Trip With Trailer

[GlennSullivan]

Last week made the trip back from FL to NY with the 2017 Expy pulling 20’ open trailer and car. 70 to 75 most of the trip (as conditions allowed). Decent mileage - see below, weights as follows, which shows that I need to add a weight distribution hitch, which make / model do you guys like best?
Front Axle - 2980
Rear Axle - 4680
Trailer - 5720
Actual Trailer and load weight about 6400.

 

[Big_O]

Check out Andersen hitch. Easy to use and handle, also quiet.

 

[JasonH]

I have a Centerline 32218. Works great stability wise. Not at all quiet during low speed maneuvers. Pretty much all the hitches work if they are properly configured.

 

[GlennSullivan]

I have a Centerline 32218. Works great stability wise. Not at all quiet during low speed maneuvers. Pretty much all the hitches work if they are properly configured.

Are they alot of work to configure / setup? Ive got 3 different cars that Ill be moving with this setup (each different length and weight) and there will be different loads in the interior of the Expy depending on what car Im trailering and where Im going.

This past run from FL to NY was not a bad trip and the trailer with the heaviest / longest car only swayed in situations caused by others.

When towing, I always try to leave a large gap in front of me in case of having to brake suddenly. But as soon as I establish a nice 5-6 car gap, someone in another lane decides he can get ahead by jumping in the gap in front of me thereby negating my buffer.

Because of this, I ended up having to jump on the brakes a few times and learned that with my particular 2017 HD Tow Expy, it handled these situations much better with the Ford Trailer sway control turned off - much better.

Im concerned about being 300lb over weight on the rear axle than the vehicle is rated for, but do you think I need to have the distribution hitch?

The need would only be when towing this particular 4800lb car, the other 2 cars are 3200 and 3400 respectively.

 

[JasonH]

If you only need the hitch for one car, the setup shouldn't be an issue. Once you have it dialed it in works great. Just need to know the loaded trailer weight and tongue weight. A tongue scale is useful for tongue weight. Adjustment can vary based on how much weight you need to move. For minor adjustments you just need to adjust the frame bracket height, which takes like 10 to 15 minutes. For major adjustments, the head would would need adjustment, which is a much more involved process but is unlikely to be needed frequently.
I think Blue Ox is the go to for easy adjustment and no noise. Anderson is a similar chain based setup, but uses friction on the ball for sway control. I think these hitches have money back guarantees, so there's nothing to stop you from trying one or the other to see how well they work for you. I've been happy with my Centerline, so never felt a need to change. Once benefit of a the Anderson WDH is lower tongue weight, so less of a payload hit. But that may not be an issue for you.

 

[Boostedbus]

Wow your mileage was way better than mine. I hauled a Side x Side and ATV along with a 14 gallon gas can, Yeti style cooler that was completely filled on my flat bed 17’ ATV trailer. My rear cargo area was also packed full with everything but the kitchen sink. I towed from MD to southern WV very close to Kentucky of course through the Appalachian Mts. though. Mine is a 17 EL with 3.73 diff. I did push it from 75- 80 mph most of the way. My round trip was 928 miles and my average mpg was 9.4 running all 93 octane except for one tank of 87 because super wasn’t available.It pulled the hills like a runaway locomotive and trans temp never went over 208 degrees on the long pulls. I did have to reposition everything on the trailer right after I left because I had a sway. Not enough tongue weight with the buggy on the back. It towed like a dream on the front though.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Wow your mileage was way better than mine. I hauled a Side x Side and ATV along with a 14 gallon gas can, Yeti style cooler that was completely filled on my flat bed 17’ ATV trailer. My rear cargo area was also packed full with everything but the kitchen sink. I towed from MD to southern WV very close to Kentucky of course through the Appalachian Mts. though. Mine is a 17 EL with 3.73 diff. I did push it from 75- 80 mph most of the way. My round trip was 928 miles and my average mpg was 9.4 running all 93 octane except for one tank of 87 because super wasn’t available.View attachment 73413View attachment 73412View attachment 73414It pulled the hills like a runaway locomotive and trans temp never went over 208 degrees on the long pulls. I did have to reposition everything on the trailer right after I left because I had a sway. Not enough tongue weight with the buggy on the back. It towed like a dream on the front though.View attachment 73415View attachment 73416

Mine is a standard length 4x4 and has 3.31 open differential. I did the i95 route all the way, so the majority of the route is relatively flat which helps also helps with mileage.

 

[Boostedbus]

Mine is a standard length 4x4 and has 3.31 open differential. I did the i95 route all the way, so the majority of the route is relatively flat which helps also helps with mileage.

Yeah I may have been able to get another mile to gallon if I backed off on the hill climbs a little. I figured the mileage is gonna suck either way so just leave the cruise control set where it is (usually 79 mph) and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Corridor H was absolutely a beautiful ride without hardly another vehicle on the freeway.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Yeah I may have been able to get another mile to gallon if I backed off on the hill climbs a little. I figured the mileage is gonna suck either way so just leave the cruise control set where it is (usually 79 mph) and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Corridor H was absolutely a beautiful ride without hardly another vehicle on the freeway.View attachment 73420View attachment 73421View attachment 73421View attachment 73423View attachment 73422

That is the kind of road I like to run on. Big open and empty.

 

[Boostedbus]

That is the kind of road I like to run on. Big open and empty.

Yeah and traveling that way west is actually an enjoyable scenic drive. Unlike what you had to endure on I-95 around Baltimore,Washington,and Richmond. WV started cutting that H Corridor (Rt.48) through the mountains back in 2002. They still have to complete a section in the middle by Parsons WV to fully connect from I-81 to I-79. They have plenty of scenic overlook pull offs, some runaway truck ramps, and no tolls. I highly recommend the route.

 

[GlennSullivan]

Unlike what you had to endure on I-95 around Baltimore,Washington,and Richmond.

Hahahahaha. Yeah no ****. If you can’t get through DC/Balto between 11:00 and 1:00 it is like Russian Roulette with all 6 bullets. On this trip, I missed the time slot by a little over an hour and paid the price.

On the way down in December, I did take the inland 80 / 78 / 81 route, and while the traffic was much better, there is a multi-year construction project on 81 that has sections of the road completely closed (exit and take small back roads through little towns for 10 miles). Also going through Charlotte is no picnic, not as bad as DC/Balto, but alot of traffic.

 

[adamsdaddy]

I installed the Equal-i-zer WD hitch myself. Very simple to install. I like that it has built in anti-sway protection. Available on Amazon.

 

[ssmock]

I have a 2014 Limited and the Anderson set up. Easy to use and dial it in when and if necessary. Tow a all aluminum car hauler with a classic car inside. I, at 6K lbs with the trailer and car, add another 500 lbs for gear so its about 6.5K lbs all in. I get 8 to 10 MPG depending on the wind. Hitch works great, no or very little sway when trucks pass or when passing trucks on the interstate. Once the auto leveling shocks kick in after driving a few miles it levels out even more.

 

[chuck s]

A tongue weight scale is invaluable especially if you trailer capacity varies. 10% (minimum) of the trailer's weight needs to be on the ball. I used mine to setup my camper trailer initially and whenever I need to tow a rental or other trailer.



Watch tongue weigh in regards to cargo capacity. I think my capacity is 1450-ish pounds and putting 700 pounds on the ball only allows the remaining 750 pounds for cargo and passengers.

Tail heavy trailers establish a tail wagging inertia -- is that the right word? Pendulum effect.

-- Chuck

 

[GlennSullivan]

Im def going to buy a tongue scale, although I was able to "calculate" my tongue weight by knowing the trailer and car (on trailer) weight - total of 6300 and deducting the trailer / car weight on the scale 5720 = 580.
I looked at the anderson WDH mentioned above and am having trouble understanding how the horizontal chains take the place of horizontal torsion bars on other make WDH. What am I missing?

 

[rollinstone]

I’ve been using the Andersen WDH for 8 years. It will dial in tongue weights from 0 to 1400 lbs and trailer weights from 0 to 14,000 lbs. Easy DIY install. Handles sway like a champ.

 

[JasonH]

I looked at the anderson WDH mentioned above and am having trouble understanding how the horizontal chains take the place of horizontal torsion bars on other make WDH. What am I missing?

The chains attached to a pivoting plate on the head. When you load the ball, the plate get pushed down. When you tighten the chains, it lifts the plate along with the rear of the tow vehicle. There's also a friction component near the ball for sway control.

 

[mefly2]

Equalizer wdh has worked well for us for over 20+ years. The sway control is great and the adjustments are almost infinite ... good for some but challenging for others. We also like the Shocker hitch to really smoothe out the ride!