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Furch5263's avatar
Furch5263
Explorer
Aug 04, 2014

2100 keystone cabana no sway or load leveling do i need it?

Howdy folks, hoping someone can point my brother in law in the safe direction. He has a 2000 keystone cabana hybrid. He got a great deal on the camper. Only question i have is does or should he have a load leveling and anti sway hitch. It seems to me that he should. His truck is a 2004 sport trac. It came with out the hitch. We put that on so i am also concerned about not having a tranny cooler. Also, not sure this truck is big enough to tow this trailer. Just figured i would ask. Looks like to me the truck might be on the max limit side. Thanks any help would be greatly appreciated. Furch5263

5 Replies

  • I agree with you guys about the whole new truck idea. Just trying to help him out. I did not know they sold a light duty level hitch. Very interesting. Also, not sure if he has the rv manuals but i will tell him to look. Great suggestions. I agree that he should have the hitch no matter what. It can only make it safer, and easier to tow.
  • The Sport Trac is essentially a Ford Ranger chassis, is it not?

    If a Ford Ranger with the "big" V6 can't safely and comfortably tow 3000lbs without spending more than $300-$400 on a receiver and transmission cooler, nothing can. You aren't going to find much of a "TRUCK" for $300-$400.

    A weight-distributing hitch is ALMOST always a good idea. HOWEVER, some small popups and travel trailers are not designed for the forces of a weight-distributing hitch. You need to refer to the owner's manual for this travel trailer to see if this is the case.

    Sway control is definitely a good idea regardless. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Keep in mind, sway control is not a solution for "known" sway. If you have a sway problem, fix it first, then add the sway control for UNknown sway, such as crosswinds, uneven road surfaces, etc.
  • I have had many tv's in my 70 some years and I have to say, never ask a small boy to do a man's job. with out the tranny cooler he will be looking at putting a new tranny in sooner or later. with that cost in mind he might as well buy a truck that can do the job in the first place. he will be putting in more money than the truck he has is worth trying to get it up to a good towing capabilty.. which is not a good idea, just take the money he is going to spend on this truck and get a TRUCK
  • From what I can gather on the net, the trailer has a GVW of a little over 3000lbs and should have a tongue weight when ready to go camping of around 450-500lbs.

    The Sport Trac, is a small truck with a 4.0L V6 engine. If it were me, I would use a simple 500-600lb weight distributing hitch and the single friction sway control that comes with that hitch. You can purchase that combination pretty cheaply and it should do the job.
    Barney

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