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....

23 Replies

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...
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.
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.

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

23 Replies

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