Weight Distribution Hitch weight added to Trailer tongue weight or truck hitch weight?

[Stewie]

Trusting all of your great comments. I am looking for help in finding out if I need to add the weight of my WDH to the tongue weight of my camper, or of my truck, or do I need to factor it in at all? It's heavy. Thank you

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[Jersey]

Truck payload.

 

[ygrignon]

It’s weighing down on your hitch so hitch weight would be WDH + trailer tongue weight

 

[sharpsicle]

A WDH distributes weight, it doesn't add or remove it. It only changes what axle is supporting it. That being said, tongue weight is determined without the hitch. It's measured right off the trailer's tongue. The WDH is on the vehicle side of the equation and would be considered payload.

More good reading if you want to fall down the rabbit hole:
https://www.rvforum.net/threads/how-does-a-wd-hitch-affect-tongue-weight.144869/

 

[jeepers29]

An Anderson WDH is about half the weight of normal WDH's. FYI

 

[Snake Eyes]

Adds to your payload. Put it in the hitch and then go weigh the truck. We have an E2. All a WD does is distribute the weight more to the front axle and a little bit back to trailer. It does nothing to reduce the tongue weight. Basically go weight your truck alone then go weigh with your trailer attached then use all the math to make sure you are in your truck payload, in your trailer GVWR, in your GCWR, and also in your axle weights for the trailer, your truck front axle and your back truck axle. You will also be able to use the math after weighing truck and then truck with trailer to see what the true tongue weight is on your hitch. Also do all the proper measuring of your front wheel well before attaching trailer with WD and use the math charts out there to make sure the WD is set properly.

 

[Stewie]

Adds to your payload. Put it in the hitch and then go weigh the truck. We have an E2. All a WD does is distribute the weight more to the front axle and a little bit back to trailer. It does nothing to reduce the tongue weight. Basically go weight your truck alone then go weigh with your trailer attached then use all the math to make sure you are in your truck payload, in your trailer GVWR, in your GCWR, and also in your axle weights for the trailer, your truck front axle and your back truck axle. You will also be able to use the math after weighing truck and then truck with trailer to see what the true tongue weight is on your hitch. Also do all the proper measuring of your front wheel well before attaching trailer with WD and use the math charts out there to make sure the WD is set properly.

Thank you. This was an extremely helpful explanation.

 

[Stewie]

A WDH distributes weight, it doesn't add or remove it. It only changes what axle is supporting it. That being said, tongue weight is determined without the hitch. It's measured right off the trailer's tongue. The WDH is on the vehicle side of the equation and would be considered payload.

More good reading if you want to fall down the rabbit hole:
https://www.rvforum.net/threads/how-does-a-wd-hitch-affect-tongue-weight.144869/

Understood. All of the information I have is that the tongue weight is part of the payload also. Not sure if I'm confused or confusing hitch weight and tongue weight.

 

[Stewie]

Thank you. This was an extremely helpful explanation.

Do you recommend any math charts already made up?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

A WDH distributes weight, it doesn't add or remove it. It only changes what axle is supporting it. That being said, tongue weight is determined without the hitch. It's measured right off the trailer's tongue. The WDH is on the vehicle side of the equation and would be considered payload.

More good reading if you want to fall down the rabbit hole:
https://www.rvforum.net/threads/how-does-a-wd-hitch-affect-tongue-weight.144869/

Yeah
The WDH hitch itself is heavy, so is extra weight on the ball. So it's going to count against payload.
Too many people believe that a WDH hitch takes weight off the ball so you can have MORE tongue weight. Doesn't work that way. It's sort of a quantum thing - it's there and not there at the same time. It counts against payload, it doesn't reduce tongue weight at all so if the tongue is 600 pounds, even with a WDH, it's 600 pounds.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Understood. All of the information I have is that the tongue weight is part of the payload also. Not sure if I'm confused or confusing hitch weight and tongue weight.

Tongue weight counts against payload. If the tongue weight is 500 pounds, and your payload rating is 1100 pounds, you have 600 payload pounds left.
I use a hydraulic scale to weigh the tongue of my trailer after I load a car on to make sure the car is where I want it, and my tongue weight is where I prefer it to be.
if I used a WDH, I'd still have that 500 pounds against the payload, and the weight of the WDH would come from the remaining 600 pounds, reducing it by the weight of the WDH itself.

 

[Jobofly]

I know this is an old thread but i am curious, does a WDH lower the weight on the hitch and distribute it over the rest of the vehicle? For example, if my camper has a tongue weight of 550lbs, with a WDH is the tongue weight still 550lbs?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I know this is an old thread but i am curious, does a WDH lower the weight on the hitch and distribute it over the rest of the vehicle? For example, if my camper has a tongue weight of 550lbs, with a WDH is the tongue weight still 550lbs?

Yes. Tongue weight is tongue weight. If it starts a 550, you have to assume it's 550 in the end.
It does not lower tongue weight.
there are articles and videos out there explaining the physics and such behind it.

 

[Jobofly]

Yes. Tongue weight is tongue weight. If it starts a 550, you have to assume it's 550 in the end.
It does not lower tongue weight.
there are articles and videos out there explaining the physics and such behind it.

Thats what i thought. Thanks man

 

[Jaxmax]

The hitch does distribute the weight
towards front axle, you will see this if using a scale total weight is the same but as the front loads up the rear unloads or visa-versa, almost to the pound. I also think although THE HITCH WEIGHT DOES NOT CHANGE it will also put some amount of weight distribution back onto trailer suspension……Jack

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