[0truck0]

Yes, yes you do! Bags are so much better, but it all depends.
WDH is not ALL about leveling out the rig, but about the "distribution" part. If you have a very heavy tongue then you will need the WDH benefits no matter if you have bags or some really stiff level springs.

 

[0truck0]

... but the bad part is you’ll unload the front axle possibly loss of steering or braking...

No, not at all. Having 400 lbs on the rear hitch will do almost nothing at the front axle, nothing. You are going to need a lot more weight to affect the steering. I mean, break the truck in half kind of weight... Do the math, it just does not matter at 400 or 600 tongue lbs.
More weight on the rear tires, yes - rotate your tires a time or two...

 

[Bob p]

No, not at all. Having 400 lbs on the rear hitch will do almost nothing at the front axle, nothing. You are going to need a lot more weight to affect the steering. I mean, break the truck in half kind of weight... Do the math, it just does not matter at 400 or 600 tongue lbs.
More weight on the rear tires, yes - rotate your tires a time or two...

You are wrong, the rear axle acts just like a teeter totter, when you apply weight to the rear you remove weight on the front axle. You must’ve been absent the day that part of physics was taught. I am living proof that loading the rear unloads the front, this past summer on a trip to the Smokies pulling our travel trailer I didn’t have the proper tension on my WDH spring bars and when somebody in front of me decided to stop for a squirrel crossing the street I got to try out the antilock brakes on the front of my Frontier, a short distance later and a church parking lot, I adjusted my spring bar chains 2 more links, problem solved.

 

[0truck0]

No, Im not wrong!. Do the math, or were you absent when math was taught?
Your teetertottor is balancing out a heavy engine10 feet forward of your rear axle, and your hitch is just a few feet behind the axle. Even doing math using favorable to you numbers , say, 4 to 1, a 600 lb hitch load will produce 150 lbs lighter at the front, and less in reality with more accurate math. The heavy engine and trans with a long lever arm will win every time. Yes, you can load the hitch so much that you have issues, but you have to go outside normal parameters to do this, you must have been grossly overweighted back there. You were likely way over the trucks payload too. So, under most normal uses this issue of a light front end will never come into play. For the reader, if your trailer causes your rear bumper to hit the ground, as the skidding teetertotter guy's did, then you have more than one issue and you should fix it before driving.

 

[Bob p]

No, Im not wrong!. Do the math, or were you absent when math was taught?
Your teetertottor is balancing out a heavy engine10 feet forward of your rear axle, and your hitch is just a few feet behind the axle. Even doing math using favorable to you numbers , say, 4 to 1, a 600 lb hitch load will produce 150 lbs lighter at the front, and less in reality with more accurate math. The heavy engine and trans with a long lever arm will win every time. Yes, you can load the hitch so much that you have issues, but you have to go outside normal parameters to do this, you must have been grossly overweighted back there. You were likely way over the trucks payload too. So, under most normal uses this issue of a light front end will never come into play. For the reader, if your trailer causes your rear bumper to hit the ground, as the skidding teetertotter guy's did, then you have more than one issue and you should fix it before driving.

Check it out with someone smarter than you. You are educated far above your intelligence level.

 

[The other Sean]

Check it out with someone smarter than you. You are educated far above your intelligence level.

Probably never driven on an icy road with the bed of his truck loaded bed before... yea.. it's a thing....

 

[0truck0]

Check it out with someone smarter than you. You are educated far above your intelligence level.

You probably should not be making any post on any forums, you do not have social skills needed to post. Blocked, no need to reply, you are blocked, i will not see your rude post.

 

[Clint]

Probably never driven on an icy road with the bed of his truck loaded bed before... yea.. it's a thing....

A trip to the truck scales will prove this out, headlights also would be in the oncoming vehicles eyes. The name weight distribution hitch says it all, go to a truck scale before and after it’s set up and see how it weighs out.

Clint

 

[ssundet]

Do the math, or were you absent when math was taught?...
Even doing math using favorable to you numbers ...less in reality with more accurate math.

You probably should not be making any post on any forums, you do not have social skills needed to post. Blocked, no need to reply, you are blocked, i will not see your rude post.

Hard to convince anyone of your convictions like this.

Even a little weight reduction to the front axle will effect steering in anything other than ideal conditions - rain, ice, snow, gravel, rocks, dirt, mud. "Almost nothing" seems like a statement that ignores math more than anything. Should visit a scale where you can do some mathing.

 

[The other Sean]

Hard to convince anyone of your convictions like this.

Even a little weight reduction to the front axle will effect steering in anything other than ideal conditions - rain, ice, snow, gravel, rocks, dirt, mud. "Almost nothing" seems like a statement that ignores math more than anything. Should visit a scale where you can do some mathing

We wouldn't want to cloud the discussion with facts, so....

 

[ssundet]

We wouldn't want to cloud the discussion with facts, so....

All I'm saying is that, if it's mathable, math it out man. lol You can't convince anyone of math by taking offense.

All you need is accurate reliable, repeatable information, and some level of precision. Math doesn't actually care about feelings, just like facts. lol so if you have the math, share the math, not the feelings.

I see no scale, and no actual measurement going on, lol

 

[0truck0]

its Affect, not effect, wouldn't wanna seem ignorant when posting...
Yea, the point is not that there is an effect when unloading or loading which ever axle, but that it does not matter most of the time for most trailers that most people would be dropping on a little truck like this. Put something heavy on and you do need to make fixes, but for most trailers a few hundred lbs at the hitch is not going to do all these things some people are claiming, you have to really drop some weight on to lift the front end that much.
The question is does one need a WDH or will bags be sufficient... Bags will suffice most of the time and no compromise to the front end is in play. The answer is always, it depends. Go weigh your truck with and without the WDH on and get back to use the front end axle weight, i would be interested to see the numbers too.
My uneducated country hick dumb ******* thinking is that if the front end does not lift up on the front end springs that the front end cannot be unweighted too much otherwise the front end would lift up. Some of you are describing a situation where the front of the truck is in the air almost. I think something would break at this point. Again, I would like to see the scale numbers when yo get them. I am not saying a WDH is not needed for a heavy load, I am just reigning in the exaggerations a bit. thanks

 

[ssundet]

its Affect, not effect, wouldn't wanna seem ignorant when posting...
Yea, the point is not that there is an effect when unloading or loading which ever axle, but that it does not matter most of the time for most trailers that most people would be dropping on a little truck like this. Put something heavy on and you do need to make fixes, but for most trailers a few hundred lbs at the hitch is not going to do all these things some people are claiming, you have to really drop some weight on to lift the front end that much.
The question is does one need a WDH or will bags be sufficient... Bags will suffice most of the time and no compromise to the front end is in play. The answer is always, it depends. Go weigh your truck with and without the WDH on and get back to use the front end axle weight, i would be interested to see the numbers too.
My uneducated country hick dumb *** thinking is that if the front end does not lift up on the front end springs that the front end cannot be unweighted too much otherwise the front end would lift up. Some of you are describing a situation where the front of the truck is in the air almost. I think something would break at this point. Again, I would like to see the scale numbers when yo get them. I am not saying a WDH is not needed for a heavy load, I am just reigning in the exaggerations a bit. thanks

Let me get this straight. You just blocked someone for an insult. You then turned around and threw me an insult telling me not to appear ignorant over a spellchecking issue. 😂😂 At least unblock the man, and I'll spell check my post. Don't worry, insults don't stick on my end 😂

okay I'll try to read the rest your post over the emoji tears, rofl

 

[0truck0]

Let's not express our feelings, the forum is not about feelings, nothing good comes from feelings and emotional expression like this. Grammar is not feelings, the blocked fella was rude and was too emotional and was hating people for no reason. Get back to the discussion please and not analyze emotions you think are there.
Good rule of thumb, if you disagre then post the thing you think and not have to win the argument, don't make the discussion an argument to begin with. Nobody reading through cares, we all scan through quickly and no one post is an authority, no matter how rudely the person tries to force their view on anyone. Just post, disagree or agree and move on.
So, again. My view is that trucks are made to carry loads in the back without catastrophic results or steering disasters at the front end. You can put weight on the truck with no issues if you are within the limits A WDH is not always needed but sometimes it is, sometimes it makes the drive nicer, but if you put on bags then that is sufficient sometimes too. Why argue with this?

 

[ssundet]

its Affect, not effect, wouldn't wanna seem ignorant when posting...
Yea, the point is not that there is an effect when unloading or loading which ever axle, but that it does not matter most of the time for most trailers that most people would be dropping on a little truck like this. Put something heavy on and you do need to make fixes, but for most trailers a few hundred lbs at the hitch is not going to do all these things some people are claiming, you have to really drop some weight on to lift the front end that much.
The question is does one need a WDH or will bags be sufficient... Bags will suffice most of the time and no compromise to the front end is in play. The answer is always, it depends. Go weigh your truck with and without the WDH on and get back to use the front end axle weight, i would be interested to see the numbers too.
My uneducated country hick dumb *** thinking is that if the front end does not lift up on the front end springs that the front end cannot be unweighted too much otherwise the front end would lift up. Some of you are describing a situation where the front of the truck is in the air almost. I think something would break at this point. Again, I would like to see the scale numbers when yo get them. I am not saying a WDH is not needed for a heavy load, I am just reigning in the exaggerations a bit. thanks

Hey man, you gotta do the math if you want to talk the math. I'm not really interested in proving your own point. All I'm pointing out is there is no actual math going on and you were wondering if we were even paying attention in math class

 

[ssundet]

Let's not express our feelings, the forum is not about feelings, nothing good comes from feelings and emotional expression like this. Grammar is not feelings, the blocked fella was rude and was too emotional and was hating people for no reason. Get back to the discussion please and not analyze emotions you think are there.
Good rule of thumb, if you disagre then post the thing you think and not have to win the argument, don't make the discussion an argument to begin with. Nobody reading through cares, we all scan through quickly and no one post is an authority, no matter how rudely the person tries to force their view on anyone. Just post, disagree or agree and move on.
So, again. My view is that trucks are made to carry loads in the back without catastrophic results or steering disasters at the front end. You can put weight on the truck with no issues if you are within the limits A WDH is not always needed but sometimes it is, sometimes it makes the drive nicer, but if you put on bags then that is sufficient sometimes too. Why argue with this?

I was only really interested after you blocked that guy and turned english teacher on me. I just like how much effort/feeling you're putting into the keys.

I agree that air bags are a great option for towing a multitude of mid size things with any truck. They are probably the most versatile towing option out there especially when you can adjust the air pressure on the fly. WDH definitely plays a factor when towing larger trailers though.

Hope you have a great day 0truck0 I just stopped by for fun. Try To inject a little sunshine when you're reading further posts.

 

[Zedbra]

*disagree

Anyways, emotions aside - load and tow at your own risk but I would highly suggest learning what is the safest for your needed application.

If you all wanna share how you wish to not group hug, I would also suggest you start a Conversation and take it off the forum.

 

[Notabiker]

Oye, I had something like half a ton of pavers in the bed of my truck, well I think more like 3/4 of a ton and I had the timbren bump stops on. Ya know how the frontier has stiff steering, well mine wasn't so stiff and that's when I knew my front was a little light.

My brother would tow a 26 foot toy hauler with his 3/4 ton dodge cummins and still use a wd hitch to keep weight on the front and his truck is near twice the weight. So for little trailers one likely wouldn't need a wdh but for pulling a camper I'd probably invest in one to go with my bags.

 

[basketcase]

Interesting discussion. The reality is that once a trailer is hooked up, it all becomes a rig - with an entirely new set of parameters in play. Total weight and weight distribution, stopping distance, tail swing or tail drag, tongue weight and hitch weight (and related load specs). Probably I left out something, but y'all get the idea.

On the big rigs I drove weight per axle was established by proper loading of the cargo on or in the trailer, and by sliding the trailer tandems. With a nod to @Clint 's point about getting on a scale, even one notch on the tandems would make a difference in how it weighed out on a scale.

Which leads me to note that if one is driving while improperly loaded in certain states, DOT will ticket the driver for the improperly loaded vehicle. Why is that?

In one word, safety.

My wife and I just bought a travel trailer so I'm going to school on the weight distribution hitch and other nuances to assure what I do passes at the scales, and does not overstress any part of the combined rig. I probably don't need airbags or Sumo's, but might add one or the other just to assure myself I've covered all the aspects of the chore.

Best to all for a great week.

 

[shift_RUSH]

If actually using/working your truck = truck tasks...just know the factory leaf springs are your weakest link. Match & install aftermarket leaf springs to fit your intended purposes.

I don't tow, so no WDH:
I have airbags and aftermarket medium duty leaf springs installed in the same order, but a few years apart. Had I first installed the medium duty leaf springs, I don't think I would need the airbags...but they're there should they ever be needed.