Weighsafe hitch review

[jdlong49]

I recently purchased my first travel trailer(Transcend 200MK) and I was very nervous and worried about towing my unit with my truck. I opted to go with a unit that was small enough to tow with my current vehicle(Ford F150) instead of upgrading to a 3/4 ton but was still pretty nervous about it. After a ton of research, I opted for a Weigh Safe True Tow middleweight weight distribution hitch. It was pretty pricey, but all the reviews were great as far as sway control was concerned so I went with it. I liked that it had a scale in the hitch and you could input the actual tongue weight into the app and dial the hitch in to exactly where it needs to be.

I picked up the unit 2 weeks ago and I installed the hitch in the parking lot before leaving. With just rough quick measurements, I did a quick setup expecting to take everything off later and do a better install to make sure everything was perfect. After the first 10 minutes I realized this trailer was towing better than my 4500lb boat. The rest of the 2 hour drive home was a breeze. Towed amazing, never felt a bit of sway, it was rock solid. I weighed that morning before picking it up and then reweighed to see how close everything was. To my surprise, the unit weighed over 800lbs more than it was supposed to. I checked the tanks and apparently the dealership filled all 3 and then didn't drain them so I was carrying 800lbs of water, which works out nicely because I knew how it was going to tow with up to 800lbs in it. Even with the extra weight, it was dialed in almost perfect. My front axle was within 20lbs of the curb weight, I had gained about 500lbs on the rear axle, and everything was distributed exactly the way the app said it should be.

At first, it was towing so well that I thought that I had made a silly purchase and gotten a hitch that was overkill for a 25' unit and completely unnecessary. But the next day I towed my boat to the lake with my regular hitch and I could feel every bump. It was towing way worse than the travel trailer and I realized that the True Tow Hitch was just that good! I took the first official trip with it this weekend about 3.5 hours from home. I can't believe how well it towed. I've heard so many stories about sway and porpoising that I had been scared to death to tow a travel trailer. The only time I felt any movement from the trailer was when 3 18wheelers came by me in a row and it was just the very faintest wiggle. It was only noticeable because I was expecting to feel something.

Its only been 2 weeks and about 9 hours of towing, but so far this hitch seems to be worth every nickel.

 

[Bob K4TAX]

OK, then what was it "supposed" to weigh? Are you working with empty weight or gross weight? I'd say 800 lbs over empty weight is quite normal and under the gross weight limit.

That 800 lbs of water equate to 96.3 gallons. Hummm????

Again, said over and over, empty weight means NOTHING unless you are towing it from the factory to the Dealer.

 

[jdlong49]

OK, then what was it "supposed" to weigh? Are you working with empty weight or gross weight? I'd say 800 lbs over empty weight is quite normal and under the gross weight limit.

That 800 lbs of water equate to 96.3 gallons. Hummm????

Again, said over and over, empty weight means NOTHING unless you are towing it from the factory to the Dealer.

OK, then what was it "supposed" to weigh? Are you working with empty weight or gross weight? I'd say 800 lbs over empty weight is quite normal and under the gross weight limit.

That 800 lbs of water equate to 96.3 gallons. Hummm????

Again, said over and over, empty weight means NOTHING unless you are towing it from the factory to the Dealer.

I feel like you might be missing the point of this thread. The actual weight is insignificant, but I was carrying an unexpected 800lbs because the dealer didn’t drain the tanks. But the extra weight didn’t matter because the scale in the hitch gives you the actual tongue weight and the app calculates everything based on that. It was spot on even with the surprise weight. There’s no guessing or estimating. It worked perfectly even with the unexpected variable. So if I’m towing it dry, fully loaded, with water, without water, it won’t matter because I have the actual tongue weight and the app tells me exactly where to set the hitch.

 

[Knobs]

@jdlong49 , nice commentary on the hitch. Thanks.

... To my surprise, the unit weighed over 800lbs more than it was supposed to. I checked the tanks and apparently the dealership filled all 3 and then didn't drain them so I was carrying 800lbs of water...

OK, then what was it "supposed" to weigh? Are you working with empty weight or gross weight? I'd say 800 lbs over empty weight is quite normal and under the gross weight limit.

That 800 lbs of water equate to 96.3 gallons. Hummm????

Again, said over and over, empty weight means NOTHING unless you are towing it from the factory to the Dealer.

@Bob K4TAX, if the online specs are correct, the three tanks on the OPs trailer will hold 140 gallons (fresh, gray, and black), plus 6 gallons in the water heater. If all three plus the water heater were full to the brim, that would be 1,200+ pounds (which, BTW, would be about 75% of the specified max payload of that trailer... so, @jdlong49, you probably don't want to actually DO that!).

800 pounds would be reached with, for example, a full fresh tank, full water heater, and ~1/3 full gray and black.

 

[demody]

@jdlong49 Thanks for your post. I have the exact trailer and year as you -- 2022 Xplor 200MK. We really enjoy ours and have camped about a dozen times. But really was most interested in your recommendation of the True Tow WDH. I have a Blue Ox and hate it, but will switch to the Weigh Safe based on your review. Again thanks!

 

[kmcappon]

@jdlong49 curious which bars you went with, the 8500 or 12k? We're picking up our Imagine 22MLE on 7/4 and looking to get a WS mid-weight.

 

[Eleven99]

I believe your MLE has a GVWR of 6995lbs, so I would stick with the 8500lbs bars, which will give you plenty of support. I would not recommend the 12k bars, but you can call WS customer service and they will probably recommend the 8500lbs kit. Congratulations!