Weight Distribution System or NOT?
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 169
Likes: 49
It's about tongue weight. Most hitches are rated at 500 lbs without a WDH. Somewhere around 1100 lbs with one. Most boats have less weight on the tongue and you could get by without a WDH with a heavier boat than another trailer.
If you're towing and out of spec realistically the insurance company will pay the claim. They are also far more likely to drop you after the claim is settled and getting insurance from another carrier will be much more expensive. If even possible.
Legally, either you are at fault or not. If you're towing and out of spec it is doubtful that you'd have any issues if you're not at fault. But if you are at fault, and the improper towing is ruled to be even partly the cause you are in legal jeopardy.
If you are in an accident and at fault there is a very good possibility that you and your insurance company will be sued. If you can prove that you did everything legally you have a much better chance of winning, Or having to pay out a much smaller settlement if you don't win. If you have disregarded the law and are towing an out of spec load you open yourself up to having to pay a much larger settlement with virtually no chance of winning.
If you're towing and out of spec realistically the insurance company will pay the claim. They are also far more likely to drop you after the claim is settled and getting insurance from another carrier will be much more expensive. If even possible.
Legally, either you are at fault or not. If you're towing and out of spec it is doubtful that you'd have any issues if you're not at fault. But if you are at fault, and the improper towing is ruled to be even partly the cause you are in legal jeopardy.
If you are in an accident and at fault there is a very good possibility that you and your insurance company will be sued. If you can prove that you did everything legally you have a much better chance of winning, Or having to pay out a much smaller settlement if you don't win. If you have disregarded the law and are towing an out of spec load you open yourself up to having to pay a much larger settlement with virtually no chance of winning.
5 Year Member
Joined: Jul 2015
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https://thelyonfirm.com/practice-are...ing-accidents/
http://www.randolphwolf.com/blog/tow...rweight-loads/
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,337
Likes: 1,001
From: Lost Wages
I think bassJAM ended the discussion in the post above. Apparently there are lawyers looking to sue you if you commit these infractions. You have to decide if you want to take a chance.
Yes, your insurance company will probably defend you. But what if you are sued for more than the limits of your policy, where does the excess money come from?
Yes, your insurance company will probably defend you. But what if you are sued for more than the limits of your policy, where does the excess money come from?
Excessive Trailer Weight as a Cause of Towing Accidents
- Trailer weight exceeded the trailer tongue weight
- Trailer weight exceeded the trailer towing weight
- Trailer weight exceeded the vehicle’s rated capacity for towing.
Member
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 90
Likes: 24
From: Canada
I tow my 8600 lb to 9400 lb boat ( depending on the gas and stuff onboard) all the time. Never used a WDH on it, and was actually told by the boat dealer that it would void the trailer warranty if I did. It tows perfectly straight and true always. The trailer brakes are amazing and i bet I can stop as fast with the boat in tow as without it. My friends travel trailer he always complained about how badly it towed. I pulled it just to see if it was maybe his pickup. I hooked it up onto the ball, safety chains, and plugged it in. Did a few practice stops on his street to get the brake controller set up right, and off we went on a 40 km drive. He kept mumbling about hitches and bars yada yada yada. Well it towed perfectly and stopped well. I said sell your tundra maybe, because the trailer itself is perfect. Well then we hooked up to his Tundra without the gancy gizmos, just dropped it on the ball and went for a drive, I was driving. It towed perfectly and since then he just leaves the junk like bars in his yard and tows straight on the ball. Ever see a a trucker hook up sway bars???
Senile member
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3,633
Likes: 1,058
From: Sarasota, FL area
bye bye, your credibility.
You just compared a 5th wheel style semi tractor-trailer to a bumper pull on a half ton light duty pickup. Your opinion is now null and void. So many things with your comparison are so far apart it's like draining the pacific and trying to bridge it with straw.
You just compared a 5th wheel style semi tractor-trailer to a bumper pull on a half ton light duty pickup. Your opinion is now null and void. So many things with your comparison are so far apart it's like draining the pacific and trying to bridge it with straw.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,337
Likes: 1,001
From: Lost Wages
It towed perfectly and since then he just leaves the junk like bars in his yard and tows straight on the ball. Ever see a a trucker hook up sway bars???
I bet your friend will be thinking of you as he goes down the highway in a 30-40 mph cross wind.
If he survives.
Function
Anti-sway bars use the weight of the RV to create stability. You install the bars to the vehicle's frame and chassis. Anti-sway bars designed for a trailer's hitch and tongue also work similarly. They help reduce the vehicle's side-to-side motion by bracing the weight of the vehicle's axle against the chassis. The anti-sway bars distribute the recreational vehicle's weight evenly. The bar on each side effectively holds the vehicle when a gust of wind hits it.I've been behind people under those conditions, it was not pretty.
Member
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 90
Likes: 24
From: Canada
Glad you guys don't live here with our roads.
You wouldn't make a half a day and be over a cliff to your death .
Your inexperience towing is showing through by your having to make personal attacks because you have a lack of facts to back up your claims.
You wouldn't make a half a day and be over a cliff to your death .
Your inexperience towing is showing through by your having to make personal attacks because you have a lack of facts to back up your claims.
5 Year Member
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,602
Likes: 292
The reason you got so much flak is you compared a fifth wheel hitch to a ball mount and the two are not comparable. The reason fifth wheels are used is to put the weight of a trailer on the rear axle where you'll get the most stability. A weight distributing hitch's purpose is simulate the same thing, it distributes the weight of the tongue so instead of the ball mount basically creating a lever and lifting the front wheels, it tries to transfer the weight forward to balance the load between your truck's axles.
You can't put a WDH on a fifth wheel, because the weight is already distributed by the nature of how a fifth wheel hitch works.
