I was at a reputable local rv sales shop today and priced out a WDH. They recommended a blueOx rated at 3000-5000lbs at about $1000. I later called van and truck world and their price on a Reese hitch was $450. What would cause such a drastic swing in price between the two? Didn't see much of a difference.
Weight distribution hitches
- Thread starter Snowman
- Start date
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xrated
Well-known member
Snowman wrote:
GREED!
I purchased a Blue Ox W.D.H. back in late October (16K model) and paid $599 including shipping.
GREED!
I purchased a Blue Ox W.D.H. back in late October (16K model) and paid $599 including shipping.
marcortez
Well-known member
Snowman said:
As it turns out, perhaps that "reputable" local dealer is not reputable at all?..$500 over most of the popular "affordable" hitch set ups??
Pull up ETrailer dot com......they have many selections, will answer your questions and have stellar reviews about customer service.
Lou Schneider
Site Team
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2005
- Posts
- 13,245
Is your truck "trailer ready" with the hitch receiver, electrical wiring and brake controller already in place? If not, the RV shop was likely including these items in the price of their hitch package.
The prices you'll see online are just for the hitch itself, if you need the rest of the stuff they'll add to the finished price.
The prices you'll see online are just for the hitch itself, if you need the rest of the stuff they'll add to the finished price.
xrated
Well-known member
Snowman said:
A couple of questions.......
1. What is the GVW rating of the trailer that you are wanting to pull
2. What is the weight rating (both the GTW and the tongue weight) of the receiver on your truck? Class III hitches vary a lot over the weight range, up to 8000 lbs GTW and 800 lbs of T.W.
Then of course, you need to make sure that you are not going to go over the CCC.....Cargo Carrying Capacity of the tow vehicle.
marcortez
Well-known member
chainless said:
From the videos and reviews I have seen about the Straptek gadget, you're onto something here.
chainless said:
Do you have a link for location to buy? Can't find the straptek system in Canada for a decent price.
I have found a brand new Curt wd system with 500lbs tongue cap, 3000-5000lbs towing cap plus sway control for almost $400 seems good to me so far. Anyone using Curt?
xrated
Well-known member
A quick word about the StrapTek system in the Amazon link posted above. I believe that the picture being used is outdated. I ordered mine from Auto Truck Toys (one of the other available vendors on that page) and the one that was sent to me had a "J" hook at the end of the strap instead of the triangle shaped piece.
scottydl
Site Team
Start looking at Craigslist in your area... I've seen many gently used WDH setups being sold for a fraction of what they cost new. I upgraded the two Curt spring bars on mine last year, buying 1 bar from Amazon and 1 bar from Ebay (same make/model/weight rating). Both came from wholesalers who were getting rid of excess inventory, and I paid less than half of what they would've cost new from Curt.
Of course you'd normally want to see used equipment in person, to make sure none of the components are damaged or missing. But given the amount of use that most WDH systems get (not much), even most used WDH's would likely be just as useful as new. In my case, Amazon and Ebay both have money-back guarantees, and I verified with the seller(s) exactly what I was buying... so I felt confident buying sight unseen.
Of course you'd normally want to see used equipment in person, to make sure none of the components are damaged or missing. But given the amount of use that most WDH systems get (not much), even most used WDH's would likely be just as useful as new. In my case, Amazon and Ebay both have money-back guarantees, and I verified with the seller(s) exactly what I was buying... so I felt confident buying sight unseen.
EriikK
Well-known member
I bought a Blue Ox WD hitch setup and am totally happy with it. It does a very good job of sway control as well as weight distribution. We pull a 25' toyhauler, with a variable and sometimes large load in it, behind an E350 van. We've never had it sway or be hard to control or any bad behavior. We've passed other rigs on 2-lane roads and we've had several full-on emergency stops from highway speeds and everything tracks straight and good.
There might be less expensive setups that work fine. I don't know. What I know is that I have zero regrets about buying this one.
A good WD and sway control hitch is an important piece of safety gear. We bought a cheap trailer and an expensive hitch. The salesman was kinda surprised but I don't care. I also installed a very good brake controller and took the time to understand it and dial it in. I think all this was a good investment compared to the alternatives in bodywork or damage or even lost peace of mind.
Plus it fits with our tow vehicle, a 15 year old van with a little rust starting to show. But it has brand new tires, fresh brakes, and it runs great. Put your money where it matters.
There might be less expensive setups that work fine. I don't know. What I know is that I have zero regrets about buying this one.
A good WD and sway control hitch is an important piece of safety gear. We bought a cheap trailer and an expensive hitch. The salesman was kinda surprised but I don't care. I also installed a very good brake controller and took the time to understand it and dial it in. I think all this was a good investment compared to the alternatives in bodywork or damage or even lost peace of mind.
Plus it fits with our tow vehicle, a 15 year old van with a little rust starting to show. But it has brand new tires, fresh brakes, and it runs great. Put your money where it matters.
