[nolaridge]

Just my two cents -- I towed a 4000lb (loaded weight) trailer from Dallas to Alaska last summer (12,400 miles round trip) and used a WD hitch most of the time. You don't have to be at or near the limits to appreciate the effect of the WD system. On rough roads the WD hitch helps to control the bouncing motion of the truck/trailer and it also has an anti-sway effect as well. There has been some discussion that the WD system puts too much weight on the front axle (and this may be the case in some instances), but it is often assumed that the weight is only distributed forward, but it is also distributed back to the trailer axles as well. On smooth highway you may notice little difference with or without it, but on rougher roads and in crosswinds, it really helps (me). Regarding the (friction) sway bar, I don't know if it is very effective. On my smaller trailer (above) I couldn't tell if it did anything and left it off most of the time. Now I pull a 25' trailer and I use it every time just for good measure.....I figure if it gives me 5% more control that might be the difference between the road and the ditch.

BTW, I set my WD hitch on the third link (two links hanging). At this setting the rear end still sags a little, so it is not set very aggressively.

Happy Camping!
(see my camping pics at: flickr.com/photos/hiramoto)