Dry Tongue weight vs. weight distributing hitch

[Towintoys]

So we are picking up a new Desert Fox 24 AS tow hauler tomorrow and the stated dry hitch weight is 1610 pounds. The dealership says they usually just use a 1,000 pound rated weight distributing hitch for those. I'm Leary. I have a 1,000/10,000 LB Equil-i-zer hitch currently bit I also had Camping World set aside a new 1,400/14,000 LB hitch for me. I'm wondering if the 14,000 pound hitch will be OK. With the added weigh of toys in the back behind the axles there should be less tongue weight than a dry tongue weight.....right? Also, do the air bags our Silverado 2500HD has play a factor in this?

Thoughts? 1,400/14,000 is the largest one Equil-i-zer makes.

[Grit_dog]

To the OP, you just said you still have 2" of forward rake with that big ole trailer hitched up.
Use yer noggin here. Let the rear of the truck take some of that weight instead of pushing so much to the front axle and see what that does.

[Bobbo]

Slipp wrote:
The bottom line is this trailer is ment to haul toys, and we do not haul a toy.

You hit the nail on the head with this sentence. That trailer is intended to have a significant weight in the back to counter all of that tongue weight. Unless you get the tongue weight down to 12% to 15% of the trailer weight, nothing else will work.

[Slipp]

I pull a 24AS also. We travel full time (we work remotely). I was using a power wagon, with the 6.4 hemi. Switched to a Denali HD 3500 srw a few weeks ago and we've had a poor towing experience since then... So I'm looking for options and opinions.

The bottom line is this trailer is ment to haul toys, and we do not haul a toy. My tongue weight is 2200 - 2300 lbs. (I bought a scale to weigh the tongue) the truck simply isn't able to handle this tongue weight. I've added air bags, stable loads, blue ox 2000lbs hitch and a geny hitch. All of these combined have not helped with the bucking. On smooth road, or sitting still, the rear is 2" above the front. The trailer is also dialed in and within 1.5 inches of being level, with the tongue slightly lower.

The issue we are having is the truck bucks or porpuses like a sea saw. It's horrible. We really want to keep this camper, but may switch to a 5th wheel.

I'm considering having brackets created to hold tractor weight plates behind the rear axle of the trailer, and hang a winch and bumper on front of truck.

Did not have this problem in the power wagon - it rode great, but the hemi was working really hard to pull it, and fuel economy was under 6mpg.

Any feedback is appreciated.

[Towin_Toys]

mkirsch wrote:

pickup is within a half inch front to rear as when unloaded

I *think* you mean that the heights are within 1/2" of UNLOADED height, not within 1/2" of each other, but just in case you meant 1/2" of each other, you need to know that that is no longer the way to adjust a WD hitch.

Modern WD hitch adjustment deals exclusively with the front ride height only. Depending on the age of your truck you would bring the front end back down to unloaded ride height by adjusting the WD hitch (older) or between halfway and all the way back down (within the last 5 years). Rear ride height is irrelevant.

Correct, within 1/2" difference of UNLOADED weights front to rear. The unloaded front ride height as measured was 42-3/8". Loaded it is 42-5/8" so 1/4" higher loaded than unloaded.

[mkirsch]

pickup is within a half inch front to rear as when unloaded

I *think* you mean that the heights are within 1/2" of UNLOADED height, not within 1/2" of each other, but just in case you meant 1/2" of each other, you need to know that that is no longer the way to adjust a WD hitch.

Modern WD hitch adjustment deals exclusively with the front ride height only. Depending on the age of your truck you would bring the front end back down to unloaded ride height by adjusting the WD hitch (older) or between halfway and all the way back down (within the last 5 years). Rear ride height is irrelevant.

[Towintoys]

Durb wrote:

Towin Toys wrote:
The 1500# WD Hitch wasn't quite enough. The good folks at Major Hitch in Boise upgraded me to the 2,000# bars & the 2,000# 2-1/2" shank for only $45.00. I then thought my factory receiver might be a weak link so I put a Curt V5 commercial receiver on it with a 2,700# tongue & 20,000# tow rating. Filled the fresh water tank and loaded the RzR. Ended up raising the ball one hole. Trailer measures 22" front & rear from the bottom of the frame to the road on a level surfaced hooked up & pickup is within a half inch front to rear as when unloaded. I'm happy now. We'll see how it does this weekend......

I hope you are going someplace benign on your first trip to make sure your trailer and hitch are dialed in properly. I wouldn't go on 55 North along the Payette unless my confidence level is 100%. That road, although beautiful, kind of creeps me out even in a car. Good luck and have fun.

This will actually be the second trip. The first trip was up 55 to Landmark. The only change from the last trip was the heavier receiver. After I put the receiver on and raised the ball one notch I loaded the camper with water and the RzR and drove to Nampa on Cherry Lane then back again on the freeway. Tows great. 55 doesn't bother me, between sleds in the winter and camping in the spring through fall I drive up that way and also to the Stanley area many many times a year and have since I was driving lumber trucks at 20 years old. I could however do without the idiots that only drive it once or twice a year.....those are the ones to watch out for.

[Durb]

Towin Toys wrote:
The 1500# WD Hitch wasn't quite enough. The good folks at Major Hitch in Boise upgraded me to the 2,000# bars & the 2,000# 2-1/2" shank for only $45.00. I then thought my factory receiver might be a weak link so I put a Curt V5 commercial receiver on it with a 2,700# tongue & 20,000# tow rating. Filled the fresh water tank and loaded the RzR. Ended up raising the ball one hole. Trailer measures 22" front & rear from the bottom of the frame to the road on a level surfaced hooked up & pickup is within a half inch front to rear as when unloaded. I'm happy now. We'll see how it does this weekend......

I hope you are going someplace benign on your first trip to make sure your trailer and hitch are dialed in properly. I wouldn't go on 55 North along the Payette unless my confidence level is 100%. That road, although beautiful, kind of creeps me out even in a car. Good luck and have fun.

[Towin_Toys]

The 1500# WD Hitch wasn't quite enough. The good folks at Major Hitch in Boise upgraded me to the 2,000# bars & the 2,000# 2-1/2" shank for only $45.00. I then thought my factory receiver might be a weak link so I put a Curt V5 commercial receiver on it with a 2,700# tongue & 20,000# tow rating. Filled the fresh water tank and loaded the RzR. Ended up raising the ball one hole. Trailer measures 22" front & rear from the bottom of the frame to the road on a level surfaced hooked up & pickup is within a half inch front to rear as when unloaded. I'm happy now. We'll see how it does this weekend......

[lbrjet]

Go with the higher rated hitch. You will need it.

[carringb]

If the DRY hitch weight is 1,600 pounds your actual unloaded tongue weigh will be higher (propane + batts) and MUCH higher with full water.

yes, toys will reduce tongue weight, but ultimately will be determined by how much water you haul.

[Towintoys]

bikendan wrote:

sgip2000 wrote:

Towintoys wrote:
So we are picking up a new Desert Fox 24 AS tow hauler tomorrow and the stated dry hitch weight is 1610 pounds. The dealership says they usually just use a 1,000 pound rated weight distributing hitch for those. I'm Leary. I have a 1,000/10,000 LB Equil-i-zer hitch currently bit I also had Camping World set aside a new 1,400/14,000 LB hitch for me. I'm wondering if the 14,000 pound hitch will be OK. With the added weigh of toys in the back behind the axles there should be less tongue weight than a dry tongue weight.....right? Also, do the air bags our Silverado 2500HD has play a factor in this?

Thoughts? 1,400/14,000 is the largest one Equil-i-zer makes.

For the Equalizer system, all you'd need is the heaver bars to "upgrade" to 1,400/14,000 lb. Everything else should be the same. No need to buy another whole system.

I'm pretty sure that the 4pt Equal-i-zer requires you to upgrade the hitch head also, when moving to the heavier bars.

You are correct, I called Equal-izer regarding the 1,400# hitch vs. the 1,200# hitch and the bars are physically larger as is the head on the 1,400# model. I bought a Blue Ox SwayPro 1,500# hitch, we'll see how that does. It looks like it is much simpler and quicker to make adjustment changes and less wear parts than the Equalizer...which will go on Craigslist later tonight.

[drsteve]

That unit has a 12,000 lb GVWR. Fully loaded you're probably looking at over 1400 lb of tongue weight, so I'd tend to think the heavier bars would be more suitable.

[bikendan]

sgip2000 wrote:

Towintoys wrote:
So we are picking up a new Desert Fox 24 AS tow hauler tomorrow and the stated dry hitch weight is 1610 pounds. The dealership says they usually just use a 1,000 pound rated weight distributing hitch for those. I'm Leary. I have a 1,000/10,000 LB Equil-i-zer hitch currently bit I also had Camping World set aside a new 1,400/14,000 LB hitch for me. I'm wondering if the 14,000 pound hitch will be OK. With the added weigh of toys in the back behind the axles there should be less tongue weight than a dry tongue weight.....right? Also, do the air bags our Silverado 2500HD has play a factor in this?

Thoughts? 1,400/14,000 is the largest one Equil-i-zer makes.

For the Equalizer system, all you'd need is the heaver bars to "upgrade" to 1,400/14,000 lb. Everything else should be the same. No need to buy another whole system.

I'm pretty sure that the 4pt Equal-i-zer requires you to upgrade the hitch head also, when moving to the heavier bars.

[sgip2000]

Towintoys wrote:
So we are picking up a new Desert Fox 24 AS tow hauler tomorrow and the stated dry hitch weight is 1610 pounds. The dealership says they usually just use a 1,000 pound rated weight distributing hitch for those. I'm Leary. I have a 1,000/10,000 LB Equil-i-zer hitch currently bit I also had Camping World set aside a new 1,400/14,000 LB hitch for me. I'm wondering if the 14,000 pound hitch will be OK. With the added weigh of toys in the back behind the axles there should be less tongue weight than a dry tongue weight.....right? Also, do the air bags our Silverado 2500HD has play a factor in this?

Thoughts? 1,400/14,000 is the largest one Equil-i-zer makes.

For the Equalizer system, all you'd need is the heaver bars to "upgrade" to 1,400/14,000 lb. Everything else should be the same. No need to buy another whole system.

[DutchmenSport]

Before purchasing a new system, (if it were me), I'd try the existing one first. Try it with trailer empty (go for a 10 mile spin), and then load it with your toys and go for the same 10 mile spin. See if it handles OK under both conditions.

If it doesn't feel right, the bars bend, or something happens, then move up to a higher rated WD system.

But I have a feeling you'll know immediately if you hitch up with your existing system, you'll most likely be OK. That 2500 truck has a good suspension. All you need is a little extra 'umph'.