Weight Distribution with Sway Control Suggestions

[Chapzter]

I am new to the RV world as an owner. I grew up adventuring with my parents in a Motorhome, but now it's time for me to get my foot in the door with a Travel Trailer and create memories with my kids.

I just picked up a 2002 Keystone Sprinter (299RLS) on an impossible to pass deal from a family member. Now that I have the trailer, I need to get my vehicle set up properly. Where I'm stuck is the weight distribution hitch with sway control. I've read reviews from the $350 to $700 ones. I am not as concerned about money as I am safety, so hopefully some RV Veterans can help me out here that have experience with bumper pull trailers. I think I have it narrowed to the Equal-I-Zer and the Reese Dual Cam, but I am open to any suggestions.

[SoundGuy]

Chapzter wrote:
Click on link below to see trailer info:

My Trailer Specs

I couldn't find a place to post pics, so I put them on this link. It's pretty heavy.

So now we're much closer to understanding what your real weights are likely to be, loaded and ready to camp ...

With a dry weight of 6780 lbs as the trailer sat at the factory it will land right around 6900 lbs with propane in the tanks and a battery on the tongue. Add at least 1000 lbs for everything else you're going to add to the trailer yourself, including allowance for some water in the fresh water holding tank and water heater tank, and you'll likely find this trailer's GVW, loaded and ready to go camping, will sit close to 8000 lbs. 13% of that is just over 1000 lbs so if you're considering a Blue Ox Sway Pro 1000 lb bars would do the trick as long as you're confident you can keep this trailer's gross weight within 8000 lbs. The caveat here is that with an unloaded hitch weight of 880 lbs where you load cargo will also have a significant impact on the trailer's gross tongue weight and if much of it is in a front pass through storage compartment it could force that gross tongue weight well beyond 1000 lbs and therefore into 1500 lb spring bars. As far as towing is concerned, this trailer is WAY too much for your 1/2 ton Sierra ... aside from anything else it just doesn't have sufficient payload capacity to carry passengers, any cargo you may want to throw it, and still have enough left over to accommodate this much gross tongue weight ... use your F250 instead.

[ttavasc]

SoundGuy wrote:
According to the OP his trailer has a sticker tongue weight of 880 lbs, meaning dry tongue weight as the trailer left the factory. If so, this trailer's gross tongue weight, loaded and ready to camp, could easily be 1300 lbs. As for the suitability of the Andersen WD system for a trailer running this much tongue weight search for discussions by Ron Gratz ... as I understand it his assessment is the Andersen isn't capable of sufficient weight transfer when used with trailers this heavy.

As an Andersen owner I would concur with this assessment. I did quite a bit of research on the Andersen before picking one up and a couple of items stood out - folks posted that heavier tongue weights (750-800lbs or more) generally were not able to achieve 100% FALR and slippage of the frame brackets. My TW is ~450lbs and I've not had trouble with FALR, but I couldn't cure the bracket slip without using a tack weld. I think it's a good choice for lighter trailers but not for something this heavy.

[Chapzter]

Click on link below to see trailer info:

My Trailer Specs

I couldn't find a place to post pics, so I put them on this link. It's pretty heavy.

[SoundGuy]

egilesscott wrote:
Has anyone mentioned an Anderson Hitch? Would it be appropriate for Chapzter's trailer (880 tongue wt)?

According to the OP his trailer has a sticker tongue weight of 880 lbs, meaning dry tongue weight as the trailer left the factory. If so, this trailer's gross tongue weight, loaded and ready to camp, could easily be 1300 lbs. As for the suitability of the Andersen WD system for a trailer running this much tongue weight search for discussions by Ron Gratz ... as I understand it his assessment is the Andersen isn't capable of sufficient weight transfer when used with trailers this heavy.

[egilesscott]

Has anyone mentioned an Anderson Hitch? Would it be appropriate for Chapzter's trailer (880 tongue wt)?

[SoundGuy]

Chapzter wrote:
Yes, I pulled the 880 off the sticker like a rookie.

That's one pretty darned heavy trailer! Add the weight of propane in the tanks & a battery and that trailer's "dry tongue weight" before loading anything into it could easily be 1000 lbs - yikes! Loaded and ready to camp it's gross tongue weight will be significantly more as you'll want it somewhere in the 13% range relative to it's gross weight. Yeah, better get some weight measurements before you go any further with this. 😉

[rangerbait]

Chapzter wrote:
Yes, I pulled the 880 off the sticker like a rookie.

Haha...live and learn, right? 🙂 My trailer had an advertised tongue weight of 860lbs, so I figured my Armada with a 910lb tongue rating would be good to go. My actual loaded tongue weight on that trailer is just about 1,300lbs :E

[Chapzter]

SoundGuy wrote:

Chapzter wrote:
The tongue weight on the trailer is 880lbs.

You know this because you've measured the trailer's gross tongue weight as the trailer would be typically loaded and ready to camp or are you pulling this number off a sticker somewhere? :@ Have you also weighed the trailer itself, ready to camp, so you know what the gross tongue weight to gross trailer weight ratio will typically average? :@ Can't really pick the correct WD spring bar rate 'til you have these numbers in hand.

Ok, that makes sense. Yes, I pulled the 880 off the sticker like a rookie. I can load the trailer and weigh it at the local dump. I'm so glad I turned to you guys for help. The local shop just threw something on the counter and said this will work. They didn't ask me any of these questions. Quote from last store "Why pay $1,000 when this one is the same for $350". I almost picked it up so I could get on the road this weekend, then I thought there has to be a help forum out there which led me here. In talking with you, I see that this takes time, thought and patience, not hurry and slap it on. I'll get actual numbers. I wouldn't be stuck between 2 models if I had hard numbers. I can't thank you enough for your time and expertise.

[danimal53]

Chapzter wrote:
Thanks all for your replies! You all have such good information, with the experience to back it up. Another question I have is about the rating of the hitch. Is it possible to go to big? Say I only need a 10,000lb weight distribution hitch, but buy a 15,000lb one. Will that make it too stiff and create bounce?

i have a much different setup, but the dealer sold me a wdh that was way overkill for my TT. YES, it definitely felt stiff and bouncy! I'm going back tomorrow to downsize the hitch. My TT tongue weight is just over 400lbs, they installed a hitch rated at 1,000. I didn't do enough research to notice how big a deal this was initially, now I've found out the hard way.

they tried to tell me "some people prefer a WDH for bigger TT in case they trade up later" which to me is just BS. if i wanted a bigger TT ill get a bigger hitch later, i want whats right for what i have now, not something i "might" get later.

[SoundGuy]

Chapzter wrote:
The tongue weight on the trailer is 880lbs.

You know this because you've measured the trailer's gross tongue weight as the trailer would be typically loaded and ready to camp or are you pulling this number off a sticker somewhere? :@ Have you also weighed the trailer itself, ready to camp, so you know what the gross tongue weight to gross trailer weight ratio will typically average? :@ Can't really pick the correct WD spring bar rate 'til you have these numbers in hand.

[Chapzter]

SoundGuy wrote:

Chapzter wrote:
Another question I have is about the rating of the hitch. Is it possible to go to big? Say I only need a 10,000lb weight distribution hitch, but buy a 15,000lb one. Will that make it too stiff and create bounce?

You always want to rate your weight distribution system for the gross tongue weight range you're currently running. This is yet one of many great reasons to invest in a Blue Ox Sway Pro - if you later go up (or down) in trailer size and that forces you into a different gross tongue weight range all you have to do with the Blue Ox is switch out the spring bars, everything else remains the same. :B

Good to know! The tongue weight on the trailer is 880lbs. Is there anything else I need to add? The BXW1500 is Tongue weight: 1,000 lbs - 1,500 lbs, the BXW1000 is Tongue weight: 750 lbs - 1,000 lbs. Would I be ok with the heaver BXW1500 or be looking at the BWX1000?

[SoundGuy]

Chapzter wrote:
Another question I have is about the rating of the hitch. Is it possible to go to big? Say I only need a 10,000lb weight distribution hitch, but buy a 15,000lb one. Will that make it too stiff and create bounce?

You always want to rate your weight distribution system for the gross tongue weight range you're currently running. This is yet one of many great reasons to invest in a Blue Ox Sway Pro - if you later go up (or down) in trailer size and that forces you into a different gross tongue weight range all you have to do with the Blue Ox is switch out the spring bars, everything else remains the same. :B

[My_Roadtrek]

Another vote for Blue OX Sway Pro.

[Chapzter]

Thanks all for your replies! You all have such good information, with the experience to back it up. Another question I have is about the rating of the hitch. Is it possible to go to big? Say I only need a 10,000lb weight distribution hitch, but buy a 15,000lb one. Will that make it too stiff and create bounce?