New (yes new) 2014 21BHS

[jandi]

Hello members,
                 My wife and I are picking up our new trailer next Saturday a 21BHS. We are new to trailer camping , after a lifetime of backpacking/tent camping so as you can imagine we have a million questions. The first one I have is about WD hitches. There seems to be a lot of disagreement on this issue. We will be towing with a 2015 F-150 Eco Boost . I was going to do the trip home from the dealer without and see how it feels it's only about 100 miles. We would also like to pick your collective brains as far as what are necessities and options to have with us. Lastly I would love to explore some of the simpler mods ( I am pretty handy and I have access to aluminum fabrication where I work ) , but that can come later. We are anxious to get started ! Looking forward to hearing from some of you , and thanks in advance! The Newbies.

[pinstriper]

[quote timestamp="1460295179" author="@jandi" source="/post/20386/thread"]Hello members,
                 My wife and I are picking up our new trailer next Saturday a 21BHS. We are new to trailer camping , after a lifetime of backpacking/tent camping so as you can imagine we have a million questions. The first one I have is about WD hitches. There seems to be a lot of disagreement on this issue. We will be towing with a 2015 F-150 Eco Boost . I was going to do the trip home from the dealer without and see how it feels it's only about 100 miles. We would also like to pick your collective brains as far as what are necessities and options to have with us. Lastly I would love to explore some of the simpler mods ( I am pretty handy and I have access to aluminum fabrication where I work ) , but that can come later. We are anxious to get started ! Looking forward to hearing from some of you , and thanks in advance! The Newbies.
[/quote]Many (possibly even Ford) will say you need WDH. 

But really it comes down to tongue weight and how much weight it on the rear axle of the tow vehicle.

A WDH can take some of that weight and transfer it not only to the front axle and suspension of the tow vehicle, as well as the axles of the trailer itself.

So, you gotta know those numbers, and in particular, what they come to when everything is loaded up for the condition you will be towing under.

[charliem]

[font size="3"]With a full size half ton PU some will make the argument that you don't need WDH. I'll make the argument that you'll want it. I believe Ford suggests WDH for tongue weights 500 pounds and up. Even though the 21BHS listed dry tongue weight is less than 500 it will significantly exceed this with batteries, propane and your stuff. For road comfort the WDH eliminates most porpoising, the bounce due to bumps and dips. The integrated sway control of Equalizer, E2, Andersen and other WDHs just adds insurance for 18 wheeler and windy road conditions. Try without for the 100 mile homeward trip, but notice how it behaves in the above situations and consider adding WDH afterwards.

Other than that you must have a good brake controller. The Tekonsha P3 is my preference:

[a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-90195-Electronic-Brake-Control/dp/B000P17NXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460300684&sr=8-1&keywords=trailer+brake+controller"]http://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-90195-Electronic-Brake-Control/dp/B000P17NXQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460300684&sr=8-1&keywords=trailer+brake+controller[/a]
[/font]

[daplumbr]

Welcome!!

I second the P3 brake controller, unless your truck has the built-in controller. If so, I would use that since others have reported good brake control with it. 

There is a thread on here that has a checklist for looking over a new camper. Some would say all the things in the thread are too extensive to be practical, but it does cover the types of things to look at. 

http://www.livinlite-owners.com/thread/325/create-check-list-livinlite-campers

[gbpack]

Ditto on what Charlie mentions. There are some people who may say that you don't need it, but there are times when you'll be glad that you have it. We have a 21BHS as well and really like both the weight distribution and sway control. We put on the Andersen WDH but it's really just a matter of personal preference. And yes, the tongue weight of a 21BHS is approaching 500 lbs already when you pick it up from the dealer, and by the time you add a battery (or batteries), fill the propane tanks, and put your gear in the trailer, the tongue weight can easily approach 700 lbs. Take a look at what the maximum recommended tongue weight is for your vehicle and then compare it to what you'll have when fully loaded. If you're anywhere near the max (or over), you'll probably want the WDH.

[jandi]

Thank you all for the quick replies. My truck does have a factory installed brake control. As far as the WD hitch I am leaning toward the Andersen, from what I've read on this site it seems to be the best suited to our needs and the install looks manageable. When it comes to loading the trailer, as former back-packers we tend to be on the minimalist side, but who knows what will happen with all that room.  Thanks again, I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

[wcuhoppytoad]

Purchased my 21 a few weeks ago. Have pulled many campers over the years and have never needed a WDH. I had the same concerns as you are now and decided to pull mine home 100 miles without one. I have the same truck but the 5.4 V8 version. Truck handled fine, but when the wind started to blow from the side it became very TENSE!!!!!. I ordered same WDH as you are thinking. Not installed yet but I believe I made the right decision. Welcome to the board!

[pinstriper]

I think you will end up deciding to go with WDH. I just wanted to make sure you know WHY, and how it works. Too much "WDH magically allows me to load everything up to max and then a bit" nonsense out there in RV land.

Also, folks saying they want WDH because they had a crosswind or truck traffic - guess again. That's sway.

WDH helps keep your front tires - those are the ones with all the steering and most of the braking - on the pavement. It also helps dampen "porpoising" where the trailer is bouncing because it has too little/too much tongue weight.

If you want to deal with cross-winds and traffic wind, you want anti-sway.

By the way, the Andersen WDH does comparatively little WDH but is really good at anti-sway. Go figure.

So Hoppy, you made the right decision for the wrong reasons. Yay !