Does the trailer stability assist feature interfere with BC or Wt dist. hitch?

mbw said:

I guess my question is why do people not find the oem setup with standard trailer setups to be enough? .......

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The standard LR hitch is a plow and does not allow oversize tires to be stored in the normal space.

mpinco said:

Thanks Mike for the LR clarification. It agrees with the AU site. This is what I have been saying:

1) A weight distribution hitch will effect the air suspension on your vehicle so it's not recommended on our vehicle with independent suspension and air springs.

The LR air suspension will level the vehicle with different pressures at each corner. This is dynamic and active 100% of the time. Drop your trailer on the hitch and your LR will level out and maintain level throughout your trip.

A WDH will try and force weight forward and the air suspension will compensate. The air suspension will fight the WDH and actually produce unsafe conditions.

From a long ago discussion - http://www.landroverworld.org/forums/showpost.php?p=69523&postcount=10

"....Sway is almost always an unsafe loading condition, or an unsafe trailer mechanical condition. You won't have sway if your trailer is loaded correctly, hitched correctly, and in good mechanical shape. If you overlaod any rating. . .sway is usually the result and warning sign....."

Appears LR is saying the combo of air suspension and WDH cannot achieve a safe loading condition.

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Anti-sway and weight distribution are two different things though, like everything else, they are part of an overall system. My hitch setup has both as many do. But I can lighten up the WD without affecting the anti-sway function.

mbw said:

I guess my question is why do people not find the oem setup with standard trailer setups to be enough? I see a lot of threads on other hitches and controllers, which I suppose you need if your trailer doesn't have a mechanical actuator type setup... but ya.. what is wrong with OE hitch?

I'm only one data point, but my boat is heavy as **** and I have towed it all over the place and never noticed any issues. Under braking its smooth and controlled (though you really know its back there, even with trailer brakes). I am pretty sure my trailer knows to not put the brakes on when in reverse based on the lights/harness which is ok to back into the water with because it has sealed water tight LEDs that don't burn out on contact with water.

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The questions surrounding the OEM hitch receiver have to do with tongue weight. Though 770 lbs max tongue weight is stamped onto the side of the hitch receiver, there are arguments that you should not exceed 550 lbs. and most dealers (if not all) will point to that limit. There are cases (I posted pics on another thread) where people apparently exceeded the tongue weight and the receiver broke.

For example, I pull a 5,500 lbs travel trailer that can be a challenge in strong cross winds due to the effect of those winds on the side of the trailer. It helps to have anti-sway. But the anti-sway is better served by a hitch receiver that connects at multiple points in to the frame so as to spread the twisting forces on the receiver. So I went with the Curt hitch receiver. And I do use it with weight distribution without any issues.

mpinco said:

The standard LR hitch is a plow and does not allow oversize tires to be stored in the normal space.

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I've got a 265/65R18 under there. Slightly deflated of course. Not too big of a deal.

mbw said:

I've got a 265/65R18 under there. Slightly deflated of course. Not too big of a deal.

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I run LT285/60-18's. All tires vary a little but suspect those are not too far different. But the OEM hitch makes it impossible to fit an inflated tire. I'm happy with the Rhino hitch, fully inflated spare in its normal location , air suspension leveling and trailer stability assist.