Hello all,I am a total newbie in the world of towing having just bought a Tow Vehicle and a Travel Trailer and I am looking for some help with an appropriate hitch/sway control setup.My Tow Vehicle is a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel and my travel trailer is 33 ft long with a dry weight of 6900 lbs and GVWR of 9560 lbs.Based on whatever I have read and learnt from this forum and others, I believe I need a WD hitch with sway control and the tongue weight is in the range of 800-1200 lbs.Now, my RV dealer is suggesting installation of EAZ-lift hitch+sway control for arnd USD 520 + tax and I believe it has 1000/10000 lbs. I feel that this is too expensive for that hitch and is at the limit of my setup. Am I right in my assumptions?Having read multiple discussions on this topic, most people seem to go for Reese DC or Equal-i-zer 4 point SC with eq being slightly easier to setup. I am thinking of getting eq.I will be really grateful if I can get some help:1. Do I need 1200/12000 or 1000/10000 limits or something else?2. I am getting some good used deals in my area and I am also getting some decent deals for new ones online. Is this something I can set up myself? I do not have experience with hitches and trailers but I am quite comfortable with DIY stuff in general.3. If I need to tow the trailer from the dealer's location to my parking lot without the WD setup being available, is it okay to tow with just a ball for around 30 miles (I will need to buy a ball as well)4. What do I need to look for when buying a used hitch? I saw one that was used for a couple of years but has quite a bit of visible rust.5. Anything else I need to consider?RegardsHemant

Get the Equal-i-zer in 12000/1200 config. Order from RVwholesalers.com for the best price and free shipping. I would have it shipped to your dealer and have them install it, which really should be done no charge.

1. 10k trailer needs a 10k hitch2. Yes if you will educate yourself properly. I prefer the Reese Dual Cam3. I wouldn't do it but it may be possible, depends on how the vehicle reacts to it4. Look for metal fatigue (cracking). A little rust wouldn't bother me.5. Stick to one of the hitches you mentioned, make the required adjustments and take it slow to start with. You will also need a brake controller.

Your 10k lb trailer will probably have closer to 1200lbs of tongue. I would go with the larger one.

At 13% of the GVWR, you come in over 1200 lbs, so be ready for that possibility. Tongue weights seem to have a way of being more than almost everybody thought they were going to be. Doesn't hurt to have a tongue scale and get an actual weight just to be sure. I won't comment on the hitch or where to get it because I don't know anything about them. I use a Dual Cam at 1050-1150 lbs, with 1200 lb bars, and it performs very well (finally!), thanks to the help of those here.

Having been burned on the hitch rating before, my 2 cents:I would not buy your hitch until you have weighed your TT and have an actual tongue weight to go by. You can make all the educated guesses you want and buy something only to end up in a pickle because the tongue weight is much higher than expected. I ordered an 800 lb Reese DC setup because the factory dry wt. was just over 500 lbs on our TT. Thought it would be plenty. Installed the WDH but could not get enough weight transferred to the steer axle. Went to a scale and found that the tongue weight was nearly double and almost at 15%. Bought new 1200 lb bars and that fixed that.You may also find your receiver is under-rated for a TT of that weight. Best to go to a scale and get all your weights. Your receiver might be rated max. 1250/12,500 lbs with a WDH. Your tongue weight could potentially be over 1200 lbs.We now have a pair of 800 lb Reese trunnion bars for sale... :(I chose the Reese DC WDH because of it's self-centering action and I really like how it performs. And yes, there are some tricks to setting up the DC, but once done, it's great. The other hitch being purely friction sway control will have a different feel and action.

Newbie looking for help with WD+Sway Control | Good Sam Community

camp-n-family
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Order from RVwholesalers.com for the best price and free shipping. I would have it shipped to your dealer and have them install it, which really should be done no charge.

Why would you expect a dealer to install something, that wasn't purchased through them, for no charge? I doubt you'll find many dealers that would do that, especially with the liability involved.

I do agree with the EQ 1200/12000. Make sure you know how to adjust and set it up yourself as well even if the dealer does set it up for you. Will the trailer be loaded with your stuff when the dealer installs the hitch? If not, it won't be adjusted correctly as weights will change once you load it up. You'll have to do it again when you get it home.
myredracer
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2014
Having been burned on the hitch rating before, my 2 cents:

I would not buy your hitch until you have weighed your TT and have an actual tongue weight to go by. You can make all the educated guesses you want and buy something only to end up in a pickle because the tongue weight is much higher than expected. I ordered an 800 lb Reese DC setup because the factory dry wt. was just over 500 lbs on our TT. Thought it would be plenty. Installed the WDH but could not get enough weight transferred to the steer axle. Went to a scale and found that the tongue weight was nearly double and almost at 15%. Bought new 1200 lb bars and that fixed that.

You may also find your receiver is under-rated for a TT of that weight. Best to go to a scale and get all your weights. Your receiver might be rated max. 1250/12,500 lbs with a WDH. Your tongue weight could potentially be over 1200 lbs.

We now have a pair of 800 lb Reese trunnion bars for sale... :(

I chose the Reese DC WDH because of it's self-centering action and I really like how it performs. And yes, there are some tricks to setting up the DC, but once done, it's great. The other hitch being purely friction sway control will have a different feel and action.
mosseater
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2014
At 13% of the GVWR, you come in over 1200 lbs, so be ready for that possibility. Tongue weights seem to have a way of being more than almost everybody thought they were going to be. Doesn't hurt to have a tongue scale and get an actual weight just to be sure. I won't comment on the hitch or where to get it because I don't know anything about them. I use a Dual Cam at 1050-1150 lbs, with 1200 lb bars, and it performs very well (finally!), thanks to the help of those here.
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Your 10k lb trailer will probably have closer to 1200lbs of tongue. I would go with the larger one.
fla-gypsy
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
1. 10k trailer needs a 10k hitch
2. Yes if you will educate yourself properly. I prefer the Reese Dual Cam
3. I wouldn't do it but it may be possible, depends on how the vehicle reacts to it
4. Look for metal fatigue (cracking). A little rust wouldn't bother me.
5. Stick to one of the hitches you mentioned, make the required adjustments and take it slow to start with. You will also need a brake controller.
Teamfour
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Get the Equal-i-zer in 12000/1200 config. Order from RVwholesalers.com for the best price and free shipping. I would have it shipped to your dealer and have them install it, which really should be done no charge.

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