I purchased a 2014 Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite 24 RLS Travel Trailer in January. I pulled it from the dealer to home with my 2013 Ram 1500, V8 4x4 shortbed Crew Cab. The dealer installed a load equalizing hitch and it sat fairly level and pulled good. Now, that truck was totaled in an freak accident and I have since replaced it with a 2014 Ram 2500, 4x4 Crew Cab, 6'4" Bed, Cummins Turbo Diesel. Obviously too much truck for my 5,000 lb. Trailer but that's what I've got. My question is with only a 560 lb. tongue weight, I don't think that it will make this new truck squat very much at all. Should I leave off the equalizer bars and just tow it without them so I can level the truck out a little, or should I use them..?? The RAM 2500 has a Class 5 hitch, 2,000 Tongue Weight and 20,000 Lbs. towing... Any thoughts or experiences on doing this..??

dc01039 wrote:I purchased a 2014 Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite 24 RLS Travel Trailer in January. I pulled it from the dealer to home with my 2013 Ram 1500, V8 4x4 shortbed Crew Cab. The dealer installed a load equalizing hitch and it sat fairly level and pulled good. Now, that truck was totaled in an freak accident and I have since replaced it with a 2014 Ram 2500, 4x4 Crew Cab, 6'4" Bed, Cummins Turbo Diesel. Obviously too much truck for my 5,000 lb. Trailer but that's what I've got. My question is with only a 560 lb. tongue weight, I don't think that it will make this new truck squat very much at all. Should I leave off the equalizer bars and just tow it without them so I can level the truck out a little, or should I use them..?? The RAM 2500 has a Class 5 hitch, 2,000 Tongue Weight and 20,000 Lbs. towing... Any thoughts or experiences on doing this..??Absolutely run the WDH, by the time you load the trailer and a bunch of stuff in the box you will by unloading your steering axle some.I move my trailer around the lot without the spring bars and i notice the lightened steering and I have aRam 3500. My rig is heavier but even so I would never tow any camper without a WDH.

Check the new truck owners manual for towing spec to be sure, but my instinct would be that a 3/4 ton truck will hardly feel that trailer. Would a WDH make it better? Sure. But is it better enough to be worth the hassle? I'm not so sure.I'd say if your weights are in the half to 3/4's range of the ratings of the truck as spec'ed without a WDH, then you don't need to bother.

Heavy Metal Doctor wrote:Check the new truck owners manual for towing spec to be sure, but my instinct would be that a 3/4 ton truck will hardly feel that trailer. Would a WDH make it better? Sure. But is it better enough to be worth the hassle? I'm not so sure.I'd say if your weights are in the half to 3/4's range of the ratings of the truck as spec'ed without a WDH, then you don't need to bother.Thanks... The truck is rated to tow 18,500 lbs., hitch is rated for 20,000 lbs. and 2,000 lb. Tongue weight. My Trailer weighs 5,000 lbs. with a 560 lb. Tongue weight, so my trailer is using about 1/4 of the trucks weight/towing capability. I doubt that the 560 lb. trailer tongue weight would even drop the bed by 1/2 of an inch...

You can use the link in my sig to see my trucks full specs, but basically I am not even close to maxing out any tow ratings with my 3500SRW and I run a WDH. I will run around town without the WDH and it's a big difference. I don't Spencerian any sway, but the truck is more stable and has minimal proposing thru dips with WDH. Use the WDH, your towing experience will be better.

It is not going to hurt the truck either way..Try both and choose for yourself.

To Equalize or not to Equalize...that is the question....

hddecker
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
dc01039 wrote:
I purchased a 2014 Starcraft Launch Ultra Lite 24 RLS Travel Trailer in January. I pulled it from the dealer to home with my 2013 Ram 1500, V8 4x4 shortbed Crew Cab. The dealer installed a load equalizing hitch and it sat fairly level and pulled good.
Now, that truck was totaled in an freak accident and I have since replaced it with a 2014 Ram 2500, 4x4 Crew Cab, 6'4" Bed, Cummins Turbo Diesel. Obviously too much truck for my 5,000 lb. Trailer but that's what I've got. My question is with only a 560 lb. tongue weight, I don't think that it will make this new truck squat very much at all. Should I leave off the equalizer bars and just tow it without them so I can level the truck out a little, or should I use them..?? The RAM 2500 has a Class 5 hitch, 2,000 Tongue Weight and 20,000 Lbs. towing...
Any thoughts or experiences on doing this..??

Absolutely run the WDH, by the time you load the trailer and a bunch of stuff in the box you will by unloading your steering axle some.

I move my trailer around the lot without the spring bars and i notice the lightened steering and I have aRam 3500. My rig is heavier but even so I would never tow any camper without a WDH.
Heavy_Metal_Doc
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
Check the new truck owners manual for towing spec to be sure, but my instinct would be that a 3/4 ton truck will hardly feel that trailer.

Would a WDH make it better? Sure. But is it better enough to be worth the hassle? I'm not so sure.
I'd say if your weights are in the half to 3/4's range of the ratings of the truck as spec'ed without a WDH, then you don't need to bother.
dc01039
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
Heavy Metal Doctor wrote:
Check the new truck owners manual for towing spec to be sure, but my instinct would be that a 3/4 ton truck will hardly feel that trailer.

Would a WDH make it better? Sure. But is it better enough to be worth the hassle? I'm not so sure.
I'd say if your weights are in the half to 3/4's range of the ratings of the truck as spec'ed without a WDH, then you don't need to bother.

Thanks... The truck is rated to tow 18,500 lbs., hitch is rated for 20,000 lbs. and 2,000 lb. Tongue weight. My Trailer weighs 5,000 lbs. with a 560 lb. Tongue weight, so my trailer is using about 1/4 of the trucks weight/towing capability. I doubt that the 560 lb. trailer tongue weight would even drop the bed by 1/2 of an inch...
AH64ID
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
You can use the link in my sig to see my trucks full specs, but basically I am not even close to maxing out any tow ratings with my 3500SRW and I run a WDH. I will run around town without the WDH and it's a big difference. I don't Spencerian any sway, but the truck is more stable and has minimal proposing thru dips with WDH.

Use the WDH, your towing experience will be better.
Bob_Olallawa
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
It is not going to hurt the truck either way..Try both and choose for yourself.
hddecker
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
dc01039 wrote:
Heavy Metal Doctor wrote:
Check the new truck owners manual for towing spec to be sure, but my instinct would be that a 3/4 ton truck will hardly feel that trailer.

Would a WDH make it better? Sure. But is it better enough to be worth the hassle? I'm not so sure.
I'd say if your weights are in the half to 3/4's range of the ratings of the truck as spec'ed without a WDH, then you don't need to bother.

Thanks... The truck is rated to tow 18,500 lbs., hitch is rated for 20,000 lbs. and 2,000 lb. Tongue weight. My Trailer weighs 5,000 lbs. with a 560 lb. Tongue weight, so my trailer is using about 1/4 of the trucks weight/towing capability. I doubt that the 560 lb. trailer tongue weight would even drop the bed by 1/2 of an inch...

Before you jump in the deep end, find yourself a nice quiet backroad and try towing with and without the WDH hooked up, then try some panic stops from 60MPH. Then decide which is the better handling.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
You probably don't "NEED" WD for that lashup.

But it will be "BETTER" with WD. How much better is debatable.
It depends on your expectations. I have high expectations of my setup.
I want it to be the best that it can be...
You already have the WD hitch.... Why not use it?
69_Avion
Explorer
Jul 08, 2014
I have a F-350 and I tow my 7,000# trailer without the WDH, but my 34', 12,000# trailer is used with the WDH. Do what feels right for your rig. I don't think that you will need it with that large of truck and that light of trailer, but try it and see how it feels to you.
Need-A-Vacation
Explorer
Jul 09, 2014
If you decide to run without the wd bars, just make sure your wd head/ ball mount is rated high enough. Most wd heads from what I recall are only rated for 5klbs without the bars.

There are ball mounts rated higher, and if you go this route, may as well get a ball mount that has a 2.5" shank so no need for the adapter.
Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2014
We don't have much sag at all when we hitch our trailer but I always use my WD as it has integrated sway control which I would not be without traveling out west at interstate speeds in windy conditions. Our WD/SC hitch takes all of a minute to implement via power tongue jack, simply raise and drop bars in, lower and we're good to go.