seen quite frequently has scared the heck out of me. People towing HUGE TTs with completely inadequate vehicles, people towing with monster 4x4s but not bothering to drop their hitch height to level off the trailer - all kinds of crazy shenanigans.

What gives?

Yet I don't really hear of very many accidents involving trailers and loss of control. Are they just not news worthy? Are the stats not that high?

Speaking personally, having towed with and without WD and anti-sway with the same trailer/TV combo, there's NO question which is better and safer. It's probably the best $1000 I've spent on our rig so far. But until I got on the forum here and started digging around and asking questions I had no idea about this stuff.

Basically, I think there's a huge lack of education out there. Or maybe this is something that should have more regulation given that we're dealing with public safety. Should dealers be doing more to educate and "push" this type of product with trailer packages?

Are WD hitches and sway control more common elsewhere, I wonder...

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Old 05-28-2009, 04:45 PM   #2
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What was that like for that horse.. did he just rise up slowly and wonder what the heck?? or was it an abrupt teter toter thing? inquiring minds want to know
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Old 05-28-2009, 04:49 PM   #3
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Hey Freewheel,

We have a reese as well and have used them for over thirty years... They're just terrific. They are especially effective for mid-weight rigs. If I had a 30' rig, I might look at Hensley, but frankly, that's an expensive system (OK - So i am a little cheap) a rig of my weight just simply doesn't require such a sophisticated system. Mine is a 19' 2005 Bambi. It pulls just terrific with a Reese. You're in good company (if you can consider me good company - Word of caution... Many would not).

All the best!
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Old 05-28-2009, 10:48 PM   #4
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Please, all we need is more regulation - especially that based on perception rather than reality.

Considering how few crashes there are with trailers, much less the factors cited, a more reasonable approach would be to conclude that a lot of the paranoia and FUD mongering about these factors is misplaced.
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Old 05-29-2009, 01:27 AM   #5
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It amazes me how many people almost NEVER tow their trailers.

... when they do, god help us all!

Check almost any campground in the country - they all have RV storage and many of the "campers" call ahead, have the RV moved onto a lot, visit it for a week, and then have the RV towed back into storage. I got curious and mapquested in on two local ones. Both had over 200 RV's stored.

Being a "girl" towing alone, people will come up and chat just because I'm not a typical camper - and even guys ask "What's the purpose of that? Does it really make a difference?" So be a helpful ambassador when you get the chance. I've seen people getting beaten to death behind the wheel because they need a six inch RISE on their ball, and they have a 4 inch drop in the receiver... You'll save someone's life, sanity and kidneys if you show them how to fix it.

I'm surprised how hard it is to find anyone offering a safe towing clinic. You're purely right that a lot of people could really benefit from one. I have clients at Answer Center who are professional contractors who don't even bother having NEW hires trained on how to tow... and the liability is tremendous when a trailer with company logos plastered all over it runs Amok.

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Old 05-29-2009, 06:16 AM   #6
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Lack of education is a big factor. I am selling my 5000 lb 26' SOB trailer right now. I have already been asked if it can towed by a mini van. Unfortunately there are alot of RV salespeople who are misinformed or just simply want to make a sale. No matter what you have, some of them will tell you that you can tow a big heavy trailer with it.
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Old 05-29-2009, 06:28 AM   #7
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I'm not sure why more people don't use WD hitches.
A list comes to mind:
  • ignorance of how to hitch a trailer
  • laziness
  • I have truck and don't need it (ego)
  • have never paid attention to what other trailers are doing on the road
  • tow short distances and don't care otherwise
  • don't care about keeping OTHERS safe on the road
I also end up rubbernecking in traffic to see what kind of set up the other guy is using. I towed my trailer back from when I purchased it with only a WD hitch. Didn't really need the WD part because of the stiff springs in the truck but........... I could feel the trucks push me around and could see the trailer moving in the truck mirrors. I was going to upgrade to an Equalizer or Reese dual cam but decided to find a used HAHA and reburbish it. Since the hitch installation - there is one heck of a difference in how well the trailer BEHAVES when encountering strong side winds. Your trailer moves around more than you think.
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Old 05-29-2009, 06:37 AM   #8
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I previously worked as a parts and repair tech in a dealership that sold both travel trailers and horse trailers. With each trailer we sold, the salesman was advised to recommend the weight distributing hitches and sway control devices. It was my job to install it correctly and to advise the customer how to use it. Many were very grateful and were always paid attention as I was going over things with them.
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Old 05-29-2009, 07:12 AM   #9
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The axles on that horse look shot.
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Old 05-29-2009, 08:18 AM   #10
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For many folks they don't know and don't take the time to understand. They think white knuckling is part of the game.
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Old 05-29-2009, 08:26 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bryanl View Post
Please, all we need is more regulation - especially that based on perception rather than reality.

Considering how few crashes there are with trailers, much less the factors cited, a more reasonable approach would be to conclude that a lot of the paranoia and FUD mongering about these factors is misplaced.

If you were sitting on my side of the desk taking the phone calls you might have a different opinion of the problems out there.

Quote:
Originally Posted by crispyboy View Post
I'm not sure why more people don't use WD hitches.
A list comes to mind:
  • ignorance of how to hitch a trailer
  • laziness
  • I have truck and don't need it (ego)
  • have never paid attention to what other trailers are doing on the road
  • tow short distances and don't care otherwise
  • don't care about keeping OTHERS safe on the road
I also end up rubbernecking in traffic to see what kind of set up the other guy is using. I towed my trailer back from when I purchased it with only a WD hitch. Didn't really need the WD part because of the stiff springs in the truck but........... I could feel the trucks push me around and could see the trailer moving in the truck mirrors. I was going to upgrade to an Equalizer or Reese dual cam but decided to find a used HAHA and reburbish it. Since the hitch installation - there is one heck of a difference in how well the trailer BEHAVES when encountering strong side winds. Your trailer moves around more than you think.
Nice list, Crispy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nunya001 View Post
For many folks they don't know and don't take the time to understand. They think white knuckling is part of the game.
I think this is VERY true. Some people "never have a problem" and others would get in the driver's seat and call it a "HUGE problem."
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Old 05-29-2009, 10:41 AM   #12
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Let's face it, some people just don't have a clue about proper towing equipment - one would hope a good RV dealer would see to it their customer is properly equipped, etc...

Of course many RV's are bought from private sources, and probably don't get any towing 'education'...I looked at a 30 ft AS last year that had the old style disc brakes, that didn't work - the seller told me, "No problem, I towed it with my Jeep Cherokee over 500 miles when I bought it, without brakes"...Yeah, RIGHT!

Have you ever watched Jay Leno's 'Jaywalking' where he asks simple questions of the typical 'man (girl) in the street'...I know he only shows the most outrageous ones, but it still makes me wonder how some of these people can get through life, without a clue about what's going on in the world around them... Rome is beginning to burn, and we only have a garden hose to help put it out...
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Old 05-29-2009, 10:59 AM   #13
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I blame it on a lack of education. I see a lot of unlevel tow vehicle/trailer combinations even with WD bars. I guess after a few miles you get used to how it pulls and think it's just fine as long as nothing bad happens.

Level people!!!

Derek
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Old 05-29-2009, 11:12 AM   #14
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Well, to be fair to those not in the know, the mysteries of WD are not obvious except in hindsite. It isn't stupidity, its just not knowing. I was lucky to have the forums when I got into this. I had no idea of WD and wouldn't have without reading about it here. Most people who get into trailer camping do not have anything approaching the knowledge base like the forums to rely on. So, if the person selling the camper doesn't pass on the information it is a case of trial by fire. I sometimes offer a word of advice to people I meet on the road if they seem open to hearing it. Some are, some are not.

My Trade Wind tows like a dream, yet at the end of a long day behind the wheel I can be a bit tweaked. I can not imagine what the folks towing with poor WD and no sway control feel like.
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Old 05-29-2009, 11:30 AM   #15
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If you think trailer towing is bad, take a look at boating. There is no experience like spending a sunny summer afternoon at a boat launch ramp.
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Old 05-29-2009, 01:25 PM   #16
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The axles on that horse look shot.
I think that horse is a mule.
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Old 05-29-2009, 01:55 PM   #17
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I think it could be a donkey.
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Old 05-29-2009, 02:09 PM   #18
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Perhaps the size of the population of people willing to tow a large trailer without WD and sway control is genetically self-limiting ???
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Old 05-30-2009, 08:20 AM   #19
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re "and the liability is tremendous when a trailer with company logos plastered all over it runs Amok." - a good example of more FUD mongering with no facts behind it.

re: " If you were sitting on my side of the desk taking the phone calls you might have a different opinion of the problems out there." - why doesn't this show in the statistics about crashes put out by the state? Who should I believe? Someone who sits behind a phone and tells me about a selected subset or state statisticians who look at the entire set of data? Or maybe my own eyes, which tend to indicate the state research is more in line with reality?

re "I'm surprised how hard it is to find anyone offering a safe towing clinic." - its as near as your phone book or an I'net search engine. - But as we can see from many posts in this thread, even getting 'educated' isn't much help and is often misguided. Perhaps that is why many don't seek out such 'learning.'

And then there is the 'Political Correctness' factor - if you don't toe the line with the FUD mongering and have the audacity to bring in questions that don't fit, look what happens! It is not even possible to discuss topics like this and the factors involved.

When do you need a Weight Distributing hitch? There are no guidelines here, no discussion of relevant factors, no mention of trade-offs and risk assessment, no mention of how various levels of need are felt by the driver, no tests that can be done to assess level of need. None of this, just anecdote and absolutes and extreme cases.

The education should start here yet on many topics like this, it ends in a manner that propagates the ignorance, IMHO.
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Old 05-30-2009, 08:31 AM   #20
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When do you need a Weight Distributing hitch? There are no guidelines here, no discussion of relevant factors, no mention of trade-offs and risk assessment, no mention of how various levels of need are felt by the driver, no tests that can be done to assess level of need. None of this, just anecdote and absolutes and extreme cases.

The education should start here yet on many topics like this, it ends in a manner that propagates the ignorance, IMHO.
Please! A weight distribution hitch is needed when the weight of the the hitch on the tow vehicle begins to remove weight off the front wheels and thus affects steering and control. If you want to claim there are negative trade offs to using WD, then tell us what they are. Ive never come across a single one. Perhaps you have? Perceived level of need for WD does not necessarily translate into actual level of need. As your front wheels come off the ground, you progressively loose the ability to control the rig regardless of your perception. This isnt fear mongering, nor is it ancetdotal, it is physics.
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