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I believe we are all saying the same thing. Bars transfer weight. Bags adjust ride height....of the TV. The video link I provided shows how to setup using both systems.
My half ton tows perfectly with no bottoming of my TV suspension on the worse Michigan roads, no sway, and practically imperceivable truck suck. This is due to a a set up with zero lift to the front suspension.
Jim
This is exactly how I have always setup my WDH and never needed airbags and all TVs handled really good.
Rob
Rob & Barb
2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn, 6.7 Cummins HO/Aisin
2022 Solitude 378MBS
This is exactly how I have always setup my WDH and never needed airbags and all TVs handled really good.
Rob
Rob,
At 15% tongue weight you would be at 1499 lbs. Would not be an issue with a one ton so bags would not be needed. But they might help with the ride quality.
On my little half ton, I'm at 940lb tongue weight where static loading is not an issue but large downward accelerations of the trailer can reap havoc on rough roads. The bags plus the bars in my case have solved the issues where they absorb this energy. Setting at zero lift on the front suspension (rather than the half way point) has worked extremely well.
A couple other suggestions on half tons with E rated LT tires is NOT to inflate them too much as this will reduce the tire contact patch and the truck will not be well grounded. I tow with 45 psi in the front and 50 psi in the rear. 30 psi in the bags and the Equalizer hitch is set with 6 washers.
At 15% tongue weight you would be at 1499 lbs. Would not be an issue with a one ton so bags would not be needed. But they might help with the ride quality.
On my little half ton, I'm at 940lb tongue weight where static loading is not an issue but large downward accelerations of the trailer can reap havoc on rough roads. The bags plus the bars in my case have solved the issues where they absorb this energy. Setting at zero lift on the front suspension (rather than the half way point) has worked extremely well.
A couple other suggestions on half tons with E rated LT tires is NOT to inflate them too much as this will reduce the tire contact patch and the truck will not be well grounded. I tow with 45 psi in the front and 50 psi in the rear. 30 psi in the bags and the Equalizer hitch is set with 6 washers.
Hope this helps for those half ton folks.
Agreed that not needed on my 1 ton but I also didn't need them with the same trailer and a Tundra. The 1500 lb bars worked very good there too. Tundra was level as well and nearly exactly the same setup of the WDH like on my 1 ton.
Rob
Rob & Barb
2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn, 6.7 Cummins HO/Aisin
2022 Solitude 378MBS
Guest Food for thought on the airbags. I have thought about adding them but haven't decided.
Ride quality can be very subjective. If you want a ride while towing that is similar to your non-towing ride, send me a PM and I would be happy to help you set up your system with air bags and WD hitch. Just returned this morning and other than the most offensive road inputs, my half ton truck rides as smooth towing as non-towing. Truck suck is barely perceivable.
I wanted to follow up not his thread, since I started it. I contacted our dealer and they requested I bring the trailer in so they could weigh. They agreed the WDH they sold me was not sufficient for the tongue weight and upgraded to 1200lb support. I only paid the difference between the 2 hitches. They hooked everything up and ensured the hitch was properly installed. I towed our rig this weekend and there was a noticeable difference. Great support from our dealer and couldn't be happier. Thanks to all who replied to this thread. Good information all around.
Glad you got this sorted out and your dealer helped you. Also glad you felt a difference when towing. This is a testament to having the correct equipment and set up properly. You may still wish to visit a scale and check your weights to ensure that you are at or near the best set up on the WDH.
Brian
Brian & Michelle
2018 Reflection 29RS
2022 Chevy 3500HD
Country Campers Agreed. Fortunately I have access to a CAT scale 7 miles from home. I have weight results using my old hitch and am curious if there were any significant changes.
WDH bars are rated for paired use only. 1000lbs rated bars = 2 bars.
Always run bars over you actual LOADED tongue weight.
The last 6 years I have run 1400lb bars with 900lb tongue weights.
Before that, I was running 600lbs bars with a 400lb tongue.
Before that....well that's a long time ago and include a couple generations that never weighed a darn thing.
Think of WDH bars like rear spring helpers, but ones that actually return weight back to the front axle and improve handling!
And yes, you can technically go too high and stiff, but not likely will you complain nor damage the trailer as some people fear monger about.
If your tongue weight exceeds the rated limits of a class IV hitch, which until lately has been 1200lbs, its simply not wise to exceed those limits. Think of the hitch being designed to its rated tongue weight in combination with a hitch that also does not exceed that rated limit. No fear mongering, just stating that more is not better where even more can result in a failure of the receiver. The trailer frame is also designed with load and torsional limits as well.
The dealer made the proper choice for the OP to install a hitch that would accept 1200 lb bars and at the rated limit of his class IV receiver.
If your tongue weight exceeds the rated limits of a class IV hitch, which until lately has been 1200lbs, its simply not wise to exceed those limits. Think of the hitch being designed to its rated tongue weight in combination with a hitch that also does not exceed that rated limit. No fear mongering, just stating that more is not better where even more can result in a failure of the receiver. The trailer frame is also designed with load and torsional limits as well.
The dealer made the proper choice for the OP to install a hitch that would accept 1200 lb bars and at the rated limit of his class IV receiver.
Jim
The hitch tongue weight rating is a different topic Jim. You're overthinking this.
If your tongue weight exceeds the rated limits of a class IV hitch, which until lately has been 1200lbs, its simply not wise to exceed those limits. Think of the hitch being designed to its rated tongue weight in combination with a hitch that also does not exceed that rated limit. No fear mongering, just stating that more is not better where even more can result in a failure of the receiver. The trailer frame is also designed with load and torsional limits as well.
The dealer made the proper choice for the OP to install a hitch that would accept 1200 lb bars and at the rated limit of his class IV receiver.
Jim
Jim - My tongue weight is 1,400#. My hitch is a class V, and rated for 1,900 pounds. But I'm running 2,000# spring bars. There is a lot of rationale I can go into on why I switched from 1,500 bars to 2,000 bars. but the tongue weight is still within the limits of the hitch, even though the bars are rated higher.
Jim
Jim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
GDRV Technical Forum Moderator
GDRV Rally Support Coordinator
The hitch tongue weight rating is a different topic Jim. You're overthinking this.
I didn't think too much about these things long ago to your point, but once I began working as an engineer in the auto industry, I became enlightened in how components are designed. Since bars are designed based on tongue weight and tongue weight limits are tied to the weight class of the receiver, they are intrinsically connected. No disrespect but I'm not overthinking anything.
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