RV Towing - Weight Distribution Hitch Basics

Very well informed now about WDH. Your topics always seem to be well timed with my current interest. Thanks John!

Excellent video! I'm curious about backing up with a WDH. Can you do it with any WDH or only certain types and models?

Excellent video John. There’s a lot of misinformation and lack of clarity out there (from other channels that I won’t mention here) about the function and benefits of weight distribution. Thank you for for putting this together the right way. Keep em coming!

A very informative video. If you could do a video with the equalizer 4 wdh , that would truly be appreciated.

If using a WDH do you also use anti-sway bar?

John, Great analysis on WDH's. I learned the hard way on how important a WDH hitch as I originally tried just using a sway bar that helped sway but really didn't help the cause of the sway, which was uneven loading on the tow vehicle and had almost 2 inches of drop on the rear end and 1" of rise on the front. I found out there was to much drop on the rear end and needed to get a WDH. With a WDH the sway is gone and now it tows like a dream and it handle much better on bumpy roads.
I really like your Blue Ox for easy adjustability for different things you tow and taking the tow bars off and on and IMO looks like the best WDH I've seen! I have a Husky Centerline TS that works well and looks to be about half the cost of the Blue Ox but I only have the one trailer to tow and so I don't need the easy adjustability. I am able to get the spring bars off and on pretty easy by raising the electric jack high enough to pull them off but hopefully that doesn't overstress the jack?

Hey John, another informative, and awesome video as always. I love you a whole lot. Is the 2020 Keystone Bullet Travel Trailer as high quality as an R-Pod trailer? In my opinion, the Keystone bullet looks somewhat bland and as my pa would put it, "Trashy". Keep up the amazing work John. -George

Great video as yusual John. I'm amazed that this is the first time I've heard of a WDH which I really wish I had about a week ago when I was in the beautiful Olympic National Park. And if you've ever been up there you know the roads are less than ideal. I was towing my Rpod 196 with my Porsche Cayenne which is not a very good tow vehicle but it does the job, I would not recommend ever using one. But anyways my Rpod was loaded a little heavier than I'm used to and I was going down a a hill with a sharp turn and the front of my car felt very loose and unfortunately I clipped the guard rail with the back of my Rpod but luckily only minor damage was sustained but I sure wish I had a WDH back then. Anyways thanks for the great video John and if you know of anyway to patch small damaged areas I would love to hear them. -Sebastian

I understand that most large, trailered boats have surge brakes that are incompatible with WDH... As a result, WDHs are not typically used with those heavy boat trailers. (Same could be said for big utility and livestock trailers, BTW.) How do these big boat and utility trailers get away without WDHs when towing a travel trailer without a WDH is described as unsafe and dangerous? Just sayin'

What is the stress on the trailer frame (ball to axle) and the tow vehicle frame as the WDH "moves weight" between axles? Are there any considerations for tow vehicles with unibody construction vs. ladder frames? Is the dynamic stress (e.g., bouncing over a rough highway) higher than the static stress as measured on a scale? Just sayin'

Great video, John! Very interesting and informative. We will be picking up our new trailer in December and already have chosen the Blue Ox WDH. When you are counting the links to increase the tension, are you counting from the end of the chain or from where it is connected to the tension bar?

So, I'm looking to purchase a travel trailer and am a newbie. Other than selection of the trailer, I am very concerned with the GVWR, tongue weight, etc. Do you have a video on what all I need to know about this before I buy? Thank you.

I have rp174 ipod and nissan exterra vehicle. I want to know from you is do I need to have distribution hitch?? Thanks for your response

Hi John what you think about harbor freight haul master hitch??

Great info, you do a good job of explaining the details. You answered questions that I didn’t know I had. Thanks.

Hey John, quick question do you use your blue ox system with your Rpod as well? We have a 2017 rpod 178 and a 2016 Silverado and I don't currently have a weight distribution system. Wondering if I should get one for longer trips. Keep up the great work!

Can you get the tongue weight using these scales? Weigh together then TV and trailer separately? Since I've added a bike carrier in front I need an easy/cheap way to measure without the bath scale beam method.

Is Husky brand a good WDH?

Well done video on a much misunderstood topic. FWIW, you can take it another step from what you describe here and compare your measured weights to your vehicle specifications and also calculate the Front Axle Load Restoration percentage from your WDH (you're at a good 81% with 8 links). Interestingly, I looked up a 2017 Tundra TRD 4x4 on the internet and found a gross vehicle weight rating of 7,100 lbs. If that's correct for your vehicle, the 700 lb. tongue weight + 6,400 lb. vehicle weight puts you right at that max weight. Any additional cargo or passengers and you will be over. I don't know if you're a member of the RPod owners group on FB, but if so, there's a spreadsheet that you can download there that will do the calculations for you. Again, good video. Thx.

Thanks for this video. We are new R podders and have been watching your channel for awhile. Your videos are always to the point and very informative. Thanks

John, I wonder how adding 30 gallons of fresh water in my RPod 191 affects the distribution of weight over the 3 axles? 250 pounds added just in front of the RPod axle probably requires more tension on the weight distribution hitch.

What happens when you drive a weight distribution hitch over a deep gully or culvert?

Well done - thanks.

Awesome detailed analysis, thanks

Excellent video. Thank you.

John, thanks for doing all the hard work. You've convinced me to go with a WDH, even though my trailer is only 4500 lbs.

John - love the channel and your well thought out information. For your Rpod, do you use the blue Ox 1000 (on your Amazon link) or something smaller.

25% drawbar weight on that trailer, would suggest not a particularly good design

Excellent video. Thank you.

John, what’s the tongue weight for your trailer?

This is just what you need. I also use the app.

Thanks John! I've always towed for years with a different WDH and sway bar setup. but until I saw this I really didn't know how they worked, just that I can tow more easily with them, and with a Nissan Xterra TV I really need to use them. RV dealers should really tell people this information. Thanks again.

Very good examples. One additional think might have been to include the ground to frame clearance differences.

Thank you very much John, this helped me understand how i need to go back and figure out how t better setp up my hitch

The best video I've seen so far comparing the weights. Thanks John!

Well done and very informative, as usual.

I missed this video a couple years ago ! Another great video John. I think I'll head to a CAT scale before too long. Safe travels.................. Bob in Grand Rapids MI

How are you counting links? From the top of the chain down toward the bar or from the bar up?

Thank you! 🎉

Thank you for this great and super informative video.
Can anyone inform me as to how having an AWD affects how you would want to distribute weight on the “axles”?
Thanks

John: Maybe you can help me with math. I got a new tow vehicle, and have weighed it with my RV on Cat Scale. My trucks capacities are as follows: Front axle...3,500 Rear axle..3,600. GVWR 6,250. My Cat Scale numbers were: Front axle 2,760 Rear axle 3,500. I thought I was good, but adding up those numbers puts me over GVWR even though I'm within axle perimeters. Trailer was not an issue Weighed 4,700 max is 5,500. Can you help explain this? Thanks John

Wow this is an amazing video, thank you for being so thorough

Did I hear you right? Going from 9 links to 8 links put more pressure on the bars? MY RV dealer initially setup my rig to 9 spare links. They kept blowing the fuse when raising the truck and the ride felt way too stiff, transmitting bumps from the trailer back up to the truck, very uncomfortable.
I then tried 8 links and it was easier on bumpy roads and although I did blow the fuse again it was because of the uneven dip I was working in when unhooking at the campsite. Next trip I tried 7 unused links and this was too soft, lots of bouncing through bumps so I'm going back to 8 unused links. Hope to hear from you on my experience. I'm towing a 27 FT 6300# Airstream with a 1 Ton Ram 4x4 with airbags. I like the zip tie trick to remember my links, thank you. Leo in Whitefish, Montana