Towing - does wd hitch count towards 10% tongue weight?

Hi. If I have a 4000 pound trailer and 400 pounds on the tongue and 100 more pounds on the tongue from the WD hitch, does that mean that I can add another 1000 pounds on the trailer and not introduce sway?

 

It means you have 500 lbs. on the tongue which much be subtracted from your cargo weight to see how many passengers and how much gear you can carry. Sway is more a function of how the weight is distributed in the trailer.

 

A weight distributing hitch does little to reduce sway. Trailer tongue weight is really what affects sway - too little weight on the tongue creates problems, too much and you're really affecting your towing vehicle. Good rule of thumb - 10-15% of the gross trailer weight should be on the tongue. See this for a simple demo:
https://www.weigh-safe.com/towing-safety/how-to-properly-load-your-trailer/
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Look into the Andersen hitch. It's weight distribution with built in sway control, and it weighs a lot less then the classic WD hitch design with the sprung bars.

https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/andersen-nosway-weight-distribution-hitch.aspx

The design is so simple it's genius. I'm planning to use one of these when I start towing this year.

 

At 4K I wouldn’t worry about wd hitch.

 

https://youtu.be/6mW_gzdh6to

 

I'm planning on one because that's still 400-600lbs tongue weight which is like putting that weight in the bed, then there will be my tools and other items that will actually be in the bed. I think it's best to spread some of the weight to the front axle to help. And I still might want a set of airbags.

 

I have the centerline wd hitch with sway control. My question is specifically about maintaining the 10% of total trailer weight on the tongue and if the 100 lb hitch is used In the calculation. If it is not - then if I add 1000 more lbs in the trailer (4000 + 1000=5000)I need to have another 100 on the tongue and that is then 600 lbs (400 +100 +100=600) total weight on the receiver. If the hitch weight IS used in the 10% calculation then adding 1000 lbs to the trailer will still be at 500 lbs on the receiver and then I do NOT have to put any more of the added weight on the tongue. This is all to keep sway under control and stay within the limits of the truck.

 

I agree, but be careful because a weight distribution/sway hitch doesn't give you more capacity, so you still need to pay close attention to payload which is already really low on Tacomas (usually around 900-1000lbs, you need to check your door jamb for actual payload rating). So consider if your tongue is 600lbs, say you weigh 200lbs, you've only got another 100-200lbs for other passengers and gear.

 

Hitch weight is not considered for trailer weight distribution but hitch weight is considered for total payload.

 

I would think that the closer to the wheels of the trailer the weight is the more effect that it would have on reducing sway. Think of how a prybar exerts more or less force depending on where you place a block under the prybar.

 

Yep, our trailer is 3800lbs empty - hooked up without the eq bars on and the Tacoma is dragging tail and pointing at the sky.
With the bars it runs flat;

 

10% tongue weight is the MINIMUM. You should be closer to 13-15%. That means a 4000 lb trailer should have 520-600 lbs on the tongue for best handling. Plus the weight of the WDH. I see the 100 lb number used a lot, but it depends. At any rate figure 600-700 lbs on your tongue with a 4000 lb trailer.

Which in reality doesn't leave much payload for passengers and cargo in most Tacoma's. Most double cabs have around 1000-1200 lbs payload. Some have less, especially 4X4's. Some of the Access cabs could have closer to 1500 lbs if they are 4X2.

 

They're not actually that high, I know Toyota's site claims otherwise. You need to check the door jamb which has the actual rating. My DCSB is 990 with almost no options, any factory options (and technically anything aftermarket added) reduces that even more.

 

1000 lb payload. No added armor etc. I can’t haul much more than the two of us given 600 lb on the receiver. Which is why that 10% is so critical - basically everything extra will be in the trailer and needs to be loaded right. I’m hoping that having the dual axles will help a little.

 

I tow the same specs with my trailer, about 4500lbs loaded and around 400lb tongue wait. I run a 6000lb Curt WDH and it makes a huge difference, I would not tow without it.