Towing - Replace WC hitch with WD?

[Voyageur]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I hate to start another tow capacity thread but...the thread that I haven't seen (possibly due to poor searching) is the one where someone put an aftermarket WD hitch on a V6 with the factory WC hitch. As you know the WC hitch of the V6 is part of the welded crossmember of the frame. If you put an aftermarket WD hitch on it must obviously hang below the existing hitch. Has anyone done this?

I have 2008 SR5 V6 w\towing package and 17' wheels. I've been reading a lot of threads on the towing ability of the V6 T4R on this forum. I've seen a fair amount of posts on the difference between the weight carrying (WC) hitch that my T4R has and the weight distribution (WD) hitch of the V8 T4R. I understand that the weight carrying hitch isn't intended to be used for weight distribution. I've looked in my manual and all that it clearly states is that there is a difference in towing capability between the two hitches (obviously also contributed to by the engine difference between the trucks that these two hitches are mounted on as well.)

The only things that I've ever towed with my T4R are my fishing boat (16ft aluminium with 25HP outboard) and on occasion an 18 foot enclosed trailer. The fishing boat obviously tows with ease. I know that the 18 foot enclosed is back there when I tow it. It is dual axle and weighs 3700 pounds with the gear that is in it normally and more when it is loaded for camp. It is not mine. I tow it on occasion for a scout troop. It is not optimally loaded in terms of balance front to back. I did some checking this weekend with it and when I hook it up to my truck the hitch drops 2", the rear of the truck drops about the same and the front lifts about 1" (measured from top of tire to outside edge of wheel well.)

With all that said...my TT will likely be a Starcraft AR-ONE 18QB. It is 18 feet (21 feet overall) with an unloaded vehicle weight of 2885, GVWR of 3750, and tongue weight of 335 pounds.

I plan to put an anti-sway device (probably the Curt version) on the trailer, I have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and I plan to add air suspension to the truck as well (probably this: Best Reviews on Firestone Air Bags). I've hemmed and hawed about adding WD to the trailer. The dealer says it's overkill. I tend to be sort of a belt and suspenders guy and would probably just change out the factory hitch to an aftermarket WD hitch and add a WD setup to the trailer except for the question above regarding the replacement of the factory hitch.

Is this a reasonable setup? (sway control, Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and air bags)

Has anyone replaced the WC hitch with a WD hitch and for a trailer like mine did it make a big enough difference for the money?

Should I just relax and enjoy camping?

 

[wnelax04sr5]

so after reading the weights you plan on towing, the frequency, as well as the fact that you plan to add air bags, have a brake controller, and sway controller, i think that youre pretty well set to handle the loads you plan on towing. that being said, there could be no ill effects from adding the frame mounted receiver to your vehicle, other than monetary. i don't know if you'd notice a difference but it couldn't hurt anything but the wallet

 

[XR250rdr]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I hate to start another tow capacity thread but...the thread that I haven't seen (possibly due to poor searching) is the one where someone put an aftermarket WD hitch on a V6 with the factory WC hitch. As you know the WC hitch of the V6 is part of the welded crossmember of the frame. If you put an aftermarket WD hitch on it must obviously hang below the existing hitch. Has anyone done this?

I have 2008 SR5 V6 w\towing package and 17' wheels. I've been reading a lot of threads on the towing ability of the V6 T4R on this forum. I've seen a fair amount of posts on the difference between the weight carrying (WC) hitch that my T4R has and the weight distribution (WD) hitch of the V8 T4R. I understand that the weight carrying hitch isn't intended to be used for weight distribution. I've looked in my manual and all that it clearly states is that there is a difference in towing capability between the two hitches (obviously also contributed to by the engine difference between the trucks that these two hitches are mounted on as well.)

The only things that I've ever towed with my T4R are my fishing boat (16ft aluminium with 25HP outboard) and on occasion an 18 foot enclosed trailer. The fishing boat obviously tows with ease. I know that the 18 foot enclosed is back there when I tow it. It is dual axle and weighs 3700 pounds with the gear that is in it normally and more when it is loaded for camp. It is not mine. I tow it on occasion for a scout troop. It is not optimally loaded in terms of balance front to back. I did some checking this weekend with it and when I hook it up to my truck the hitch drops 2", the rear of the truck drops about the same and the front lifts about 1" (measured from top of tire to outside edge of wheel well.)

With all that said...my TT will likely be a Starcraft AR-ONE 18QB. It is 18 feet (21 feet overall) with an unloaded vehicle weight of 2885, GVWR of 3750, and tongue weight of 335 pounds.

I plan to put an anti-sway device (probably the Curt version) on the trailer, I have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and I plan to add air suspension to the truck as well (probably this: Best Reviews on Firestone Air Bags). I've hemmed and hawed about adding WD to the trailer. The dealer says it's overkill. I tend to be sort of a belt and suspenders guy and would probably just change out the factory hitch to an aftermarket WD hitch and add a WD setup to the trailer except for the question above regarding the replacement of the factory hitch.

Is this a reasonable setup? (sway control, Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and air bags)

Has anyone replaced the WC hitch with a WD hitch and for a trailer like mine did it make a big enough difference for the money?

Should I just relax and enjoy camping?

The factory weight carrying hitch is not welded on. You will probably remove it when installing an aftermarket weight distribution compatible hitch.

 

[TechWrench]

Many here have made the swap. I have done it on both my '03's. Check out the eTrailer site. They have three or four to choose from. I just finished installing the Hidden Hitch model on my '03 limited V8, which still had the standard V6 type crossmember hitch. You will have to remove the rear bumper cover in order to get at the 6 bolts holding the V6 hitch to the crossmember. Once you have removed the old hitch, installing the new one is fairly straight forward, depending on how much rust are on the bolts that attach the tie down hook to the rear frame on the left side. There are 6 nuts welded to the inside of the frame rails, 3 on each side, which you are supposed to use to attach the new hitch to the frame with supplied bolts. There, at least with the Hidden Hitch I got, are also two additional bolts that attach to holes in the rear crossmember which they supply nuts for. The 6 bolts that you have to remove to take off the old hitch are the same as 6 of the new bolts you use for the new hitch. My old frame welded nuts were pretty rusty, so I took one of the old bolts, cleaned the threads, and ground a flat on one side of the threads to act as a cutting edge. I used this bolt to chase the rust out of the frame nuts before putting the new bolts in them. Just a word of warning. If you break one of the nuts loose inside the frame, it can be an adventure trying to get a new one in its place. I also went to a local hardware store and picked up 4 metric nuts to fit the supplied bolts, to use as replacements if I did break one, which I did. The new hitch does come with installation instructions, which are fairly straight forward, but if you are not comfortable with tools, you might want to get a mechanic friend to help out. You will also have to cut some of the wire ties that hold the trailer wiring plug in order to have enough length to relocate the plug to its new location on the new hitch.

 

[Voyageur]

Thanks for the complete responses. I really appreciate it.

We picked the camper up last night. With only the short tow home it feels better (smoother, less tug-o-war) than the scout trailer but it's also 800 pounds lighter and has better weight distribution.

The sway control will be here today and we'll get it installed over the weekend. Air bags will be next. We'll see how it goes for a couple of trips to determine if I want to bite off the WD hitch and WD setup for the trailer.

Thanks again!

 

[TechWrench]

Thanks for the complete responses. I really appreciate it.

We picked the camper up last night. With only the short tow home it feels better (smoother, less tug-o-war) than the scout trailer but it's also 800 pounds lighter and has better weight distribution.

The sway control will be here today and we'll get it installed over the weekend. Air bags will be next. We'll see how it goes for a couple of trips to determine if I want to bite off the WD hitch and WD setup for the trailer.

Thanks again!

What type of sway control device did you get. I am curious about how it will be attached to the tow vehicle without a WD system. In all cases I have seen, the sway control is either built into the WD system, or it attaches to the WD ball mount and the trailer 'A' frame.

 

[m85476585]

What type of sway control device did you get. I am curious about how it will be attached to the tow vehicle without a WD system. In all cases I have seen, the sway control is either built into the WD system, or it attaches to the WD ball mount and the trailer 'A' frame.

It could work if you use the weight distributing boat anchor (not sure what the technical term is, but it's the really heavy part that has a ball and goes into the hitch) without the load bars. I don't think I've seen one that works without that part.

 

[alia176]

Long time lurker, first time poster. I hate to start another tow capacity thread but...the thread that I haven't seen (possibly due to poor searching) is the one where someone put an aftermarket WD hitch on a V6 with the factory WC hitch. As you know the WC hitch of the V6 is part of the welded crossmember of the frame. If you put an aftermarket WD hitch on it must obviously hang below the existing hitch. Has anyone done this?

I have 2008 SR5 V6 w\towing package and 17' wheels. I've been reading a lot of threads on the towing ability of the V6 T4R on this forum. I've seen a fair amount of posts on the difference between the weight carrying (WC) hitch that my T4R has and the weight distribution (WD) hitch of the V8 T4R. I understand that the weight carrying hitch isn't intended to be used for weight distribution. I've looked in my manual and all that it clearly states is that there is a difference in towing capability between the two hitches (obviously also contributed to by the engine difference between the trucks that these two hitches are mounted on as well.)

The only things that I've ever towed with my T4R are my fishing boat (16ft aluminium with 25HP outboard) and on occasion an 18 foot enclosed trailer. The fishing boat obviously tows with ease. I know that the 18 foot enclosed is back there when I tow it. It is dual axle and weighs 3700 pounds with the gear that is in it normally and more when it is loaded for camp. It is not mine. I tow it on occasion for a scout troop. It is not optimally loaded in terms of balance front to back. I did some checking this weekend with it and when I hook it up to my truck the hitch drops 2", the rear of the truck drops about the same and the front lifts about 1" (measured from top of tire to outside edge of wheel well.)

With all that said...my TT will likely be a Starcraft AR-ONE 18QB. It is 18 feet (21 feet overall) with an unloaded vehicle weight of 2885, GVWR of 3750, and tongue weight of 335 pounds.

I plan to put an anti-sway device (probably the Curt version) on the trailer, I have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and I plan to add air suspension to the truck as well (probably this: Best Reviews on Firestone Air Bags). I've hemmed and hawed about adding WD to the trailer. The dealer says it's overkill. I tend to be sort of a belt and suspenders guy and would probably just change out the factory hitch to an aftermarket WD hitch and add a WD setup to the trailer except for the question above regarding the replacement of the factory hitch.

Is this a reasonable setup? (sway control, Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and air bags)

Has anyone replaced the WC hitch with a WD hitch and for a trailer like mine did it make a big enough difference for the money?

Should I just relax and enjoy camping?

You mind posting up some pics for us newbs?

 

[Voyageur]

Maiden voyage completed successfully!

Round trip: 282 miles
Calculated mileage: 13.82 mpg
MPG indicated by T4R trip computer: 15.1 mpg (reset at start of trip)

Here's some pictures of the rig:

Here's a picture of the hitch with the Curt sway control that I installed:

The Curt unit comes with a plate that is bolted to the side of the trailer tongue that contains a small ball for connecting one end of the sway control. The other end is connected to a second small ball which resides on the side of the draw bar. A steel plate is provided with the kit which can be welded to your existing draw bar or you can buy a draw bar with the plate already welded to it from Curt and others. Everything that you need is included in the kit. I installed it in a less than an hour.

Here's a picture of the brake controller install:

I installed the brake controller just above the fuse access cover and ran the cable for it through the hole in the access cover. I used the quick release mount for the P3. This was about the cleanest install I could come up with. The controller pops off and lives in its case in the center console when not in use and the cable tucks back into the access cover.

Approximately 70% of the trip was highway and the trailer happily followed along at 60-65 MPH with no issues. Weather was mild with no significant wind. No significant semi passing drama either. The trailer settled in and went were the truck went. I only held the transmission in 4th gear for the occasional long hill. Other than that the truck found its way to 5th gear normally and happily cruised along.

On the way out my freshwater tank (26 gallons) was about 1/3 full, black was about 1/3, and grey was empty. On the way back all tanks were empty. I didn't notice any significant difference in towing. At some point in the near future I will install the aforementioned air bags.

The towing mirrors that I used were the Tow-n-See units (Tow-n-See). They worked well. No issues.

All in all a great trip. Truck and trailer performed well. We will be doing this a lot more! : )

 

[Dirty Racer]

Nice pics, Voyageur! We just bought our first travel trailer a couple of days ago. It is very similar in size and weight to yours. I was all set to install just a sway control bar like your Curt one, but then I thought about swapping the WC hitch for a Hidden Hitch for $150 and then spending $300 on a full WD and anti-sway trailer setup (Fastway e2 round).

How has the Curt sway bar been working out since you last posted? Did the airbags end up improving anything? Or did you swap out the hitch and go full WD instead?

Wondering if it's worth the effort, expense, and cussing at possibly rusted 4Runner bolts for just a 3700-lb trailer. Thanks for your reply.

 

[oldmansimek]

I just got an oem v8 wd hitch to install on my sport v6. The aftermarket frame rail mount hitch hangs lower and does not tuck in as nice as the oem. I got the oem off ebay with all hardware and the plug and it looks like it's brand new for $120 with shipping.

 

[dg0503]

Maiden voyage completed successfully!

Round trip: 282 miles
Calculated mileage: 13.82 mpg
MPG indicated by T4R trip computer: 15.1 mpg (reset at start of trip)

Here's some pictures of the rig:

Here's a picture of the hitch with the Curt sway control that I installed:

The Curt unit comes with a plate that is bolted to the side of the trailer tongue that contains a small ball for connecting one end of the sway control. The other end is connected to a second small ball which resides on the side of the draw bar. A steel plate is provided with the kit which can be welded to your existing draw bar or you can buy a draw bar with the plate already welded to it from Curt and others. Everything that you need is included in the kit. I installed it in a less than an hour.

Here's a picture of the brake controller install:

I installed the brake controller just above the fuse access cover and ran the cable for it through the hole in the access cover. I used the quick release mount for the P3. This was about the cleanest install I could come up with. The controller pops off and lives in its case in the center console when not in use and the cable tucks back into the access cover.

Approximately 70% of the trip was highway and the trailer happily followed along at 60-65 MPH with no issues. Weather was mild with no significant wind. No significant semi passing drama either. The trailer settled in and went were the truck went. I only held the transmission in 4th gear for the occasional long hill. Other than that the truck found its way to 5th gear normally and happily cruised along.

On the way out my freshwater tank (26 gallons) was about 1/3 full, black was about 1/3, and grey was empty. On the way back all tanks were empty. I didn't notice any significant difference in towing. At some point in the near future I will install the aforementioned air bags.

The towing mirrors that I used were the Tow-n-See units (Tow-n-See). They worked well. No issues.

All in all a great trip. Truck and trailer performed well. We will be doing this a lot more! : )

Great pics! Thanks for the post. Looks like I am trying to accomplish just what you did with your rig. I am looking for a similarly sized TT to tow behind my 09, 4Runner with a V6. Does adding the WD hitch increase towing capacity? I understand why you add the brake controller and sway control. But what is the benefit of the swapping out the hitch?