Sway control needed when pulling TT with DRW?

[partimcmpr]

I am currently pulling a tongue-heavy travel trailer with a SRW/2500HD. If I upgrade to a DRW/3500HD, will I need to use sway control or weight distribution? Or will the higher payload and wide stance of the DRW handle the TT?

The gross trailer weight is close to 11,000 total with a TW of about 1650. The weight puts my 2500HD right at the GVW, front and rear axle weight OK.

What I really want to know, is what should I expect if I were to upgrade to a DRW/3500HD and would I still need to deal with sway control and weight distribution.

Thanks in advance!

ParTimCmpr

[hohenwald48]

I think a lot of folks make the mistake of looking at a tongue weight of say 1500 lbs the same as an evenly distributed truck bed load of 1500 lbs.

When you place 1500 pounds on the hitch 4-6 feet behind the rear axle that makes for a pretty long lever. I'm sure one of the engineers on here can figure it out but I imagine the 1500 lbs on the hitch is more like 3000 lbs over the axle and will do a lot to move weight off the steer axle. And I think a light steer axle is what causes a good bit of the sway when towing a trailer.

[deltabravo]

Weight Distributing hitch, yes.

I always use one when towing with my dually, small or big trailers:

[TomG2]

GM says that WD hitch is not required. Sway control may be necessary to tame a squirrely trailer, but most of us prefer to eliminate sway before adding sway devices.

[Alabama_Jim]

I think the sway control is worth it. Stablility and safety should not be comprimised in my humble opinion.

[APT]

What's the aversion to a WDH? It's a bit of a pain to set up the first time, but not much effort to connect/disconnect each trip.

[93Cobra2771]

beemerphile1 wrote:

partimcmpr wrote:
What I am really wrestling with is the gross weight of the TV....when I drop 1700 to 1800 pounds tongue weight to the receiver hitch...

What is the rating of the receiver? They typically have one rating with a WDH and a much lower rating without a WDH.

Exactly my question. I believe you'll be over your receiver hitch rating. Especially if it has the reducer from 2.5" to 2".

So a WDH at the least. And if you're doing that, may as well get a decent one with sway control built in.

[jmcgsd]

I pull a 7500# tongue heavy TT with a '91 F350 and have neither sway control or a WDH. I've towed it thousands of miles on all sorts of highways and never felt the need for either.

I certainly have never had any sway issues in wind or on freeways with trucks passing me. Part of it may also be the wheelbase. The truck is a long bed crew cab and about 25' long. I'd probably feel differently with a short bed or even a regular cab.

[beemerphile1]

partimcmpr wrote:
What I am really wrestling with is the gross weight of the TV....when I drop 1700 to 1800 pounds tongue weight to the receiver hitch...

What is the rating of the receiver? They typically have one rating with a WDH and a much lower rating without a WDH.

[the_happiestcam]

Do you need it? Depends on your speed. If you can do 25 the whole time, no. But if you want to do highway speeds - yes.

[path1]

partimcmpr wrote:
I am currently pulling a tongue-heavy travel trailer with a SRW/2500HD. If I upgrade to a DRW/3500HD, will I need to use sway control or weight distribution? Or will the higher payload and wide stance of the DRW handle the TT?

The gross trailer weight is close to 11,000 total with a TW of about 1650. The weight puts my 2500HD right at the GVW, front and rear axle weight OK.

What I really want to know, is what should I expect if I were to upgrade to a DRW/3500HD and would I still need to deal with sway control and weight distribution.

Thanks in advance! ParTimCmpr

Get out your magnifying glass and look for little tiny asterisks or footnotes you haven't noticed before? Article is a little bit dated but still applies IMO.

http://www.hardworkingtrucks.com/towing-liability-pickups-lawsuit-tow-ratings/

[Oaklevel]

Weight Distribution probably not...... Sway control would be a good idea.

[partimcmpr]

That looked nasty!

[gcloss]

Check out this video then decide for yourself whether or not sway control is needed with a dually. The tow vehicle was a GMC/Chev dually.

Clicky

[partimcmpr]

What I am really wrestling with is the gross weight of the TV. At 9200lbs max, when I drop 1700 to 1800 pounds tongue weight to the receiver hitch, I only have about 400 lbs of payload remaining. That sounds like a lot, but it gets consumed quickly.

I could go to a 3500 SRW and gain roughly 1500 lbs. That should do it.

However, I had pulled my previous TT which was close to the same gross weight, but lighter tongue weight, using a Hensley Arrow. The Hensley locked the trailer straight behind the truck with no sway as trucks went by.

With 1700 lbs TW, I can no longer use the Hensley as it is rated for only 1400 lbs TW. My current hitch is pretty good, but not as good as the Hensly.

So the consideration to upgrade to a 3500 is two-fold, increased payload, and potentially increased stability.

The truck will be driven almost exclusively for towing, thus the consideration of going with DRW.


Different points of views appreciated - Thanks!

[sch911]

IMHO Yes. You cannot put a price on safety. But with a 3/4 Ton DRW I'd be looking into a fifth wheel which is far more stable to tow.