Do I need weight distribution

There will be a sticker on the hitch itself that will dictate if you need to use the WD hitch or not. It will list load ratings with and without weight distribution.

The sticker should look something like this:

parkersdad wrote:
My camper weighs 6000 pounds loaded. It is 20 feet long. My new truck is a Ram Hemi 2500 with a 3.73 rear end. It has a payload of 2500 pounds and a tow rating of 12,500. I hope this helps.

Your tongue weight should be at least 12%, so maybe 720# ?

An F250 gasser would want a WDH.

On a new truck, there should be a label on the hitch receiver underneath that tells you the limits.

My camper weighs 6000 pounds loaded. It is 20 feet long. My new truck is a Ram Hemi 2500 with a 3.73 rear end. It has a payload of 2500 pounds and a tow rating of 12,500. I hope this helps.

aftermath wrote:

parkersdad wrote:
I had a 1/2 ton Ram with the Equalizer hitch. I just bought a Ram 2500 so do I still need the Equalizer hitch and sway bars or not? I hope this is not a dumb question.

"Equalizer" is a brand name and these come with built in sway control. Some folks use the term equalizer in place of any weight distributing hitch. Some of these hitches need a sway bar added to help with sway control.

My suggestion would be to use it with the new truck. You might find that the need for weight distribution will not be as great as your half ton but sway control is always a good thing. When people say, "use it if you need it" I would add, by the time you need it, it might be too late.

That is exactly right. I had Reese with dual cam on my small TT. I was going over South Pass. I went from nice weather to 40 mph cross winds and gusts with minutes. If I didn't have WD my TT probably would have been in the ditch someplace up there.

parkersdad wrote:
I had a 1/2 ton Ram with the Equalizer hitch. I just bought a Ram 2500 so do I still need the Equalizer hitch and sway bars or not? I hope this is not a dumb question.

"Equalizer" is a brand name and these come with built in sway control. Some folks use the term equalizer in place of any weight distributing hitch. Some of these hitches need a sway bar added to help with sway control.

My suggestion would be to use it with the new truck. You might find that the need for weight distribution will not be as great as your half ton but sway control is always a good thing. When people say, "use it if you need it" I would add, by the time you need it, it might be too late.

It is nice, quick, clean, and easy to hitch and unhitch if a WD hitch and sway bars are not needed. I use them when I need them, don't when I don't. We have no idea whether the OP needs one or not. A trip to the scales and a review of the owner's manual will answer the question better than a dozen of us guessers.

My question would be since you already have the WD hitch and used on the 1/2 ton why not just use it with the new truck?

parkersdad wrote:
I had a 1/2 ton Ram with the Equalizer hitch. I just bought a Ram 2500 so do I still need the Equalizer hitch and sway bars or not? I hope this is not a dumb question.

It comes down to weight and you have not provided those numbers, everything else is just a guess. "If" it was a GM 2500HD, that answer would be that one is not "required". Not sure what Ram has to say on the subject. (No dumb questions on here, but some of the answers are questionable)

~DJ~ wrote:

westend wrote:
Not a dumb question at all.
My TV is able to handle the TT without an equalizing hitch, I have yet to encounter any sway, it tracks like a dream. I will be using an equalizing hitch for those trips that are over 100 miles, though. Without the weight distributing hitch, I'm pulling weight off the front axle and adding weight to the rear of the truck, somewhat. This results in just a bit of loss in handling and when I'm towing, I want all of the handling and safety I can get.

Just curious. What's the difference of 100 miles? Why don't you want "all the handling and safety I can get" within those 100 miles?

At less than 100, I can get lazy and can just set it on the ball. That, and everywhere within 100 mi. from me is on good road, most of it 4 lane or bigger.

parkersdad wrote:
Is this just because of the stiffer frame? Also should I try a short trip without the sway bars?

Short trip? You can crash an improperly set up rig just as easily 2 miles from home as 2000.