Weight distribution system

[Westsidebob]

Hello all, I'm new to the forum, it looks very helpful. I have a question about pulling with a F-250. We shopped today for a new rv, thinking about a 32ft bumper pull. The dealership is trying to sell us a weight distribution system and a sway bar. Do I need a weight distribution system? Do I need a sway bar? The trailer is 7765 pounds unloaded, and a dry hitch weight of 780lbs. I'm thinking I don't need the weight distribution, but maybe a sway bar? Thanks for any help!

[tatest]

myredracer wrote:
I saw a delivery guy from Indiana recently on the ferry to Vancouver Island. He was towing a new 30-32 foot Coachmen TT with an F250. He had no WDH at all. That would have been over 2,000 miles of towing. Maybe they just have superior towing skills that the rest of us don't?

Got me to thinking. You don't see marks on the A-frames of trailers at the dealers. Do they never use a WDH, even on longer/heavier units? Or if they do, do they have a way of preventing scratches and dents from the snap-up brackets? Maybe above a certain weight/length they tow with a 1 ton or larger? I think some of these drivers don't exactly drive at recommended max. speeds either.

Curious...

I run regularly through the Elkhart area, on my trips to visit family in southwest and siuth central Michigan several times a year. I'm on the road with delivery haulers regularly, and one of the things that helps me to spot them is lack of WDH.

Several factors might apply, at least before amateurs started getting drawn into the delivery business.

1. Most of these drivers are using 1-ton to 1-1/2 ton (E-450, later F-450) trucks setup to tow either bumper hitch or fiver, whatever the next trip offers.

2. They are running the truck almost empty, driver or drive and partner, plenty of capacity for a ton to two tons of fiver hitch weight, or a ton or more on the bumper.

3. The trailers they are hauling are empty, thus ligher than they will ever be for a RVer.

4. They have a lot of experience towing these things, and understand the limitations of their equipment and skills.

[myredracer]

I saw a delivery guy from Indiana recently on the ferry to Vancouver Island. He was towing a new 30-32 foot Coachmen TT with an F250. He had no WDH at all. That would have been over 2,000 miles of towing. Maybe they just have superior towing skills that the rest of us don't?

Got me to thinking. You don't see marks on the A-frames of trailers at the dealers. Do they never use a WDH, even on longer/heavier units? Or if they do, do they have a way of preventing scratches and dents from the snap-up brackets? Maybe above a certain weight/length they tow with a 1 ton or larger? I think some of these drivers don't exactly drive at recommended max. speeds either.

Curious...

[Majja13]

I would get one with that size of trailer. As others have mentioned Reese, equlizer ect

[handye9]

Westsidebob wrote:
Hello all, I'm new to the forum, it looks very helpful. I have a question about pulling with a F-250. We shopped today for a new rv, thinking about a 32ft bumper pull. The dealership is trying to sell us a weight distribution system and a sway bar. Do I need a weight distribution system? Do I need a sway bar? The trailer is 7765 pounds unloaded, and a dry hitch weight of 780lbs. I'm thinking I don't need the weight distribution, but maybe a sway bar? Thanks for any help!

That UVW 7765 and dry hitch weight of 780, is what the trailer weighed when it left the factory. It did not include propane, battery, or any dealer installed options. Propane and battery will add about 100 lbs to both UVW and hitch weight. Now the numbers are UVW 7865 and 880 hitch.

Average load of dishes,bedding,camping gear, and groceries, is about 1000 lbs. This makes loaded weight 8865 and hitch (average 12% of loaded weight) weight 1064. Keep in mind, at this point, your black and grey holding tanks are still empty. When full, they could add a lot more. (My black and grey combined, 114 gallons at approximately 9 lbs per gallon.)

Depending on how the trailer is loaded, the hitch weight could be as high as 1330. My hitch weight varries +/- 200 lbs, depending on how much fresh water is onboard. (My fresh tank is behind the axles.)

There could be a situation where you would need to tow with tanks fully loaded. If that happened, you would be over 9000 lbs and pushing that 1300 lb hitch weight.


The dealer is correct in advising you to get weight distribution and sway control. The WD is due to the weight and sway control is due to trailer length. Thirty two feet, is a lot of sail. (My trailer size and weight are similar to what you are looking at. I tow with an F250, and, I can tell you, "you need WD and sway control".)

The best brand depends on who you talk to, and, how much money you have. Most convenient are those with integrated sway control. You should look at hitches rated for at least 1200 lbs, 1400+ would be even better.

Do some research on hitches and hitch sources. The RV dealer may not be the best place to buy.

[martipr]

First go think your dealer for telling you that you need a weight distributing hitch but not for telling you to get a sway bar. As stated by others you need an integrated WD system like a Reese Strait Line Dual Cam WD hitch or an Equalizer. There may be others, I'm not sure. I most highly recommend the Reese. I have one on my Ram 1500 towing a 30 foot 7 to 8 thousand pound TT. It pulls so stright and smooth that I often forget there is a trailer back there.

[RetiredSFC_97]

another yes vote here. I use one with a 19N Fleetwood mallard on a 1/2 Ton Dodge. Works great

[jerem0621]

At a MINIMUM you need a basc WD hitch and TWO sway bars. One on either side of the trailer tongue. Again, this is at MINIMUM. I had a 31 ft 7000 lb trailer loaded and I had to run two sway bars. I had DC but had a serious ground clearance issue and couldn't use the DC system. However, your trailer EMPTY weighs more than mine did loaded.

I had thousands of miles pulling with two sway bars. And as I said before they are the MINIMUM I would use in your application. The Reese Dual Cam is a nice system, I also like the Blue Ox sway Pro design.

The dual sway bar plus WD is a set up I am very familiar with and don't feel unsafe with it.

Thanks and good luck.

Jeremiah

[chevor]

I never use one. There is better ways to spend that money.

[Lynnmor]

thomasmnile wrote:

Westsidebob wrote:
Hello all, I'm new to the forum, it looks very helpful. I have a question about pulling with a F-250. We shopped today for a new rv, thinking about a 32ft bumper pull. The dealership is trying to sell us a weight distribution system and a sway bar. Do I need a weight distribution system? Do I need a sway bar? The trailer is 7765 pounds unloaded, and a dry hitch weight of 780lbs. I'm thinking I don't need the weight distribution, but maybe a sway bar? Thanks for any help!

Check your F-250's owners' manual and see if it is addressed in the section on towing. On my 2005 Ram 3500, the owners' manual stated a weight distributing hitch with sway control should be used in any Class IV/Class V towing application, or if the weight of what you are towing exceeds 60% of the truck's GVW.

My 2011 F250 manual says to adjust the weight distribution till it brings the front height back to 1/2 of what it changed. Problem is that the rear squats too much because of soft springs. So with the weight distributed correctly I may have to go with air bags to tow a trailer with 820 lbs hitch weight and maybe 300 to 500 lbs in the bed. If I bring it up to level, the tires spin freely when starting out.

[thomasmnile]

Westsidebob wrote:
Hello all, I'm new to the forum, it looks very helpful. I have a question about pulling with a F-250. We shopped today for a new rv, thinking about a 32ft bumper pull. The dealership is trying to sell us a weight distribution system and a sway bar. Do I need a weight distribution system? Do I need a sway bar? The trailer is 7765 pounds unloaded, and a dry hitch weight of 780lbs. I'm thinking I don't need the weight distribution, but maybe a sway bar? Thanks for any help!

Check your F-250's owners' manual and see if it is addressed in the section on towing. On my 2005 Ram 3500, the owners' manual stated a weight distributing hitch with sway control should be used in any Class IV/Class V towing application, or if the weight of what you are towing exceeds 60% of the truck's GVW.

[JBarca]

ktmrfs wrote:

Westsidebob wrote:
Hello all, I'm new to the forum, it looks very helpful. I have a question about pulling with a F-250. We shopped today for a new rv, thinking about a 32ft bumper pull. The dealership is trying to sell us a weight distribution system and a sway bar. Do I need a weight distribution system? Do I need a sway bar? The trailer is 7765 pounds unloaded, and a dry hitch weight of 780lbs. I'm thinking I don't need the weight distribution, but maybe a sway bar? Thanks for any help!

I'd say YES you will need a WD system, even with your F250. The dealer is being honest with you, not trying to sell you something you don't need.

First, the "empty" tongue weight is likely to become around 1200+lbs once your loaded up. 2 batteries + propane will add almost 200lbs. Look at your reciever, you might even be over the Weight carrying capacity of the reciever once your loaded up.

At 7800lbs empty, you will likely be push 9500-10,000 loaded up.

And with a 32 ft trailer, yes you really should have a good a sway control system.

I will add only one thing to what ktmrfs has already stated so well.

Do not let the dealer try and sell you a "sway bar" (a brake pad with a crack handle knob) for a camper that heavy and long. It is the wrong application on a camper of this size. You want a WD hitch with and integrated sway control system. Reese Dual Cam, Reese Sway control (SC) hitch, Equal-I-zer brand by Progress Systems are a few of the better ones.

Often times "some" not all, dealers will sell the bare bone bottom of the line WD hitch and a sway bar. After they just sold you a $XX,000 dollar travel trailer they cheap out and throw in or sell you the cheapest hitch they can. Spend the extra few hundred dollars and get a good quality correctly sized WD hitch with the integrated sway control. Also to note, make sure the weight distribution bars are sized right for your "loaded" camper tongue weight. Not the weight listed in the catalog which is an empty camper weight and may not even have all the options you have on it.

Hope this helps

John

[Dog_Folks]

You spent a bundle of money on the truck. You spent a bundle of money on the trailer.

Make the investment in a good hitch system to protect both and the safety of your family.

You will not regret it.

[fla-gypsy]

Get a quality integrated WD/sway control system like the Reese HP Dual Cam or Equalizer system. You absolutely will need it.

[TheGriswolds]

I have a '11 F-250 with a 35 ft tip to tail trailer at 7,200 dry and just under 9k loaded. We use the equalizer WD hitch and it works great. Have towed without for short distances but can tell a difference. Wouldn't want to go without it for longer trips. Worth the $.