Question: Aluminum Boat Trailer (4500 lbs loaded) Can’t Take Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH)

[RudeJeepin]

Electronic sway control is retroactive. Hitch mounted sway control is proactive. I know which way I'd want to go.
I also know I'd much rather use a WDH vs airbags if possible. And yes I know the OP said the boat trailer manufacturer says no WDH. I'm just saying, I've got tons of experience pulling trailers. Boat, camper, utility, cargo, car, equipment, bumper pull, 5th wheel, pintle, goose neck. About the only thing I've never pulled is double or triples. I've used every thing from my CJ5 to full grown 18 wheelers.
So I feel I know what I'm doing. Yes, I've used airbags on 2 different pickups, but those were for the loads in the bed. With both trucks, I also used WDH when towing a big camper.
When possible a WDH is always better than airbags for tongue weight. Sometimes airbags are needed, but they are more for payload. Airbags will level the truck, but they don't help add any weight back onto the front axle like a WDH does.

Just my opinions based on my experiences and research. Take it or leave it.

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[Dave-in-RI]

It’s an older boat with a brand new $7500 trailer (allegedly; looks it, and he said he’s got receipts for everything). It’s just a shame it’s aluminum I beam “no WDH, the Y joint can’t take that stress”. Someone mentioned reinforcing, I’m interested in that. I ordered a set of air bags (Air Lift 1000s for the Gladiator; $109) and they come Monday. I think it’s the best I’m gonna be able to do for now. Maybe I spring for that winch and get the nose weight another way honey….

 

[Gladiatorguy]

Another thought: I had a friend with a boat just like mine (4,500 lbs boat only) on an aluminum trailer. No WDH. He towed with a HD pickup. At a regatta, fortunately while parked, the tongue of his trailer suddenly fatigued and broke off at the coupler. So, check at every stop for any signs of fatigue.
BTW, classic CD sailboats are head-turners. I chartered a CD 25 many years ago out of Marion, MA. Sailed around Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, Martha’s, Cuttyhunk, Woods Hole, etc. We got compliments on the boat everywhere we went. Wishing you fair winds and following seas. Enjoy!

 

[Janster]

Just my 2 cents…… if you have trailer brakes, you really NEED to get a brake controller!!!

Having those trailer brakes fully functional is extremely important.
Get a controller that has a manual switch…. If your trailer starts to sway, you can reach down and put the brakes on.

In some states…. It could be illegal to drive the trailer without functional trailer brakes.

 

[DylanM]

Just my 2 cents…… if you have trailer brakes, you really NEED to get a brake controller!!!

Having those trailer brakes fully functional is extremely important.
Get a controller that has a manual switch…. If your trailer starts to sway, you can reach down and put the brakes on.

In some states…. It could be illegal to drive the trailer without functional trailer brakes.

OP stated the trailer has surge brakes.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Electronic sway control is retroactive. Hitch mounted sway control is proactive. I know which way I'd want to go.
I also know I'd much rather use a WDH vs airbags if possible. And yes I know the OP said the boat trailer manufacturer says no WDH. I'm just saying, I've got tons of experience pulling trailers. Boat, camper, utility, cargo, car, equipment, bumper pull, 5th wheel, pintle, goose neck. About the only thing I've never pulled is double or triples. I've used every thing from my CJ5 to full grown 18 wheelers.
So I feel I know what I'm doing. Yes, I've used airbags on 2 different pickups, but those were for the loads in the bed. With both trucks, I also used WDH when towing a big camper.
When possible a WDH is always better than airbags for tongue weight. Sometimes airbags are needed, but they are more for payload. Airbags will level the truck, but they don't help add any weight back onto the front axle like a WDH does.

Just my opinions based on my experiences and research. Take it or leave it.

There are some trailers you should NOT use a WDH on - too much stress. You'll find a good discussion on this from 2 or 3 years ago when Dave here ran into the same thing and ended up having to reinforce his trailer tongue.
An engineer gave me the details on the stresses and such for my trailer.

ESC detects sway before it actually begins and prevents it, so no, it's not really "after the fact".

I have towed flat bed trailers of all sorts hauling tractors, cars, trucks, farm equipment as well - I only ever used a WDH on one flat bed and it was so bloody heavy and not exactly built as it should have been. Otherwise, my PJ and Aluma I've hauled all over the country with Ford, Chevy and now Jeep - the air bags worked fine for weights as low as we're talking. If I was hauling over 5,000 pounds, I might reconsider, but then, I'd have to buy a heavier trailer and that sort of defeats the purpose!

Just my 2 cents…… if you have trailer brakes, you really NEED to get a brake controller!!!

Having those trailer brakes fully functional is extremely important.
Get a controller that has a manual switch…. If your trailer starts to sway, you can reach down and put the brakes on.

In some states…. It could be illegal to drive the trailer without functional trailer brakes.

Most boat trailers of any age at all have surge brakes. The OP stated his had surge brakes. You don't find electric brakes on many boat trailers until later years, or much more expensive units.

2,000 pounds is the typical law for trailer brakes, and they can be of any sort - surge, electric and so on.

Most trailers like boat trailers are so long-tongued they won't sway very easily at all. Proper loading can also pretty much rule out sway with boat trailers and well-designed car haulers. They take a lot more real estate to turn them around, but sway is unlikely if properly loaded.

I haven't run mechanical/physical sway control in decades nor a WDH - the exceptions being when I had a camper. There it was a must, the weight is way up high and the proportions of the trailer aren't like my car hauler or many boat trailers.

Another thought: I had a friend with a boat just like mine (4,500 lbs boat only) on an aluminum trailer. No WDH. He towed with a HD pickup. At a regatta, fortunately while parked, the tongue of his trailer suddenly fatigued and broke off at the coupler.

That had nothing to do with not having a WDH - in fact, a WDH would have been MORE LIKELY to bust an aluminum trailer tongue. Talk to the engineers at Aluma. You add a hell of a lot of stress to a trailer tongue with a WDH and they should only be used on steel frames that are made to handle that sort of stress.
If he didn't buy it new, it's possible a prior owner used a WDH with it and stressed it.
The forces on a trailer tongue are pretty high at dips and uneven surfaces with a WDH.
Only ever run a WDH on a trailer that's designed for that sort of loading/stress.

 

[Dave-in-RI]

There are some trailers you should NOT use a WDH on - too much stress. You'll find a good discussion on this from 2 or 3 years ago when Dave here ran into the same thing and ended up having to reinforce his trailer tongue.
An engineer gave me the details on the stresses and such for my trailer.

ESC detects sway before it actually begins and prevents it, so no, it's not really "after the fact".

I have towed flat bed trailers of all sorts hauling tractors, cars, trucks, farm equipment as well - I only ever used a WDH on one flat bed and it was so bloody heavy and not exactly built as it should have been. Otherwise, my PJ and Aluma I've hauled all over the country with Ford, Chevy and now Jeep - the air bags worked fine for weights as low as we're talking. If I was hauling over 5,000 pounds, I might reconsider, but then, I'd have to buy a heavier trailer and that sort of defeats the purpose!


Most boat trailers of any age at all have surge brakes. The OP stated his had surge brakes. You don't find electric brakes on many boat trailers until later years, or much more expensive units.

2,000 pounds is the typical law for trailer brakes, and they can be of any sort - surge, electric and so on.

Most trailers like boat trailers are so long-tongued they won't sway very easily at all. Proper loading can also pretty much rule out sway with boat trailers and well-designed car haulers. They take a lot more real estate to turn them around, but sway is unlikely if properly loaded.

I haven't run mechanical/physical sway control in decades nor a WDH - the exceptions being when I had a camper. There it was a must, the weight is way up high and the proportions of the trailer aren't like my car hauler or many boat trailers.



That had nothing to do with not having a WDH - in fact, a WDH would have been MORE LIKELY to bust an aluminum trailer tongue. Talk to the engineers at Aluma. You add a hell of a lot of stress to a trailer tongue with a WDH and they should only be used on steel frames that are made to handle that sort of stress.
If he didn't buy it new, it's possible a prior owner used a WDH with it and stressed it.
The forces on a trailer tongue are pretty high at dips and uneven surfaces with a WDH.
Only ever run a WDH on a trailer that's designed for that sort of loading/stress.

Thanks. That’s all what I had learned prior to my post (and I’m glad it’s here in writing for forum posterity). What I didn’t know, being a < 1 year Gladiator owner but long time forum user, is how bad the “sag” would be in real life. The manual suggests a WDH but doesn’t restrict certain weights to needing it, and so I didn’t know if the sag stories I’d read in the past were even with WDH or just frame receiver hitch— plus so many of you folks have modified suspensions or Mojaves with more cushion for the pushin’. My AirLift 1000 come tomorrow and I’ll install them before heading down to MD. That way they’re there, and it’s my only option apart from a bigger truck.


Thanks again to all

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Also keep in mind - if you have 500 pounds of tongue weight, WDH or not, it's still 500 pounds of tongue weight, and, it still counts the same as payload.

 

[RudeJeepin]

There are some trailers you should NOT use a WDH on - too much stress.

ESC detects sway before it actually begins and prevents it, so no, it's not really "after the fact".

I haven't run mechanical/physical sway control in decades nor a WDH - the exceptions being when I had a camper. There it was a must, the weight is way up high and the proportions of the trailer aren't like my car hauler or many boat trailers.

You add a hell of a lot of stress to a trailer tongue with a WDH and they should only be used on steel frames that are made to handle that sort of stress.

"There are some trailers you should NOT use a WDH on - too much stress."
That's why I said "when possible," about using a WDH.


ESC might detect sway before you do, but it has to start before the ESC can detect it. The Gladiator is my 3rd pickup with ESC, so it's not new to me. It does help, but I've pulled our old camp trailer and our current enclosed trailer with and without sway control. As well as with and without a WDH. There definitely is a noticeable difference in how they handle with the external sway control and WDH. With the camp trailer, if I didn't carry water, I didn't need the WDH behind my 3/4 ton. The water tank when full added roughly 300 pounds of tongue weight. Once I pulled the camp trailer with the sway control, I never pulled it again without it.


I do live in a very windy region, so I deal with side winds that are gusty at times. Along with semi trucks and other big rigs that push a lot of air and can move a covered type trailer around.
Boats, open car haulers, and utility type trailers are less likely to have sway issues caused by wind.


WDH definitely adds stress to the tongue. There are aluminum framed trailers that are designed to handle WDHs. But yes, you should definitely make sure before you add a WDH to your setup.


My bother in law ran a WDH on his old boat trailer, but only when he had the camper on the back of his pickup. That trailer was designed to handle a WDH. It was also a fairly heavy boat. With his new boat, he doesn't use one. The new trailer has a folding tongue, and the boat is lighter than the old one.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The Gladiator is my 3rd pickup with ESC, so it's not new to me. It does help, but I've pulled our old camp trailer and our current enclosed trailer with and without sway control. As well as with and without a WDH. There definitely is a noticeable difference in how they handle with the external sway control and WDH. With the camp trailer, if I didn't carry water, I didn't need the WDH behind my 3/4 ton. The water tank when full added roughly 300 pounds of tongue weight. Once I pulled the camp trailer with the sway control, I never pulled it again without it.

What I've found -
I'd not pull a camper without WDH and a sway control device.
A boat or flat bed car hauler - very different, no problems without.

It's almost always windy here, and one reason I seldom remove doors and/or roof and I don't always see 8th gear even with this Mojave with the 4.10 gearing. We're a very windy state.
A tall pull - like most campers, it's ugly without WDH and good sway control. Height matters as well. There's some good youtube videos I've posted before that show the height of the weight you are towing matters a lot in sway, as well as other factors.

I suspect we are actually saying similar things, made to look different by the different items being pulled.

There's a lot of distance ball to front axle, and that helps.

if people look at the tracking of a swaying trailer, you will see that the trailer is actually covering more distance than the tow vehicle, it's going FASTER than the tow vehicle and to do so, it has to cover more ground, and swings back and forth behind the tow vehicle.
That's why hitting the trailer brakes ONLY where possible (electric brakes) will stop a sway - you are slowing the trailer only.

 

[smlobx]

All this discussion about a boat trailer and we still haven’t seen a picture of the boat…

Just sayin’

 

[69charged]

I pull my boat with my diesel as well. Although not quite as heavy at 3600 empty. 21’ Malibu. Mine squats pretty good as well, and someday I’ll get bags or something, but it’s not the end of the world for me. When I bought it, it was 7 hours away. Also has surge brakes so had no problems there. I did 100-105kms and hour on the highway, and had no problems with sway or anything else.
Wouldn’t want to pull in the mountains or anything, but we trailer our boat every where we take it.

 

[Dave-in-RI]

All this discussion about a boat trailer and we still haven’t seen a picture of the boat…

Just sayin’

C-Dory 22 (not related to Cape Dory, oddly, made doubly odd that someone bought both the later evolution of this hull and also the naming rights to Cape Dory, and started making a Cape Dory Marinaut 21 which isn't a C-Dory or a Cape Dory (in the traditional sense)). 22' pilothouse modified dory hull (sharp entry to trim down into the chop, flat aft for good economy: 6mpg isn't unheard of at good cruising speed; top out around 30mph). Helm seat flips forward, table also hinges for more space, and converts to extra berth. Stove and usually a heater on the other side near sink. Good cockpit size. Wanted one for years. This is a 2005, but will be new to me. (I scribbled over the reg # up front and on the trailer)

 

[69charged]

C-Dory 22 (not related to Cape Dory, oddly, made doubly odd that someone bought both the later evolution of this hull and also the naming rights to Cape Dory, and started making a Cape Dory Marinaut 21 which isn't a C-Dory or a Cape Dory (in the traditional sense)). 22' pilothouse modified dory hull (sharp entry to trim down into the chop, flat aft for good economy: 6mpg isn't unheard of at good cruising speed; top out around 30mph). Helm seat flips forward, table also hinges for more space, and converts to extra berth. Stove and usually a heater on the other side near sink. Good cockpit size. Wanted one for years. This is a 2005, but will be new to me.

Oooo…..that is definitely more boat than mine! That would be a wind sail compared to mine. Like everyone has said, it’ll come down to tongue weight.
I don’t know what mine is, but I can’t lift it.
Please reply back to us on how the bags work out. Maybe I’ll get some sooner than later.

 

[Blade1668]

Dave with airbags and using your head driving you should be good. Most boat trailers I've towed were biased tongue heavy and track well or at least okay.
I have a WDH on my T.T. only most for sway control of center of gravity of it and my original tow vehicle was my TJ Wrangler. I used it with my Gladiator just as sway control really. I definitely wouldn't recommend using the bumper as hitch point, but the 2" receiver hitch.
Overall best advice for free from some guy on the web.
You might want to bump up tire pressure on rear tires a few psi. Depending on what tires you have. Don't try to make it a race home, after short distance stop and check tires, hitch, tie downs, ect ect. Then plan a few stops to walk around some doing the same again. The stops are not just safety checks it gives your body a break and keeps blood flowing.

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