sway control requirements

My Blue Ox WD hitch contains some sort of sway control designed into it. It works fine with my F-150 and 6200 lb scale weight Dutchmen.

The OP has a F-250 and no weight distributing hitch will be required for that small of a trailer. One of the joys of driving a more than adequate pickup is the elimination of the bars and junk associated with the fancy hitches. Enjoy the freedom.

No one has questioned this yet, but 600 lbs seems unreasonably light for the tongue a 25 foot trailer.

We have a 26 foot trailer and the tongue wt is 950-1000 lbs depending on level in the 2 propane tanks. (yes, I have a Surline tongue scale). The trailer loaded for a trip weighs 7,600 lbs total, including tongue weight, by the Pilot CAT scales.

We bought this trailer new and the sticker indicates tongue weight of 700 lbs, but I have NEVER seen it anywhere close to that. I'm pretty sure that sticker tongue weight is without propane tanks and battery installed on the tongue. A full propane tank weighs 35# and a battery around #70, so you will be adding at least 140# to the tongue, plus all the clothes you and DW stuff in the closets that are probably forward.

I suspect when reality sets in, you take delivery with 2 full propane bottles and the battery, load it for a trip, and then ACTUALLY WEIGH the tongue, it is going to be closer to 900 lbs if not more.

All my experience is with a half ton pickup, but if you ever plan to pull west of Arkansas you are going to need the WDH for sway control at the very least. And I suspect you will need it for leveling even on a 250 truck, but that's a guess.

I use both a WD hitch and sway control...Do I need them? -No- not by law. What the WD hitch does is help keep my truck (f150) level and the weights where I want it (on all 4 wheels) As for the sway control, the roads where I am can be heavily rutted and there is frequently strong cross winds and extreme weather so the sway control just helps keep things going straight. This is all personal preference as there is no laws requiring either....(in my jurisdiction)

I tow a 6200 lb scale weight TT with an F-150, a Blue Ox WD Hitch works fine.

Really you'll only benefit from WD and sway control. When a sway event occurs you don't want to have to go at it alone. It's probably a good idea to have the WD even though you have a F250. It's not uncommon to hear complaints from F250 owners about rear end sag with typical TT tongue weights. That's not a suggestion that the suspension isn't up to task, but it seems to be on the softer end of the scale. Air bags or Timbrens could be enough to prevent this, but a WD hitch with integrated sway control will take care of both of our concerns.

Ivylog wrote:
A PU will ride/handle better with some weight in the bed. 600 lbs, even on the tailgate will improve the handling. Hook the trailer up and go for a test drive without WD or sway.
The tangent of 2/250 is less than 1 degree so no one is going to flash their high beams at you if you do not use WD...
in the trees :S

I went through this with our first rig, a '94 F150 towing a '95 Aljo 18.5 Deluxe at 21' with 450~lb tongue weight. Dealer said ya got ta have this here Megahitch with these bars and a friction bar. Without it you'll be all over the road. I didn't like the feel of it. After tinkering and adjusting and even buying a lighter, much shorter WD hitch, I ended up towing with a short standard ball mount with no WD or sway control for six years with no problems. Then went to a 32' 5th wheel as common knowledge dictates a 32' travel trailer is a bear to tow without a Mega$hitch. Now we tow our 32' properly loaded and axle placed TT with no more than just enough WD to satisfy the rated capacity of the hitch receiver. If not for the receiver's capacity being under the tongue weight, I'd use a standard ball mount like the truck that delivered it used.
Notice trucks that deliver 60' mobile homes use no WD or sway control.

A thumb safety on a firearm is akin to the parking brake on the TV. Both off while in use. Both on while not in use. However, my G26 EDC has no thumb safety. Four basic firearm safety rules, if applied, would prevent any firearm accident. We should have and employ four basic towing rules.

A PU will ride/handle better with some weight in the bed. 600 lbs, even on the tailgate will improve the handling. Hook the trailer up and go for a test drive without WD or sway.
The tangent of 2/250 is less than 1 degree so no one is going to flash their high beams at you if you do not use WD...
in the trees :S

MWJones wrote:
Will a gun work without a safety on it? Yes,BUT....Think about it!!

None of my guns have a safety...well...one .22 LR does...and its stupid.

Thanks!

Jeremiah