Towing light trailer with 2011 Pathfinder- Need for WDH????

[marc515]

Wow,....this topic is so confusing. Talked to a 3rd RV dealer today and he indicated the same as the other two, that I really only needed sway control for a such a light trailer as the MPG, and that WDH's were meant for heavier and longer trailers.

The MPG has a loaded GVWR of 3,800 Lbs, but do not think we'll go over 3,500 Lbs.

Unloaded the MPG is 2,800 Lbs. When we towed it home the rear of the Path dropped about 2" and the front went up about 3/4". When fully loaded, the numbers will increase slightly.

I've done a lot of reading on Weight Distribution Hitches, and from what I see, most who use them are towing trailers 5,000 Lbs or more, and I can understand the need for one. It also appears that folks with lighter trailers are only using sway control- Not sure if that's good or bad.

I emailed Heartland and here's their response: "We have not designed or tested the units with weight distribution systems. You will find that some customers would insist they need one and some customers that don’t, it will be a preference. I would advise to test drive the unit without and see if the sway of the unit is acceptable. If the unit sways more than you are comfortable with then you would need to look into installing some type of system. Sorry we couldn’t be more helpful with this issue"

So, I'm not sure if I should get the 600/6,000 Lb "E2" WDH, or just sway control.

Would greatly appreciate if you guys with light trailers like the MPG could explain the advantages to using a WDH Vs only Sway control?

I'm really trying to do the right and safe thing, and want to fully understand it all.

[skinny2]

I've been towing for a long time and usually recommend the safest options....I've seen a lot of wrecks involving tow vehicles! That being said I personally wouldn't bother with a WDH or Sway with this setup unless there's something about it that makes it pull funky. The Pathfinder is a pretty stout setup for towing and you're not even scratching the limits with this trailer.

I would (and have) installed the Airlift 1000 airbags which gives you a lot of benefit even when not towing. That will easily level things out when towing and give you serious bang for the buck. If after that you pull this and for whatever reason aren't comfortable then install the WDH and sway.

[CPLTECH]

Last fall was the first time I took our 1997 lightweight 20’ (total length) Jayco (2800# empty). Drove 600 miles. I felt comfortable with it without a sway bar or WDH, but then again I drove ~60 MPH most of the time. Now a higher speed might make things get a little squirrelly. I had a 98 Tahoe that weighed ~1000# more than the PF and the handling felt slightly better.
My RV tech told me a 2” squat was OK. Be sure to load trailer proper: 10-15% of the weight on the hitch. As for water, I put just enough to wash hands and a few flushes. That usually gets us to the campground with the least amount of useless pounds. A side thought: While on the road, be sure to switch water pump OFF when not using the water. A low battery causes the pump to draw high amps & fry motor. To us, camping is a preferred experience than a lodge in the same park. Enjoy