Went to the scales, interesting.

[Azjeff]

Took a ride to the closest CAT scales Saturday and after making the attendant deal with a dumb RVer got some numbers to look at. Loaded the truck with a full tank of gas, us, 2 dogs, generator, hitch, some tools under the back seat and in the trailer had most of what we'd have in the storage bay, 1/3 (15 gal) tank of fresh water, full propane tanks, but no food clothes or beer.

The truck came in at 7860 and I could see it at 8000 with a couple of bikes and wood etc in the bed. 4260 on the SA, 3600 on the DA. The trailer was 6020 with a calculated tongue weight of 680. Gross weight 13880.

With the WD bars not connected it was 3960 SA, 4580 DA, 5340 TA.
With the WD bars connected it was 4060 SA, 4440 DA, 5380 TA.

SA = steer axle, DA = drive axle, TA = trailer axles.

We drove to the scales with the WD bars engaged and came home with them off. The ride seems less bouncy with the bars off. I'm concerned with not having any anti-sway function without the WD bars but maybe the truck will boss the trailer and we won't need it. It was interesting that the trailer pulled 300lb off of the SA and put it on the DA without the WD bars, hooked up they put 100 lbs back to the front. I took fenderwell measurements and the front didn't move 1/4 inch and the back squatted 1 inch. Tongue weight at 11% is on the light side of the acceptable range. We need to load to the front of the trailer.

The truck has a GVWR of 11,350 and payload of 4097, subtracting what was in the truck from what it scaled at came really close to it's listed curb weight so everything checks out. We have way more truck than trailer right now but I'm guessing that will change.

 

[Wayne]

I'm concerned with not having any anti-sway function without the WD bars but maybe the truck will boss the trailer and we won't need it.

No anti-sway would concern me. I pulled our 30' airstream 300 miles with our 2018 3500 without anti-sway and I still have nightmares about getting passed by semis. It felt like someone was wagging the tail of the truck with the trailer. The pressure wave of the passing semi first pushed the back of the trailer over, which pushed the back of the truck in the other direction. Then the pressure wave on the front of the trailer pushed the back of the truck in the other direction. It was very pronounced and I found it to be a bit scary, because I've watched YouTube trailer sway accidents. With the anti-sway hitch installed there was ZERO sway.

 

[Azjeff]

With this hitch the amount of sway control is determined by how much downforce you put on the spring bars. Where the bars sit on the L brackets on the trailer A frame the more force is more friction from sliding and more friction where the bars pivot in the hitch head. The adjustment isn't very fine, going 1 step less puts me at basically no down force on the bracket and one step more is just about impossible to get the bars onto the L bracket. It's going to take some experimenting.

 

[Wayne]

Maybe a couple pictures of the hitch?

 

[Azjeff]

You adjust the amount of WD by raising or lowering the L bracket mounted to the trailer A frame or changing the angle of the ball mount in relation to the shank with spacers to put more downforce on the bars. The bars have to be parallel and in plane with the L bracket surface to get the most friction when the bar slides on the bracket. They squeal like something's wrong when you're making turns at low speed, people look at you in campgrounds but that's how they're supposed to be. I've seen posts where guys grease the bracket (and kill the anti-sway function).

 

[Wayne]

I get it now, thanks for the explanation. Maybe the only way you can adjust is by pulling the trailer and seeing what you for both sway control and porpoising then adjusting from there.

 

[spasm3]

View attachment 975
You adjust the amount of WD by raising or lowering the L bracket mounted to the trailer A frame or changing the angle of the ball mount in relation to the shank with spacers to put more downforce on the bars. The bars have to be parallel and in plane with the L bracket surface to get the most friction when the bar slides on the bracket. They squeal like something's wrong when you're making turns at low speed, people look at you in campgrounds but that's how they're supposed to be. I've seen posts where guys grease the bracket (and kill the anti-sway function).

Thats the hitch i run. No sway when set up correctly.

I've gotten the same looks lol, It creaks and snaps like something breaking. I don't grease either, that does negate the antisway!
I don't grease the ball either.

 

[Wayne]

Thats the hitch i run. No sway when set up correctly.

Awesome, Spasm has experience with the hitch!

 

[spasm3]

With the WD bars not connected it was 3960 SA, 4580 DA, 5340 TA.
With the WD bars connected it was 4060 SA, 4440 DA, 5380 TA.

SA = steer axle, DA = drive axle, TA = trailer axles.

W Tongue weight at 11% is on the light side of the acceptable range. We need to load to the front of the trailer.

I'm wondering if you have too much preload on the bars. It will porpoise on the highway if it is. You might try lowering the L bracket one bolt hole and see if that helps and should increase the tongue weight.

 

[Azjeff]

I'm wondering if you have too much preload on the bars. It will porpoise on the highway if it is. You might try lowering the L bracket one bolt hole and see if that helps and should increase the tongue weight.

I'm going to give that a try probably. The concern is right now the bars are making nice full contact with the brackets, if I drop the bracket the bar might just rub on the back edge of the bracket and lose that surface area friction that gives the anti-sway. Not sure what else to do. The bars are only taking 140 lbs off the tongue as it is now, doesn't seem like much for a 3500 truck.

 

[Wayne]

The concern is right now the bars are making nice full contact with the brackets, if I drop the bracket the bar might just rub on the back edge of the bracket and lose that surface area friction that gives the anti-sway.

Can you tip the L brackets enough to keep full contact with the bars?

 

[Azjeff]

I'll have to take a look, I'd have to tip the mount on the trailer frame, the holes in the brackets are pretty tight. Not right now, I have things to do in the mornings and it's 100 by noon. But the humidity is 11% or less.