[Senecio]

In the operator's handbook of my 2017 Touareg it states that a weight distribution hitch should not be used, but gives no explanation. Anyone know why such a hitch should not be used?

 

[noobytoogy]

There are loads of posts on here about this!
Suggest you have a trawl through them.

 

[BGGTDI]

to Senecio's defense the search fiction does not seem to work. So unless you have hours to sort through forums it is faster to post a question. The short answer is it seems to be it is a technology that the German engineers are not familiar with and was invented here in the US, so you know it is inferior
Many people use it on Touaregs and other unibody SUV's for towing with the desired stabilizing towing effects. It does help on Big trailers that are at the max end of towing capacity, but doesn't allow for you to go over that max or ignore the laws of physics.

 

[noobytoogy]

See my signature for the how to on searching this site:

Use Google or Bing to search by typing in: site:www.clubtouareg.com followed by what you seek

So I typed into Bing:

site:www.clubtouareg.com weight distribution hitch

and got 438 results.

And the same phrase typed into Google delivered 246 results.

Now some won't be much use, I grant you, but here's a couple to start things off:

https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f66/weight-distribution-hitch-62406.html

and

https://www.clubtouareg.com/forums/f66/sway-control-without-weight-distribution-34061.html where later threads catch up with Generation 2 cars by the way.

 

[Senecio]

Hi Noobytoggy,

Yeah I read some of those, but I want to know the reason. My Touareg does not have an air suspension system. Perhaps the ban only applies to Touaregs with such a suspension. The more threads I read the more confused I became, which is why I want to know the reason behind the ban and not what some owners choose to do.

Regards,

Larry

 

[seafarer28]

Hi Noobytoggy,

Yeah I read some of those, but I want to know the reason. My Touareg does not have an air suspension system. Perhaps the ban only applies to Touaregs with such a suspension. The more threads I read the more confused I became, which is why I want to know the reason behind the ban and not what some owners choose to do.

Regards,

Larry

Hi Larry,


ALL VW manuals say not to use a weight distribution system with all versions of the Touareg, you will not find anyone that can tell you WHY VW say that, any and all reasons you may read here and elsewhere are purely the authors opinion and not based on any fact.


Why don't you take the matter up with VW in whatever part of the world you are and share your results with this forum as I know we would all like to know the manufacturers official reason for printing that warning.


TonyB

 

[Xcentric]

It's not complicated. Weight distribution hitches work on leverage and put stresses on parts of the unibody that were not engineered to take the stresses.

Some hitch/trailer/tongue weight/vehicle loading/driving conditions combinations may be okay. Obviously, VW cannot control all the variables. Each variation would have to be TÜV-geprüft/MOT approved, etc., except in places (like many US states) that don't give a damn about safety.

If you feel you need a weight distribution hitch, there's a good chance you are approaching or exceeding design limits and should back off and be reasonable.

 

[Senecio]

It's not complicated. Weight distribution hitches work on leverage and put stresses on parts of the unibody that were not engineered to take the stresses.

Some hitch/trailer/tongue weight/vehicle loading/driving conditions combinations may be okay. Obviously, VW cannot control all the variables. Each variation would have to be TÜV-geprüft/MOT approved, etc., except in places (like many US states) that don't give a damn about safety.

If you feel you need a weight distribution hitch, there's a good chance you are approaching or exceeding design limits and should back off and be reasonable.

Hi Xcentric,

It is not so much that I am nearing the max hitch weight of 616 lb it is that i am looking to buy a used travel trailer/caravan and several of them already have weight distribution hitches attached, so I am trying to figure out if I need to remove it or can ask the seller to remove it and accept a lower price for the trailer.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Senecio]

Hi Larry,


ALL VW manuals say not to use a weight distribution system with all versions of the Touareg, you will not find anyone that can tell you WHY VW say that, any and all reasons you may read here and elsewhere are purely the authors opinion and not based on any fact.


Why don't you take the matter up with VW in whatever part of the world you are and share your results with this forum as I know we would all like to know the manufacturers official reason for printing that warning.


TonyB

Hi Seafarer28,

Thanks for your response. I suppose I could ask the head office of VW here in Pickering, Ontario, but they have not been very helpful in the past. "We have no technical people on stafff. We rely on our dealer franchises who have properly trained technicians". So I'm not very helpful about getting a realistic answer.

regards,

Larry