Well, we tow with a Ford Escape 6 cyl. And have negotiated mountain roads to flat lands, and no issues what so ever. We tow a 16 ft. Scamp. No, no issues at all.
There have been several questions on the forum regarding Weight Distributing Hitches. I think it would be helpful to explain what a weight distributing hitch (WDH) does and how to determine if you need one.
A WDH takes the weight of the tongue off of the Tow Vehicle and "re-distributes" it backwards onto the trailer tires. The reason you want to put the tongue weight back onto the trailer is so that the front wheels of the Tow Vehicle are not lifted off of the ground and you loose steering control (in some cases even lifting the front-end 1/2 inch can make the steering a little bit squirrely). This weight re-distribution is also important for traction on front wheel drive vehicles.
If you think about the mechanics (physics) placed on the Tow Vehicle (TV) this makes a little bit more sense...
The trailer hitch sits several feet behind the rear axle, as you place more, and more weight onto the hitch you will eventually lift the front wheels off of the ground. The same thing happens when you attach your trailer to the TV, the rear-end is pushed down and the front-end is lifted up. How much your front-end is raised up determines if you will need a WDH or not.
If your front-end is raised 1/4 inch or less (as measured at the center of the front wheel well) then you would probably not need a WDH, any higher than 1/2 inch and you should definitely consider having a WDH (in between 1/4" and 1/2" is a maybe). Test drive your TV with the trailer attached to determine if you have any steering/traction loss.
If you do decide you need a WDH then it would be helpful to know how the mechanics (physics) work with a WDH. Think of your Tow Vehicle as though it were a wheel barrow, lifting up on the handles of the wheel barrow lifts up the rear-end and pushes down on the front-end. In a WDH the spring bars act as though they are wheel barrow handles attached to the back end of your TV, lifting up on the spring bars raises the rear-end of your TV by transferring (re-distributing) the tongue weight onto the trailer, thereby keeping your TV level whenever the trailer is attached.
When buying a WDH it is important to know your Tongue weight and purchase a WDH that matches (or slightly exceeds) your Tongue Weight. It is also important to consider purchasing a sway control system when buying your WDH. I would recommend adding the sway control (it is better to have it and never need it than to need it and not have it).
All,well stated, but I must interject. Folks, we ALL,bought super light trailers here. Light weight fiberglass trailers! We did not buy trailers requiring over kill hitches. Remember,this is a SCAMP!
Anyone pulling a Scamp must absolutely first consider what their tow vehicle is, or should be. We sold our 4 cylinder Ford Escape to get a 6 cylinder Ford Escape, a great cost to us. We realized what it took to tow a 16 ft. Scamp, and everyone else should too. No, no weight distribution hitches are needed to tow a super lightweight trailer such as the Scamp. If one thinks they should, maybe they should first consider what they are using to tow rhe Scamp.
I did some looking at the stats on the Flex since they had a used one and they are really cute but that particular one could not tow and I could not find a used one with the towing ability although I know they exist. What weight is your Flex able to pull and what is the limit on the hitch weight? I am thinking this should be in your owner's manual or available online. That might help others give you a better idea of where you stand in this situation.
I took a quick look and what I think is that for a 2,000 lb limit, you'll have a hitch weight limit of 200 lbs and with the WDH, it looked like 4500 lbs and a hitch weight limit of 450 lbs. See if you see the same thing when you look. Sometimes I get confused with all the numbers. I know they have a Flex and one with EconoBoost (whatever that is). There is always a lot of confusion since engine and stuff can vary and then someone sees a Ford Ranger pulling a trailer but one is 4 (and maybe can't) and one is 6, bumper hitch vs. WDH, factory tow package.................... Since we just shopped for a new tow vehicle, it nearly drove me off the edge researching what was available.
The Flex is roomy and I wish we could have found one with the tow package.
Well, we do not have a Flex, but an Escape. Our Escape is a 6 cylinder model, with a towing weight of 3650 pounds. So it tows the Scamp very well and no need what so ever for a weight distribution hitch.
I am assuming that Randy is looking to tow his 16' Scamp with a Ford Flex. Surprisingly, the Ford Flex is only rated at a 2,000 lb towing capacity with a 200 lb tongue weight (Class I Tow rating). If the Flex has the Towing Package installed the towing capacity is increased to a Class III rating.
If Randy's Flex does not have the Tow Package, towing a 16' Scamp could easily exceed the rated towing/tongue capacity of his vehicle.
In Randy's particular situation a Weight Distributing Hitch may be the only way to safely tow his 16' Scamp.
Whenever the Vehicle's Towing Capacity is close to the weight of the Trailer being towed, you need to consider ALL options available to you when it comes to towing Safety. A mismatch between towing capacity and towed weight can Seriously Injure, or even Kill you or your loved ones, not to mention the risks to others who are traveling the roads with you.
A WDH not only increases Towing Capacity but it can also be an important factor in the performance and ride comfort within the Tow Vehicle. Ride Comfort becomes more important with each passing mile, especially on the ride home!
The only difference between the non- towing and towing package is all the wiring is in place for brakes and lights, even though a lot of non towing vehicles also have the towing harness (mine does) and an oil cooler. The Ford concern is engine temp not weight. I am only asking about a W/D hitch to determine if tail drop of the vehicle is an issue. If I decide that the tail drops to much I will add the W/D at a later time. I already have numerous draw bars so that portion of the equation is handled.
Well, we tow with a Ford Escape 6 cyl. And have negotiated mountain roads to flat lands, and no issues what so ever. We tow a 16 ft. Scamp. No, no issues at all.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
There have been several questions on the forum regarding Weight Distributing Hitches. I think it would be helpful to explain what a weight distributing hitch (WDH) does and how to determine if you need one.
A WDH takes the weight of the tongue off of the Tow Vehicle and "re-distributes" it backwards onto the trailer tires. The reason you want to put the tongue weight back onto the trailer is so that the front wheels of the Tow Vehicle are not lifted off of the ground and you loose steering control (in some cases even lifting the front-end 1/2 inch can make the steering a little bit squirrely). This weight re-distribution is also important for traction on front wheel drive vehicles.
If you think about the mechanics (physics) placed on the Tow Vehicle (TV) this makes a little bit more sense...
The trailer hitch sits several feet behind the rear axle, as you place more, and more weight onto the hitch you will eventually lift the front wheels off of the ground. The same thing happens when you attach your trailer to the TV, the rear-end is pushed down and the front-end is lifted up. How much your front-end is raised up determines if you will need a WDH or not.
If your front-end is raised 1/4 inch or less (as measured at the center of the front wheel well) then you would probably not need a WDH, any higher than 1/2 inch and you should definitely consider having a WDH (in between 1/4" and 1/2" is a maybe). Test drive your TV with the trailer attached to determine if you have any steering/traction loss.
If you do decide you need a WDH then it would be helpful to know how the mechanics (physics) work with a WDH. Think of your Tow Vehicle as though it were a wheel barrow, lifting up on the handles of the wheel barrow lifts up the rear-end and pushes down on the front-end. In a WDH the spring bars act as though they are wheel barrow handles attached to the back end of your TV, lifting up on the spring bars raises the rear-end of your TV by transferring (re-distributing) the tongue weight onto the trailer, thereby keeping your TV level whenever the trailer is attached.
When buying a WDH it is important to know your Tongue weight and purchase a WDH that matches (or slightly exceeds) your Tongue Weight. It is also important to consider purchasing a sway control system when buying your WDH. I would recommend adding the sway control (it is better to have it and never need it than to need it and not have it).
As always,
Happy Scamping !!!
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
All,well stated, but I must interject. Folks, we ALL,bought super light trailers here. Light weight fiberglass trailers! We did not buy trailers requiring over kill hitches. Remember,this is a SCAMP!
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
But, a major concern is the hitch weight limit on some of the lighter vehicles which is why many look at the WDH.
Cathy
Anyone pulling a Scamp must absolutely first consider what their tow vehicle is, or should be. We sold our 4 cylinder Ford Escape to get a 6 cylinder Ford Escape, a great cost to us. We realized what it took to tow a 16 ft. Scamp, and everyone else should too. No, no weight distribution hitches are needed to tow a super lightweight trailer such as the Scamp. If one thinks they should, maybe they should first consider what they are using to tow rhe Scamp.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
I did some looking at the stats on the Flex since they had a used one and they are really cute but that particular one could not tow and I could not find a used one with the towing ability although I know they exist. What weight is your Flex able to pull and what is the limit on the hitch weight? I am thinking this should be in your owner's manual or available online. That might help others give you a better idea of where you stand in this situation.
I took a quick look and what I think is that for a 2,000 lb limit, you'll have a hitch weight limit of 200 lbs and with the WDH, it looked like 4500 lbs and a hitch weight limit of 450 lbs. See if you see the same thing when you look. Sometimes I get confused with all the numbers. I know they have a Flex and one with EconoBoost (whatever that is). There is always a lot of confusion since engine and stuff can vary and then someone sees a Ford Ranger pulling a trailer but one is 4 (and maybe can't) and one is 6, bumper hitch vs. WDH, factory tow package.................... Since we just shopped for a new tow vehicle, it nearly drove me off the edge researching what was available.
The Flex is roomy and I wish we could have found one with the tow package.
Cathy
Well, we do not have a Flex, but an Escape. Our Escape is a 6 cylinder model, with a towing weight of 3650 pounds. So it tows the Scamp very well and no need what so ever for a weight distribution hitch.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
You probably have the 3.0? That works.
Cathy
I am assuming that Randy is looking to tow his 16' Scamp with a Ford Flex. Surprisingly, the Ford Flex is only rated at a 2,000 lb towing capacity with a 200 lb tongue weight (Class I Tow rating). If the Flex has the Towing Package installed the towing capacity is increased to a Class III rating.
If Randy's Flex does not have the Tow Package, towing a 16' Scamp could easily exceed the rated towing/tongue capacity of his vehicle.
In Randy's particular situation a Weight Distributing Hitch may be the only way to safely tow his 16' Scamp.
Whenever the Vehicle's Towing Capacity is close to the weight of the Trailer being towed, you need to consider ALL options available to you when it comes to towing Safety. A mismatch between towing capacity and towed weight can Seriously Injure, or even Kill you or your loved ones, not to mention the risks to others who are traveling the roads with you.
A WDH not only increases Towing Capacity but it can also be an important factor in the performance and ride comfort within the Tow Vehicle. Ride Comfort becomes more important with each passing mile, especially on the ride home!
As always,
Happy (and SAFE) Scamping !!!
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
MwaV,
The only difference between the non- towing and towing package is all the wiring is in place for brakes and lights, even though a lot of non towing vehicles also have the towing harness (mine does) and an oil cooler. The Ford concern is engine temp not weight. I am only asking about a W/D hitch to determine if tail drop of the vehicle is an issue. If I decide that the tail drops to much I will add the W/D at a later time. I already have numerous draw bars so that portion of the equation is handled.
Randy
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