Just ordered my 2013 Lance 1575 for delivery in June. Now I'm looking for some advice on weight distribution hitch & sway control. Reese, Anderson, so many to chose from. Any reccomendations for use with a 2009 Toyota Tacoma with factory installed hitch?
I tow a slightly larger trailer with a Nissan Frontier and I use an inexpensive weight distributing hitch with a friction type anti-sway arm. The combination works well but the anti-sway bar is annoying at times. If I knew then what I know now, I would have spent a little more money on a WD hitch with an integrated anti-sway mechanism that doesn't have to be installed and removed all the time. I believe the Reese Dual Cam that usmc616 mentioned is like that.
The lowest cost WD system brand is usually the original EazLift. Weight Distribution hitches were invented by M.H. Mathisen in 1952 and he called his company EazLift. Other immitating brands still use many parts manufactured by the same EazLift factories, particularily the WD bars. The upside to a more expensive brand of the EazLift design is that some spring bars are easier to connect. Otherwise the performance is indentical in spite of a wide variance in price.
Almost all WD hitches operate basically identically and depend on friction for sway control if sway control is even needed. In most cases sway is not a problem when the hitch is properly installed, and some hitches similar to EazLift need not have any friction device connected as it is just an option. Other brands may not allow the friction, or other sway control, to be disconnected, even on slippery roads where it is a detriment.
Hitches that have slightly different sway control, other than pure friction, are the Reese Dual Cam, Hensley designed geometric hitches and PullRite. The Reese uses a detented cam to encourage the hitch to always aim straight ahead, but will yield for a turn if the road is not too slippery. The geometric hitches essentially use some fancy linkage to increase the tow vehicle leverage on controlling the TT tongue and usually work pretty good, even on slippery roads. One hitch that is highly regarded by all is the PullRite. The PullRite exerts the same leverage as the geometric hitches except it is done linkage-free. The hitch actually attaches right next to the axle under the tow vehicle, giving great real leverage and preventing the trailer from wagging the hitch ball way behind the rear wheels. The one downside to the PullRite is it is usually more difficult to install.
Wes
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I agree with Wes that sway control is not always necessary. Sometimes, I don't even install the anti-sway friction arm. However, I predict that with the setup you are going to have, you will feel considerable sway on Interstate highways when big trucks and class A motor homes pass. This isn't really a safety issue except in extreme cases but the use of anti-sway does make the trailer feel more stable.
I have in mind the 6,000 lb. Equal-i-zer Sway Control Hitch
(pt# 90-00-0600) from www.AdventureRV.net.
Does anyone know if the frame rails on the Lance 1575 require a larger/specific size link plate for supporting the "L" brackets?
I have a Lance 1575 and it is doubtful you would need a w/d set up. with less than 400# tongue weight there is little need for one. These trailers weigh less than 3000# and are meant to be towed by smaller vehicles. In addition I do not think Lance recommends one for the 1575 because it has the newer light weight frame.
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2012 Toyota FJ-500 miles
2012 Escape 19'
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I just purchased a 1575 and I pull it with a Ford Ranger 4L 4x4. I was going to get a WD hitch myself but was asked to wait by the dealer and Lance to see if I actually needed one. If I did need a WD hitch a EQ90 by equalizer was what was recommended by Lance. That hitch has the special brackets for the Frame that Lance uses.
Even though I run my tongue at 400# and my camper loaded is about 3200# I find I do not need a WD hitch. It tows great.
The problem I found with the WD hitch is it added about 80# to the gross weight of my truck. Add another 400# for the camper on the hitch, the weight of me and my girlfriend and our gear, and I nearly maxed out the Rangers Gross Weight Limit. Even though my Ranger is setup to tow 5600# I realistically cannot do it because of the trucks gross weight limit.
Many vehicles may say they can tow 3500#, but the limits of the tow vehicles Gross Vehicle Weight is often exceeded when they try. That is why it is a bit of a misconception that a small vehicle can realistically and safely tow 3500#.
2012 Lance 1575 pulled behind a Ford Ranger 4L 4x4
dragonmyst wrote: I just purchased a 1575 and I pull it with a Ford Ranger 4L 4x4. I was going to get a WD hitch myself but was asked to wait by the dealer and Lance to see if I actually needed one. If I did need a WD hitch a EQ90 by equalizer was what was recommended by Lance. That hitch has the special brackets for the Frame that Lance uses.
Even though I run my tongue at 400# and my camper loaded is about 3200# I find I do not need a WD hitch. It tows great.
The problem I found with the WD hitch is it added about 80# to the gross weight of my truck. Add another 400# for the camper on the hitch, the weight of me and my girlfriend and our gear, and I nearly maxed out the Rangers Gross Weight Limit. Even though my Ranger is setup to tow 5600# I realistically cannot do it because of the trucks gross weight limit.
Many vehicles may say they can tow 3500#, but the limits of the tow vehicles Gross Vehicle Weight is often exceeded when they try. That is why it is a bit of a misconception that a small vehicle can realistically and safely tow 3500#.
The WD hitch, while it adds (or replaces) weight to the front truck axle, should remove some of the 400 tongue #'s, plus part of it's own weight, off the rear axle. Considering that the WD hitch spreads the removed portion of the 400+ # tongue weight between the TT axle(s) and front steering axle, the overall weight on the truck (or other vehicle) should be less than that without a WD setup. The reason is the trailer axle(s) end up carrying part of the original tongue weight. A person might have to weigh such a rig, axle by axle, to fully realize this fact.
The Ford Ranger truck should make a good tow vehicle. My 1994 4L Mazda (same as Ranger) weighs about 4-4100 #'s, but I found the truck still a bit small for our heavier 30 footer, especially highway hill-power. Still, I think the Ford Ranger is actually built heavier duty than some minivans and passenger cars that are safely used as tow vehicles in Canada.
Some Canadian users have quite a different, and apparently successful, view from the U.S. on how light, or heavy a tow vehicle need be with proper WD. My philosophy is... hey, if works, more power to them.
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