Having the proper hitch

[newrver327]

I am about to get a 35ft.TT so I'm checking into what to get as far
as the correct hitch for the trailer. I am looking at a TT with
a tongue weight of 1150lbs.empty. I have a hitch that came with
my truck, the sticker says 15000lbs with a wdh and 1500lbs tw.
My question is, does the wdh take away some of the tonque weight.
If it didn't I will be close or over the tongue weight and would need a heavier hitch. Any comment on the proper wdh and sway is appreciated. As far as the truck I'm not to worried it is a 3/4 ton duramax.

[Ron3rd]

I use the genuine Equalizer brand hitch with my 35ft trailer, works great.

[Lwiddis]

"Often times. Stock / factory, hitches max out at the max capacity, towing / payload, of the truck series."

Excellent point, Terry and Shay. I agree.

[handye9]

newrver327 wrote:
Any comment on the proper wdh and sway is appreciated. As far as the truck I'm not to worried it is a 3/4 ton duramax.

Shop for a WD hitch with integrated sway control. Propride (expensive), Hensley (also expensive), Equalizer, and BlueOx Swaypro are a few good choices.

Note 1: The bars used with most of these hitches, come in different weight ratings (based on trailer tongue weights). BlueOx for example, has models rated for 350, 550, 750, 1000, 1500, and 2000 lbs. If you select BlueOx, you'd be looking at the 1500 lb model.

Note 2: TONGUE WEIGHT IS NOT A CONSTANT NUMBER --- Dry tongue weight is the weight when the trailer left the factory. Actual tongue weight will be slightly higher (dealer adds batteries, propane, and possibly trailer options), before the trailer gets delivered to the end user. Then the tongue weight will go up as you add dishes, pots and pans, camp chairs, BBQ, and bedding, etc. From there, tongue weight fluctuates during every trip. It goes up and down with groceries and water weight. Depending on the location (in relation to the trailer axles) of your holding tanks, your tongue weight can fluctuate quite a bit. My fresh tank is behind the axles, and, my tongue weight goes down (about 175 lbs) with water onboard. It's a front kitchen model, so, tongue weight increases with groceries or grey water in the galley tank. Depending on grocery and water levels, I can have tongue weight between 975 and 1200 lbs. The advertised dry tongue weight was 880.

Here's a link to eTrailer's website, where you can search WD hitches by tongue weight, with sway control, or without sway control, etc. They carry several brands.

[mkirsch]

The WD tongue weight rating is for the DEAD WEIGHT of the trailer tongue, as if you set it directly on a scale.

Unless you are a college math professor, there is no way to accurately calculate the effect of the WD hitch. This is why dead weight is used.

15% of GVWR is a really good "worst case" value to plan for. In all but the most extreme corner cases (i.e. a heavy toy hauler with no toys), your actual tongue weight will be less. Normally it is around 13% of the actual weight of the trailer.

In all likelihood you will probably be just fine with your existing receiver.

[dodge_guy]

Just because the dry tongue weight is 1150 doesn't mean it will automatically go up according to how much you load into it. It all depends on how you load it. You want the tongue weight to be approx. 12.5% of the final loaded ready to travel weight. So it may be necessary to move things around until you get it right. On my trailer when I first got it my loaded tongue weight was 1500lbs on a 9200lb trailer. Way too much and it actually made towing bad. I moved stuff around and got it too 1200lbs. Towing was hen perfect. Sure I could've just gotten a 1500lb hitch setup with larger receiver. But that wouldn't have been the proper fix. What I always say to do is take the dry weight of the trailer add 1500lbs and then figure 12.5% of that for proper loaded tongue weight.

[Terryallan]

So it appears that empty, you are 450lb under the max. IF I were you. I would get a after market heavier hitch. But ONLY IF the truck can carry that much payload. Often times. Stock / factory, hitches max out at the max capacity, towing / payload, of the truck series. (1500,2500,3500), Manufacturers usually put the same hitch on every truck in the class, and it is usually enough to handle the max in that class.

[BarneyS]

Take a look at this thread, especially the first post.
Barney

[lawnspecialties]

Yes. The best way I can explain it is a properly set up WDH acts like an imaginary hand pulling up on the connection between the truck and the camper. The way the bars bend, their desire to return to being straight is what causes this effect. The weight doesn't go away. But some of it is now transferred to the front axle.

This is why most truck hitches have two ratings: one with and one without a WDH. The one with a WDH hitch is either the same or usually higher.

[jmtandem]

I am about to get a 35ft.TT so I'm checking into what to get as far
as the correct hitch for the trailer. I am looking at a TT with
a tongue weight of 1150lbs.empty. I have a hitch that came with
my truck, the sticker says 15000lbs with a wdh and 1500lbs tw.
My question is, does the wdh take away some of the tonque weight.
If it didn't I will be close or over the tongue weight and would need a heavier hitch. Any comment on the proper wdh and sway is appreciated. As far as the truck I'm not to worried it is a 3/4 ton duramax.

Use 13 percent of the trailer's GVWR for an approximate tongue weight. You never tow empty so that tongue weight number is essentially meaningless. Also, your discussion is more about the truck's receiver rather than the hitch that will connect the truck with the trailer.