Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

So the trailer is aluminum and weighs 950lbs dry and I hope not too exceed 2000-2500lbs when fully finished (tow capacity of wrangler is 3500lbs).

I have purchased the air lift 1000 bag system for my rear springs and will use them when towing.

My question is do I still need to buy a WDH if I have the lift bags. I would like to buy some type of anti sway and wonder if I need to buy the WDH or just a anti sway. If just the sway what would you guys recommend

Cheers
Al

I try it without when done with conversion. To see how it handles before spending the money on a WDH.
BTW this fall I added air lift 1000's to my pickup. I haven't towed my CTC with them yet. But I think I'll have to readjust my hitch height. Spring is coming And I'll know when I pull it out for camping


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I tow my 4000+ lb 7x16 NEO trailer with a WDH only. I have never had a problem with sway. I do get pushed when an 18-wheeler goes by but then who doesn't!

As already suggested, I would try first with airbags. You can always buy a WDH later. And add sway bars later if needed.

Hope this helps.

Probably the best thing is to try to start with proper weight distribution in mind when building and planning. Try to get that tongue wt. to 10-15% of total trailer wt. Also the hitch height is very important. Ideally both tow vehicle and trailer should have a slight nose low attitude or close to level in flight, and 10-15% on the ball.
If you can start there and then add "removable or cargo" weight generally balanced over the axle, the distribution should remain close to the same "loaded" or empty. For example, fresh and black tanks located near axle, bike or atv evenly straddling the axle as to be neutral. Or, if you are nose heavy with batteries and Lp etc. move the fresh tank further back behind the axle to compensate etc. In a perfect world you would have 15% tongue wt. wet or dry full or empty. Roughly balanced left to right as well. Maybe refrig. on one side, spare tire on the other etc.
Tongue light trailers like to "buck" or "wander". Tongue heavy overloads the rear of the tow vehicle and causes it to sway and brake abnormally and steer differently. They want to push the tow vehicle around.
If you start here, you may not need WD hitch or anti sway.
Also, in hindsight I would get trailer brakes if possible. Slowing down the weight of the trailer and not having it push the truck has to be a safer way to go. I am strongly thinking of adding brakes as my next upgrade.

McDave

Two or four door? Sport, Rubicon, Hard Rock? Lifted or stock? I just ask because these things make a difference. I have a four door Rubicon and it is lifted. I'm about to put about 1500 lbs behind it, and I'm confident it'll do fine. The lift is a quality setup with properly adjusted track bars and the four door has longer wheelbase, which always helps with stability.

I'm with the others, pay attention to your weight balance, make sure you have about 15% of your weight on the tongue and make sure your hitch is adjusted to tow the trailer level.

Trailer brakes are ALWAYS nice, but my new trailer does not come with them. I'll know in a few days where they land on my list of "mods". If you choose to go with trailer brakes, spring for a good controller. Tekonsha makes an excellent one that is proportional and will prevent a lot of the "jerky-jerky" braking. Trust me, it's worth it.

Post up your results... I'm serious to know how it works out!

Al, all 3 of my Wranglers & my Cherokee had/have a 2000# tow capacity w/ a 200# hitch weight limit

and believe me that was/is their LIMIT

1-YJ, 2-TJ's & an XJ (all glass eyes)

i have to be careful when towing w/ the Jeep(s)

one of the factors many don't consider is the load IN the Jeep that contributes to the vehicle's total capacity

i carry a modest assortment of tools, incl an aluminium floor jack, specially when tripping/towing which adds to the vehicle's total # cap

though i haven't towed in the mountains i have towed on trips over 1200 miles each way and tow several times/year

i have HD shocks on the front and COIL OVERS on the rear w/ stock though reconditioned springs(basically stock suspension)

just sayin...

sw

yycwrangler wrote:So the trailer is aluminum and weighs 950lbs dry and I hope not too exceed 2000-2500lbs when fully finished (tow capacity of wrangler is 3500lbs).

I have purchased the air lift 1000 bag system for my rear springs and will use them when towing.

My question is do I still need to buy a WDH if I have the lift bags. I would like to buy some type of anti sway and wonder if I need to buy the WDH or just a anti sway. If just the sway what would you guys recommend

Cheers
Al

My trailer is short and heavy, at 12' (a 4x8 cabin) and about 1700 lbs. I built it aiming for 1000lbs, to be towed by my HHR Panel, and later by a Jeep (or similar 4WD). As it turned out, I have to tow it with my 2500 HD Chevy, which I had previously equipped with coil-over booster springs, and a WD hitch system (1000lb round-bar), used to tow our 24 ft long travel trailer or (mainly) my dove-tail, all steel car hauler (which is overbuilt, previously hauled a Bobcat loader). I used that trailer to haul various loads, mainly cars or trucks, usually my Chevelle dragracing car. I bought the WD hitch after one trip, hauling my racecar with my older '69 Chevy C-10; the trailer was wagging the truck around so much that I slowed to 55 mph most of the 600 mile trip (my normal is 75). The addition of the WD system tamed that loose control. I later transferred the WD to the heavier, more capable 2500HD, which is taller, so I've used it having to pull my trailers at a slightly nose-up attitude. I tow my smaller (comparatively) TTT the same way, using only the right-side round-bar and a fabricated adapter to connect it to my single-beam trailer tongue. I don't use a sway control on it, yet, because I haven't encountered any sway. When and if I ever get the 4WD I want, then I'll adapt my WD system to it. I have towed the TTT once, without using the WD (single bar) set-up, and did encounter some bucking over some roads; made me decide not to do that again. What I use the WD for is to mainly make sure the coupler has plenty of downforce on the ball, to minimize flex at that point, and to remain "on the ball" even if the coupler loses its' grip (hd that happen once, before using WD). A WD system is worth it, IMHO, just for that reason. But, if you just need sway control alone, kits are available and hitch adapters, also.

Thanks for the tips guys..I did order my Neo with the electric brakes and have a T - prodigy brake controller. I put the airlift 1000's in today and it certainly firms up the rear of the jeep. So we'll see where that leaves us once the trailer is converted. The Jeep is a Sahara jku so they say towing capacity is 3500lbs max which I hope to be a least 1000lbs under.

Funny exact same jeep in Australia is rated to 5000lbs max..Go figure

Cheers
Al

yycwrangler wrote:Thanks for the tips guys... I put the airlift 1000's in today and it certainly firms up the rear of the jeep. So we'll see where that leaves us once the trailer is converted....Cheers Al

I have used airlift 1000 s (called drag bags, in this application) on my Chevelle drag car (in a lower horsepower configuration), inserted in the right rear spring coil to counteract squat on launch. It worked OK, but I constantly lost pressure, and couldn't find the leak. Since I had bought two , and only used one, I replaced the leaker with the other...same thing happened. We never found what was causing the loss of air; if bag pressure was under 40 psi- if I remember correctly- the bag didn't help the car launch. I think that's why new air bag/spring systems use a microprocessor to monitor air pressure, and an onboard compressor to constantly make up for pressure losses. I would recommend that you check your air pressure at regular intervals. As a side note: when I first started driving my Chevelle on the street (after I first bought it as a "project car/beater"), I used some too large rear tires I had available, with the air shocks that were on it when purchased (probably to make up for the collapsed original rear coils). Ten minutes after leaving my garage, the left rear air shock blew it's line, and the left quarterpanel promptly swallowed the tire. I never repaired the damage; it's still a reminder/sore point to me to this day. I bought a '75 Chevy pickup, a few years later, and slowly replaced part after part until it was my trailer-tower for a few seasons. When I got it home, the first thing I replaced were "air shocks", before they could bite me again (I beefed the suspension with overload springs and booster [coil-over] shocks). Just a word of warning; these problems may not happen to you, but beware.

I tow with a 4 door wrangler. My TD weighs about 950 est. Dry, and probably 1500 to 1800 loaded. I've got a budget boost (springs) . I think a wdh is overkill as long as you keep the tongue weight under 300 lbs. The stock jeep can carry about 1000 lbs including passengers. As long as you are under that weight ( load plus tongue), then you probably don't need air bags, but.. Airbags can help level out the load, but what ever you do, make sure the trailer is level on the hitch on flat ground. Sway happens when tongue weight is too low and a trailer at an angle is less predictable so make it level!
Tom

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I have spent some time experimenting with both WD hitch and air bags and doing calculations from CAT scale data. When empty my tongue weight is 1018 lbs and the total trailer weight is 5753 lbs. That is 17.7% which is really too a bit too high but with a normal load the ratio goes to 16%. My truck is a RAM 2500 diesel. My Equal-i-zer hitch (model 1400) did raise the back end but did not transfer much weight even when adjusted to the max. It would only transfer 220 lbs off the rear axle - 140 lbs went forward to the front axle and 80 lbs went back to the trailer axles. When driving through a dip the hitch would overload and get damaged as well as damage my class V factory receiver. I finally gave up on the hitch. Now I use Air Lift air bags to raise my back end and level my trailer and that is working great. They also firm the rear and reduce bounce considerably. I don't have sway control but my trailer is short and not prone to that. Note that using both a WD hitch and air bags at the same time will defeat the WD hitch. You would be raising the truck and taking weight off the hitch spring bars. Also note that air bags do not transfer weight or add to your vehicle weight limits. So you still cannot exceed tongue weight or axle weight specs. Also the simplest and most reliable setup is to connect both bags together and use an external air hose to fill it. It takes 22 psi to raise my back end 1.5" and trim my trailer.

Hi Mark

Appreciate your response. I wondered if having bags and a WDH would counteract each another and you have confirmed that..Thank you. By the time I tow, I'll have the air bags and also rancho rs9000xl shocks on all four tires. The shocks have an adjustment valve that allows me to firm or loosen the suspension. So I think this is what I will go with initially. Oh and I also have an anti sway which I will use

cheers
Al

yycwrangler wrote:Hi Mark

Appreciate your response. I wondered if having bags and a WDH would counteract each another and you have confirmed that..Thank you. By the time I tow, I'll have the air bags and also rancho rs9000xl shocks on all four tires. The shocks have an adjustment valve that allows me to firm or loosen the suspension. So I think this is what I will go with initially. Oh and I also have an anti sway which I will use

cheers
Al

Fwiw I recommend bilstien shocks , they are self adjusting and do a much better job once heated up vs ranchos.
Tom

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Thanks Socal

Will give that some thought as well

Cheers
Al