WD Hitch or not?

[Drew_A_]

Greetings,

I am towing a 26' 7000 pound gross travel trailer with my 2018 Ram 3500 CC SB truck. Do I need a weight distributing hitch with this combo?

The Ram manual states the max tongue weight for 2500/3500 trucks is 1800 pounds but does not say if that is with/without WD. There is no mention of WD in the manual except for the section about how to adjust spring bar tension.

Thoughts?

-Drew

[ssthrd]

I bought my 3500 in anticipation of buying a 5th wheel in the near future, and pulled my 7,000# TT in the meantime without the WD hitch since I really didn't need one. It pulled fine, but on a few of our roads with off camber sections and frost heaves, the trailer did move around a bit.

Since I had the hitch (Equal-i-zer with 4 point sway control) I hooked it up, and the affect was to eliminate the wiggles now and then, and to stop the truck from porpoising through the worst frost heaves. Neither was a real issue, but the fact is that they were there.

Bottom line is that even though I don't need it, it does make a difference that is noticeable, and if you have one, why not use it?

[Yosemite_Sam1]

Everyone who is in the know said I don't need one because of the match between my trailer puller and the weight of the RV.

But heck, it's worth the peace of mind and the feeling (I might only be imagining it) of day-and-night difference in stability.

I also have this unease of all that weight and movements hanging just on that tiny balls, lol.

[Grit_dog]

OP, all trailers handle a bit different.
From a capacity standpoint on the truck, you don’t need anything extra.
From a handling and comfort standpoint you may want or need wd or sway control.
Just test it out and decide for yourself what the best setup is for you and your trailer. Truck won’t care either way with a trailer that light.

[Grit_dog]

BenK wrote:
There should be a ratings label on the reciever that will have a 'dead weight rating' and a 'WD weight rating'

Found this image below on rv.net



Dead weight or weight carrying = no WD system

There’s not.
And the 2.5” Ram hitches are rated 1800/18000lbs weight bearing, fwiw.

[Boomerweps]

Not at all. My SIL used a Ram 2500 diesel to tow his 8000# toy hauler, no WDH, no probs.
Sold the truck for a new 2500 gas about a year ago.

A 3500 with a 7000# TT, no problem.

[valhalla360]

Need? Not in the absolute sense.

A good idea? Yes. Especially if you already have a WDH.

Note: a WDH won't fix a hitch weight that is too low. Redistribute the weight so it's at least 10% and preferably 12-15%.

[Lwiddis]

That maximum tongue weight isn’t impressive.

[BenK]

There should be a ratings label on the reciever that will have a 'dead weight rating' and a 'WD weight rating'

Found this image below on rv.net



Dead weight or weight carrying = no WD system

[Drew_A_]

BurbMan wrote:
The easy answer is....it depends. Assuming you don't pack the truck with heavy stuff, the tongue weight of the trailer by itself is probably not enough to make the truck sag. WD hitches also provide some level of sway control, so there's benefit there even if you don't need it to level the rig.

If you're towing without a WD hitch now and not having any issues, then there's your answer. If you are having issues, then there's your other answer....

Thanks for the input. I have only towed it once: 3 hours home from the dealer. The trailer was completely empty as was the truck. With this trailer having a rear kitchen, I was concerned it might sway due to low tongue weight.

On the trip home, I used a standard WD hitch with 1200 pound bars and no sway control. The tow was great with no sway at all.

[BurbMan]

The easy answer is....it depends. Assuming you don't pack the truck with heavy stuff, the tongue weight of the trailer by itself is probably not enough to make the truck sag. WD hitches also provide some level of sway control, so there's benefit there even if you don't need it to level the rig.

If you're towing without a WD hitch now and not having any issues, then there's your answer. If you are having issues, then there's your other answer....