If you stay within the manufacturer's ratings, there is no reason to worry about it.
2002 Chevy 3500 DRW 8.1L/Allison
2000 Palomino B1500
...and the reason why I need a DRW to haul a Palomino:
2004 United 7x14 tandem axle enclosed toy trailer
2011 PJ 8x20 7-ton deckover equipment trailer
Provided the vehicle was designed and tested with weight distribution in mind, I wouldn't anticipate any issues. If, however, you're looking at adding a WDH to a vehicle not rated for one, I would not expect it to be long for this world.
One minivan maker (dodge) required 'em!
A load equalizing hitch is recommended for loaded trailer weights above 1,000 lbs (454 kg) and required for weights above 2,000 lbs (907 kg). (2004)
Later manuals suggested
"Trailer sway control and a weight distributing (load equalizing) hitch are recommended for heavier tongue weights (TW), and may be required depending on vehicle and trailer configuration/loading to comply with gross axle weight rating (GAWR) requirements.
I would check with the vehicle manufacturer before installing one. SOME unibody vehicles will not stand the forces applied by a WD system and others limit the amount of pressure they can handle. They SHOULD be able to tell you the details about using them.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
gmw photos wrote: How many folks use weight distribution hitches with their unibody tow vehicle ? Anybody have any specific experience that was bad using this combo ?
george
Seeing as how Dodge and Plymouth sedans & wagons were the tow vehicle of choice for much of the 1960's and '70's -- and unibodies, every one of them -- the history of WDH and unibody has depth & breadth. Done right, unibody is stronger than body-on-frame.
It would probably help to be specific about the vehicle being considered. Here, or elsewhere, someone already has experience with it.
They only mention handling, but I say the real reason is that the monocoque
can't transmit the WD forces through the spot welded together body sections.
Bought my 2000 Odyssey used and it came with a U-Haul receiver (1.25
square pin box)
Even with just my bicycle rack, it flexes much more than I'm comfortable
with and consider that approx 150-200 lbs more than any tongue weight
I'd like to tow
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
gijoecam wrote: Provided the vehicle was designed and tested with weight distribution in mind, I wouldn't anticipate any issues. If, however, you're looking at adding a WDH to a vehicle not rated for one, I would not expect it to be long for this world.
Kinda what I thought. I'm doing a custom hitch to spread the stresses out more, along more of the rear sub-frame rails. I'm not going WD, however. Instead, I'm upgrading the rear suspension. But I'm playing with a RWD unit-body car that was built with a solid rear axle. And even so, I'm adding a full roll-cage ( custom-revised ) with my sub-frame connectors to keep the car from becoming a giant metal banana.
How far you want to go is up to you, but as Stephen Tyler said; anything worth doing is worth overdoing.
'06 GMC C2500HD RCLB gasser 4.10:1, 4L80E, custom camshaft
'84 Trans Am 6.2 diesel, 700R-4, custom Class-3 receiver
'69 F350 dually. GM 6.2 diesel, turbo, 700R-4, NP208 all pending.
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