Weight Distribution Hitch VS poly airbags, what should I have and which one is better for me I often hear. Well let me give you the run down on what’s the difference and why one is better than the other. This also depends on your use and needs.

Lets start with Weight Distribution Hitches. These are designed not only to level the load, but load leveler riders as they are also know are also designed to redistribute weight that would normally be bearing down on your towbar. When you lift the leveler arms and attach on a Hayman Reese or similar and your vehicle lifts up, there is something else happening at the same time other than just lifting the back. What you are also doing in lifting the Weight Distribution Hitch, is transferring the weight you had baring down on the rear wheels of the vehicle back to the front wheels. So why do we need to do this. Using a weight distribution hitch does exactly that, redistributes weight from rear to front putting the vehicles front wheels back  more firmly on the ground. This in turn makes braking much safer as the front wheels of the vehicle do around 60-70 of the braking. If the weight distribution hitch was not in play then the front would be lighter, which means less weight down on the front wheels, which means less traction on the tyres, which could mean bad steering response, bad ability to pull up and a crash.  Take a look at some more safety stuff. So what else does a weight distribution hitch do. It allows the trailer or caravan to have the correct amount of drawbar weight making it a lot safer as we have probably all seen the result of what happens when you get a swaying van at high speed with the load weight badly distributed. This usually lands up in a crash.

So what about Poly air bags. These can aid in correcting the ride of a vehicle that is to low on the back due to a heavy load, but DOES NOT replace the weight distribution hitch. Please remember this it could be your life. In conjunction Poly air bags help lift the vehicle to the correct ride height but do not remove any of the weight barring down on those wheels the gear is packed over. They simply lift and level the vehicle and do not redistribute weight. In comparison the weight distribution hitch or level rider lifts and redistributes.

Using them both can be of advantage depending on the load, but for my money the weight distribution hitch is a better choice. The only down side of the weight distribution hitch is it needs to be disconnected for offroad use (not corrugated roads) where the poly air bags are fine for any type of terrain.