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Weight Distribution hitch w/Unibody tow vehicle

Ken & Peggy

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On a Honda Passport forum I'm on there's a discussion about whether weight distribution hitches should be used on unibody vehicles. I've always heard 'No' because of the potential damage the leverage could cause. But my owners manual says 'be sure to follow the trailer mfg. guidelines for proper installation and setup... blah blah blah '
I certainly don't need it for the CI, but some on that forum are towing bigger trailers. Any thoughts on these WD hitches with 'frameless' vehicles?
 
No response yet! I was hoping someone would have some expertise here.
Yeah I hear ya. Me too. Since I'm not going to be towing anything more than the CI for now I'm not too concerned. And I haven't found anything definitive one way or the other. Etrailer will sell me one for my vehicle, but that's not 'definitive' in my book...
 
No real expertise but a little experience. We’d purchased a brand new Honda Odyssey as a family minivan when we had young kids, and thank goodness our first camping trip towing our then Coleman pop-up tent trailer was not freeway and wasn’t far, because the rig was so light in the TV front wheels that it felt unsafe in case of any emergency maneuvering.

I don’t think I broke 45mph for the remainder of that trip. The smallest weight distributing hitch fixed us right up. Front wheels on the ground and the rig was solid. Of course it was almost all about tongue weight, as the Ody was rated to tow 3500 LB (like a lot of larger front-wheel-drive unibody in its weight/engine class). Fully loaded the pop-up might have been pushing 2200 LB.

I would not hesitate to go WD if I felt I needed it. Safety trumps all. Must trust the front suspension, it doesn’t work right if it’s too light. Have you seen video of serious trailer sway? It usually ends in jack-knifing if not rollover. Sway is even worse if you don’t have solid steering.

Since then on another TV I installed rear suspension air bags on a Nissan Frontier to better handle the weight of a pickup bed FWC slide-in camper. That improved the handling a lot, but the FWC was still a bit top heavy and I always drove conservatively when it was loaded. A pickup truck is not the best handling. The airbags were great for some suspension tuning to the load, whether in the bed or towing.

All this is to say that any suspension problems *must* be solved. OTOH, I don’t agree with those who would put in a WD hitch system because it must be better, right? Rather, it’s a solution to a particular problem that actually works very well... if your TV/camper has that problem! Owners who aren’t sure should have someone knowledgable drive their rig.
 
Even e-trailer seems to ride the fence on this one :) I'd stay on the conservative side...of course, that could be to save the vehicle from damage --- OR --- keeping the load on the front wheels where it belongs.

Air Ride lifts helped me a bunch in the past to get a level ride --- my question is what is the tongue weight? A lift will level it, but the stresses on the attachment points remain.

Cars and trucks of modern vintage are not the same as 10 or even 5 years ago. There's no extra meat anywhere. Any more and I'll need a soap box, and that is not my intention.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-241876.html

Found this too on the Subi Ascent

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I recall doing some homework on this WD hitch topic while researching towing limits on my VW Golf Alltrack (awd unibody mk7 platform wagon-similar size and power to Subaru Outback).

The consensus in 2015-6 was "no WD hitches on a unibody" because of the loads. You need a Body of Frame (BOF) vehicle."

I solved my typical VW long-roof saggy-butt problem by AirLift helper bags in rear, which worked ok.
Then replaced those with stiffer springs and upgraded shocks, with more damping, which is much better.

I had to wait for Bilstein (as an example when the aftermarket) to get around to meeting consumer interest/demand for same on the mk7 platform. And swapped in springs from the Tiguan.

One might be able to further raise ride height in any vehicle with a spacer in rear shock mount, so your headlights arent blinding oncoming drivers/pointing at the moon with severe saggy butt, but careful that you dont overdo it or off tow you are jacked all the time...see pic.

A stiffer rear sway bar is also suggested by some for towing, to help avoid/damp yaw. Concur with Seth; anyone seen this ?

IMHO, as to specific advice: I'd stick with the Passport forum and e-trailer for most relevant platform experience by others who have tried mods, including WD hitches.

Cynic here: Owners manuals seem to be written lately by lawyers for CYA vs actual useful tips on out-of-the-ordinary use.

Case in point: VW stopped putting tow limits in the GolfSportwagon/Alltrack manuals from 2016 on because US regulators about that time required new specs and certifications on all new models for towing,

and IIRC since VW had their hands full with DieselGate, so perhaps the lawyerly decision was to simly leave the specific tow limits blank...even though there are references to towing sprinkled in the manual, and limits specced in 2015 Golf Sportwagon manual.

Ironically, The Alltrack in UK won Tow Vehicle of the Year for 3 years running 2014-17, (but that's the TDI version with German factory tow option with a reinforced hitch and tow limits of 4400#). In AUS the gasser is rated to 2000#, under their country specific regulatory scheme.

And, no I would not assume a gasser would tow as well as a diesel...so I chose the CampInn, vs a T@B or Rpod, for example, as I want plenty of room under "the envelope".

I could bore you with more arcane details, but the point is...

its vehicle and load dependent and where written guidance is lacking, you have to try stuff on, or wait for others, to do so,
based on common sense and comservative adaptation/experimentation with what is available in the aftermarket, or similar vehicles where parts may fit...

just as people have done for decades towing and off-roading using aftermarket parts developed by enthusiasts, or Frankenstein'd-in parts from other similar models.

but now adjusting for unibody construction vs Body on Frame use, and back to how-to: imho: like Sweeney, I'd go "more conservative...on new unibody models".

Hey, Its an American thing, its in our DNA to mod our vehicles- anyone see "Ford vs Ferrari"?

Does the Trailsport version of Passport have sturdier suspension parts? How about the Ridgeline- thats trucklet as a chopped off version of the Passport amiright? Beefier stuff?

First, that video is one of the best I've seen when teaching about towing stability. So glad you posted it.

Second, I'm not sure what it is but towing in Europe! It's completely different than here. You'll see tiny little VW Gulfs pulling a 'full size' camper similar in size to a T@B, more square shaped. Nicer too I might add.

I have no idea how they do this and maintain stability. Especially on their interstate system (Autobahn) where speeds are routinely faster than here, though not as crazy as most Americans think it is. Other countries in Europe may be different, my time is spent in Germany primarily.
 
In my experience, whether with the Honda Passport or the Tacoma, when we put the bikes on the back of the CampInn we got unacceptable trailer sway. I couldn't put any more into either tow vehicle to increase the tongue weight. So bikes on the trailer aren't an option for us.
A rear bike rack or cargo rack might be an answer for someone experiencing too much weight on the tongue as an alternative to a WD hitch on a unibody or mods to their suspension.
 
Trailsport does have a different suspension than the other trim level Passports. As for the Ridgeline, I'm not sure. It comes equipped with the trans cooler, where on the Passport it's an aftermarket part. The Ridgeline, Pilot, Passport and Odyssey are all the same 'chassis'. Passport is the chopped Pilot.
 
...former tow vehicle (98 ho tdi passatwagon) could haul, slowly over the hills called mountains in so cal..,;)

I know diesel is "more powerful" than gasoline, more torque ... bla bla bla...

I had a Jeep Liberty CDI that was downright fun to drive on the flatlands, except for the turbo lag. However!!! In the hills in Virginia, towing a moderately loaded CI --- 60mph was about all she had in her.

I'm still not sure where the myth of power comes from, at least in this micro engines it just isn't my experience. Perhaps they limit the boost pressures...I'm not sure.

I kind of miss that Jeep though --- not an offroad beast, but snappy and agile are two word I'd use to describe it.
 
I had an old Coleman tent trailer that I upgraded with extra propane tank, dual AGMs, carried extra water inside, and the former tow vehicle (98 HP tdi passatwagon) could haul, slowly over the hills called mountains in so cal..,;) to the beach, desert etc...but not over the hill from Grand Junction to Denver...

After I upgraded to Alltrack I had a local off road welder shop add a bumper hitch like cargo platform for firewood, grate, extra water...to the Coleman.

But with any weight more than kids toys or tents etc in a box, it would develop a bit of (convergent) sway at 70+ plus, which was un-nerving...so I took it off.

Now I'm experimenting with the 1up bike hitch and add-on cargo rack...I "can" carry one bike and two five gal gas cans fine on Alltrack bumper,
And also on the CI and be just under CI aft hitch limit, and without sway...
but wont carry full until getting ready to boondock awhile- ie stop at nearest gas station and go slow after especially on the bumpies...
Reminding myself to check frame periodically...

I dont think two heavy ebikes will work back there...which is the desired end state for Dear Wife's needs, at some point.

and
so I am watching your tow vehicle extended hitch solution with great interest...
Yeah, I think the usefulness of a CI mounted cargo rack, and even the bike rack, is limited. It doesn't seem to take much to cause the sway, at least with the loads we've had.
Our bikes and rack total about 110#, so I'm sure you'd be over that as your 1UP is just under 50, right?
 
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