|
|
Post Reply 
|
Page 12> |
| Author |
 Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search  Topic Options
|
Colonel Podder 
Groupie 
Joined: 25 Sep 2020 Location: Lexington, SC Online Status: Offline Posts: 68 |
 Topic: Yukon TV & rp-196Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 8:23am |
|
Hello Everyone!
Another newbie here with another newbie towing question. My wife and I have a 196 on order, and with delivery expected around December/January I have some time to research and make decisions on some different topics around camping. We are both very excited about our new chapter in life and look forward to the many adventures. We look forward to meeting the many like minded folks in the RV/Camper community! To start, we plan to do mostly local travel, and then expand our travels as experience accumulates and time goes by. So, we would like to get as much right from the start that we can. My question is as follows; I have a 2017 Yukon with a tow rating of 6500lbs. What I am trying to decide is if I need to have a weight distribution/sway control type hitch? I don't like complexity that is not needed, but I do care about safety. From my research I have found some information that says my 2017 Yukon has an anti-sway feature. It will detect and automatically apply the trailer brakes when sway is detected. My research has also shown that I have a 1000lb tongue weight rating. My brake controller is a Redarc Tow-pro Elite. So with this information, is a WD/sway control hitch needed for safety reasons? This isn't a decision about saving $500 on a hitch, it is more about keeping things simple and making the journey easier. I would love to hear thoughts from anyone on this subject. Thank you!
|
|
 |
|
|
lostagain
Senior Member 
Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 9:24am |
|
We use a WHD and are very happy to have it. It is a Fastway e2 round bar. The head stays in the receiver all camping season so there is no messing with that end of the hitch except to put it in in the spring and take it out in the winter. Hooking up the trailer, once you go through the simple set up process, takes just a few minutes. The tongue jack raises and lowers to trailer to position the torsion bars. Though our TV has plenty of towing capacity, the WHD smoothes out the ride and stabilizes the trailer. It is much more comfortable driving with the WHD. We got it when we bought our 172 and used it with a Dakota originally. When we replaced the TV and trailer, the WHD was moved to the new rig.
There are a number of good WHD's on the market and you will hear a variety of preferences from the members of this board. Personally, I have no experience with other brands, so I can't comment on which is better than the others. I share your feelings about keeping things simple and the Fastway e2 meets that criterion. [Disclaimer - I have no financial or other interest in Fastway.]
|
|
|
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
|
|
|
|
offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 10:15am |
|
First, let's separate the antisway from the weight distribution function. While some hitches perform both at once, they aren't the same at all.
When you hang a trailer on your hitch the tow vehicle acts like a teeter totter so the load on the front axle goes down. That weight has to go somewhere so the load on the rear axle goes up by the tongue weight of the trailer PLUS the amount of weight that has been lifter off the front axle. Since the front axle does all the steering and has the best brakes on your rig, that isn't a good thing. A wdh counteracts that and when its set up right it puts the weight on the front axle back where it was before hanging the trailer on there. That will without doubt make things "safer", but it is not required. It will also help improve your ride and handling, not sure how noticeable that would be with your Yukon. On to antisway. In my opinion you want belt and suspenders for that. First, the belt. Load the trailer properly, which means at least 10% tongue weight, preferably 12%, or more, under all load conditions. That means if you plan on boon docking, with a load of water in any one tank, all your gear and supplies, etc. Then, the suspenders. Some type of antisway system for the trailer. Unless your Yukon antisway controls your trailer brakes directly (a few systems do now) then its not really keeping the trailer behind the tow vehicle, only limiting sway on the tow vehicle itself. The mechanical antisway systems restrict pivoting around the ball so do work to keep the trailer from wanting to be in front of you. These can be purchased either as part of the wdh or as completely separate systems. If you want simplicity and decide to get a wdh then you probably want one with integrated sway control so its easier to connect and disconnect. The other approach is an aftermarket electronic antisway trailer brake controller that creates differential braking action to bring the trailer back in line if it starts to sway. That requires no additional time once its been set up during installation. So if you decide you don't want the hassle of a wdh you might still want to get one of those for sway.
|
|
|
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
|
|
|
|
GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 11:08am |
|
I'm with lostagain on this one. Our F-150 (11,000+ lb towing capacity) does not "need" a WDH, but it makes a huge difference when we're towing. The first thing we notice is that the "bounce" is far more dampened when the WDH is connected. The second thing we notice is that the WDH brings the headlights down to their proper level.
It does not take very long to hook up the WDH either. Only takes a couple of minutes. We're much happier with it connected than not. We also have a Fastway E2 roundbar. We didn't pick it, the RV dealer we bought the Rpod from recommended it, and installed it as part of our purchase.
|
|
|
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
|
|
|
|
ash
Newbie 
Joined: 23 Sep 2020 Location: Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 13 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 12:58pm |
|
Congratulation Colonel Podder on your new R Pod!
I just bought the same trailer (2021 R Pod 196) a couple of months ago from a RV dealership in Las Vegas, NV. I live in Colorado, and I had to fly out to Las Vegas, rent a 2020 GMC Yukon XL, and tow my R Pod home. It was quite an adventure.  I thought that I did not need a WDH or brake controller because this trailer was so light (only 3,500lbs), so I only put a 2 inch hitch ball in my travel backpack. Well, I was wrong.  Good thing, the dealership made me purchase a wireless (Bluetooth) brake controller before they would allow me to leave the RV parking lot (required by NV state law for any trailer above 3,000lbs).  The minute my wife and I left the RV dealership and enter the highway, the trailer started to sway and bounce once we went over 50mph. Since the trailer was so light, I did not even notice that it was swaying until I saw it in my rear view mirrors. Luckily, there was no traffic, and I was able to control the sway of the trailer with my brake controller. From that moment on, instead of going 80mph (NV highway speed limit), we only did 50mph all the way from Las Vegas, NV to Denver, CO. In some areas, we even had to slow down to 40-45mph due to high winds. A 13 hour one-way road trip took us 21 hours to complete. Once I got home, I installed my Equalizer WDH (from my old camper) on the new camper, took it for a spin at 85-90mph, and noticed NO sway. I have done 4 camping trips so far, passing cars, campers, and semi-trucks at 75-80mph, and no sway at all (riding super smooth).  The moral of the story: This trailer is super light, but it is also pretty tall. Tall and light are the perfect combination for disaster when it comes down to speed and wind. I would recommend you buy a good WDH system with sway control. It will save you from headaches and troubles down the road. |
|
|
|
|
Pod_Geek
Senior Member
Joined: 04 Dec 2019 Location: Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 260 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 1:21pm |
 |
|
|
2020.5 R-Pod 195 Hood River
2018 RAM 2500 6.4L |
|
|
|
|
GlueGuy
Senior Member
Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 1:30pm |
|
You are pulling your trailer at 90 MPH?!? Seriously?
|
|
|
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
|
|
|
|
StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 1:59pm |
|
Not really a good idea to go that fast. Not only is the chance of disaster increased, but the increased wind resistance will mean you will be getting horrible gas mileage. It is also good to check and see if there is a towing speed limit where you will be towing. We had an accident in Wyoming. The speed limit on I80 was posted at 80 mph. Turns out, I was doing the legal towing speed limit of 60 mph, so I was not cited. It was ice with a crosswind and was written up as unavoidable instead of me doing something stupid. In addition, I don't think the tires are rated for that fast a speed. You don't want a blowout at high speed (or any speed for that matter), but higher speeds increase that possibility.
|
|
|
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
|
|
|
|
ash
Newbie
Joined: 23 Sep 2020 Location: Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 13 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 2:54pm |
|
Hey guys,
I did 85-90mph during my test only when I first installed my Equalizer WDH.  However, some of our highways' speed limit are still 75mph, so going 75-80mph is no problem here (especially with such a light trailer). Even with the full load of water, I get no problem passing people going up the mountain. I love my WDH & sway control system.  |
|
|
2021 R Pod 196
|
|
|
|
|
lostagain
Senior Member
Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Posted: 29 Sep 2020 at 2:58pm |
|
80-90 mph???
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
|
|
|
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
|
|
|
|
Post Reply
|
Page 12> |
| Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
Yukon TV & rp-196