Hello all,I am a total newbie in the world of towing having just bought a Tow Vehicle and a Travel Trailer and I am looking for some help with an appropriate hitch/sway control setup.My Tow Vehicle is a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel and my travel trailer is 33 ft long with a dry weight of 6900 lbs and GVWR of 9560 lbs.Based on whatever I have read and learnt from this forum and others, I believe I need a WD hitch with sway control and the tongue weight is in the range of 800-1200 lbs.Now, my RV dealer is suggesting installation of EAZ-lift hitch+sway control for arnd USD 520 + tax and I believe it has 1000/10000 lbs. I feel that this is too expensive for that hitch and is at the limit of my setup. Am I right in my assumptions?Having read multiple discussions on this topic, most people seem to go for Reese DC or Equal-i-zer 4 point SC with eq being slightly easier to setup. I am thinking of getting eq.I will be really grateful if I can get some help:1. Do I need 1200/12000 or 1000/10000 limits or something else?2. I am getting some good used deals in my area and I am also getting some decent deals for new ones online. Is this something I can set up myself? I do not have experience with hitches and trailers but I am quite comfortable with DIY stuff in general.3. If I need to tow the trailer from the dealer's location to my parking lot without the WD setup being available, is it okay to tow with just a ball for around 30 miles (I will need to buy a ball as well)4. What do I need to look for when buying a used hitch? I saw one that was used for a couple of years but has quite a bit of visible rust.5. Anything else I need to consider?RegardsHemant

Get the Equal-i-zer in 12000/1200 config. Order from RVwholesalers.com for the best price and free shipping. I would have it shipped to your dealer and have them install it, which really should be done no charge.

1. 10k trailer needs a 10k hitch2. Yes if you will educate yourself properly. I prefer the Reese Dual Cam3. I wouldn't do it but it may be possible, depends on how the vehicle reacts to it4. Look for metal fatigue (cracking). A little rust wouldn't bother me.5. Stick to one of the hitches you mentioned, make the required adjustments and take it slow to start with. You will also need a brake controller.

Your 10k lb trailer will probably have closer to 1200lbs of tongue. I would go with the larger one.

At 13% of the GVWR, you come in over 1200 lbs, so be ready for that possibility. Tongue weights seem to have a way of being more than almost everybody thought they were going to be. Doesn't hurt to have a tongue scale and get an actual weight just to be sure. I won't comment on the hitch or where to get it because I don't know anything about them. I use a Dual Cam at 1050-1150 lbs, with 1200 lb bars, and it performs very well (finally!), thanks to the help of those here.

Having been burned on the hitch rating before, my 2 cents:I would not buy your hitch until you have weighed your TT and have an actual tongue weight to go by. You can make all the educated guesses you want and buy something only to end up in a pickle because the tongue weight is much higher than expected. I ordered an 800 lb Reese DC setup because the factory dry wt. was just over 500 lbs on our TT. Thought it would be plenty. Installed the WDH but could not get enough weight transferred to the steer axle. Went to a scale and found that the tongue weight was nearly double and almost at 15%. Bought new 1200 lb bars and that fixed that.You may also find your receiver is under-rated for a TT of that weight. Best to go to a scale and get all your weights. Your receiver might be rated max. 1250/12,500 lbs with a WDH. Your tongue weight could potentially be over 1200 lbs.We now have a pair of 800 lb Reese trunnion bars for sale... :(I chose the Reese DC WDH because of it's self-centering action and I really like how it performs. And yes, there are some tricks to setting up the DC, but once done, it's great. The other hitch being purely friction sway control will have a different feel and action.

Newbie looking for help with WD+Sway Control | Good Sam Community

Ron3rd
Explorer III
Apr 13, 2014
One thing to watch out for on the Equilizer, if you install it yourself, you'll need some larger size sockets. I had to purchase a couple that I did not have in my toolbox. Also, the nut that holds on the ball requires a BIG 1-7/8" socket that most folks don't have, and must be torqued to 420 lbs. If you go this route, have the shop install the ball on the head for you. A buddy with a repair shop installed mine as I did not want to pay 60-70 bucks for this socket. The rest of the install is pretty simple.
hemanthariyani
Explorer
Apr 13, 2014
Not sure why images are not showing up - but I do not see any thing about wight distribution.
hemanthariyani
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Ron3rd wrote:
Hemant, the Blue Ox Pro is a nice, simple setup that works fine. That might be your best option under the circumstances.

After you mentioned that, I read about it and it indeed seems really nice. Thanks a lot. My only confusion is deciding between 1500 and 1000. I am more inclined towards 1500 it it will work when under loaded.
hemanthariyani
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Thank you all again for helping out. I really appreciate it.

I will check with dealer on the installation but will be on top of it in any case.

But as I dig deeper, there are more questions that pop up.

One of the dealers I spoke to told me that if the tongue weight of the hitch is rated much higher than the actual load, Sway Control will not work. I am not sure I quite understand this. Any comments?

I have been reading up more about Blue Ox Sway Pro and it does seem like a great option. Not as many reviews as it is new but so far I have heard only good things. Problem is that there is nothing between 1000/10000 and 1500/15000. I would happily go for the higher limit if it does not cause a problem with a trailer that is not loaded.

The same dealer asked me what the WD capacity of my truck hitch reciever is and I do not see this mentioned anywhere on my truck hitch receiver or around it. I took some images and all I can see is 500 lbs tongue limit. I hope these images are okay and do not violate any of the forum posting rules. Do let me know how to share images if this is not okay.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Apr 12, 2014
Hemant, the Blue Ox Pro is a nice, simple setup that works fine. That might be your best option under the circumstances.
myredracer
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2014
I would be wary of a dealer installing a WDH after watching them do it and from what I've read. When you get home, I would go over all the bolts with a torque wrench to make certain they are to spec. and that it is otherwise all done to the manufacturer's requirements.

The dealer (the salesman, not a tech.) started to install the WDH on our last TT and he came out with a small battery operated impact driver to use even on the big hitch head bolts. :S I had my big torque wrench with me and told him not to bother...
Teamfour
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
camp-n-family wrote:

Why would you expect a dealer to install something, that wasn't purchased through them, for no charge? I doubt you'll find many dealers that would do that, especially with the liability involved.

Just speaking from experience. We have bought two trailers from two different dealers and they both offered to install the hitch systems for free even though we bought the hitches elsewhere. Did I expect them to do it? No. But it doesn't hurt to ask.
hemanthariyani
Explorer
Apr 12, 2014
Hello all,

Thanks a lot to everyone for your replies. This is really helpful.

I agree with recommendation that I need exact measurements but unfortunately in my case, the trailer will have varying load based on the purpose on my trip. On some trips, I will tow it as it is and on some, I will will be loaded with some moderately heavy equipment.

I believe bare minimum I need is 1200/12000. Having looked at the trailer, I see that the largest storage compartment is right at the front of the trailer. I am assuming that this makes a difference as well. Am I correct?

Is there a downside (apart from the cost) of accounting for the worst case and upgrading the hitch to an even heavier one rated at 1400 lbs? Will it be a problem if my hitch is rated for 1400 lbs and the actual TW is around 700 lbs?

Speaking of hitches, I do have a hitch dealer pretty close to my RV dealer for Blue Ox. I was quoted USD 650 installed for 1000/10000. Not sure if it was Pro or the kind of hithces Blue Ox makes. I guess it will be slightly higher for heavier ones. Is Blue Ox better than Reese and EQ. Ease of setup is a priority for me because the weight of the trailer will change quite a bit from use to use. This is why EQ has been my first choice so far based on whatever I have read.

Regards
Hemant
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Apr 12, 2014
camp-n-family wrote:
Order from RVwholesalers.com for the best price and free shipping. I would have it shipped to your dealer and have them install it, which really should be done no charge.

Why would you expect a dealer to install something, that wasn't purchased through them, for no charge? I doubt you'll find many dealers that would do that, especially with the liability involved.

I do agree with the EQ 1200/12000. Make sure you know how to adjust and set it up yourself as well even if the dealer does set it up for you. Will the trailer be loaded with your stuff when the dealer installs the hitch? If not, it won't be adjusted correctly as weights will change once you load it up. You'll have to do it again when you get it home.

Agree 100%. I would not expect a dealer to install something I did not buy from them for free. Actually, when you factor in today's high labor rates, $500 for the EAZ lift hitch installed is in the ballpark of what most would charge IMO.
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Apr 12, 2014
Nothing wrong with the EAZ Lift setup and it's the most common setup seen on the road today. Readily available for under $300 delivered online. My experience with dealers is that's the only WD hitch they're familiar with and always "push" that style because they can make more money on it.

The Equilizer and Dual Cam have some advantages over the old EAZ lift in terms of sway control, but a properly setup trailer should not sway.

As to the Equilizer, that was my choice over the Dual Cam due to the design of my trailer making the Equilizer easier to install. I found it for around $480 with free shipping on Amazon.

Another hitch that's getting great reviews in the Blue Ox Pro and I'm sure those owners will chime in too.

In summary, nothing wrong with the EAZ Lift style hitch (with friction sway control), I used one for about 9 years but $500 is way too high and in that price range, there are better hitches.

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