THE GREAT BAND-AID
Add weight to one end of a see-saw, the other
end will rise. The same goes for a tow vehicle.
A caravan’s towball weight will inevitably
lever some weight off the front-end.
As you would know, weight distribution
hitches redistribute excess weight on the rear
of the tow vehicle, imposed by the caravan,
towards the front of the vehicle and back to
the wheels of the caravan.
It's worth remembering that a WDH's towbar
fitting is quite heavy and needs to be factored
into the tow car's payload.
The trouble is, too many caravanners use the
WDH as a cure-all, a ‘Band-Aid’ to heal a
deeper problem caused by an inherently
unbalanced caravan or, more likely, poor
loading practices.
WDHs have their place, but remember those
steel spring bars create massive torsional
forces through the chassis of both vehicle and
van, and if not removed before negotiating
even small undulations, a cracked or bent
chassis is not impossible.
While a WDH might be unavoidable if the
caravan is inherently front-heavy, it would be
better to address how you load your caravan,
with the heaviest items over the axle, so as to
minimise the amount of leverage being applied
through the chassis by the spring bars.
This will save your back, potentially your feet
if the bar springs out of control when
releasing it, and perhaps even your equipment
from unnecessary damage.
Releasing the WDH before tackling
a washboard gravel track.