Which comes first, the trailer or the hitch system?

[bakerkids]

My son is buying a Forest River Surveyor 201RBLE and we need advice on a hitch with sway control, and I assume weight distribution. I tow a tiny trailer with no sway or weight distribution so this is foreign to me and I'm no help.

Do people new to camper ownership and towing purchase their hitch prior to purchasing the camper, or does the dealership help choose and set this up for buyers? He wouldn't know how to set it up on his own and would need someone with knowledge to help him.

He is thinking of purchasing this EAZ Lift 48058. I have read enough to know that people are either in the "Anderson" camp or "Equal-i-zer" camp, or whatever their fav is so I suspect people will have hard opinions about brands.

Where does he start? He's working out of state and I'm trying to hep gather this because he has a deadline. Thanks for your opinions!

[mnaquaman]

This time around I bought the trailer and hitch first and then went truck shopping! I don't recommend this path but circumstances just worked out that way!

I am an Equalizer guy! I have used the chain hitch in my youth and the Equalizer is just easier!

Another person posted this comment - "A complicated hitch is a bandaid for not enough tow vehicle." No disrespect - I just don't agree with the statement.

A Weight distribution hitch with sway control does just what the name says it does, It transfers a portion of the trailer weight to the truck and pushed the front end down and helps control sway. The hitch bars in essence make the truck & trailer one. Yes - the right truck is an important part of the equation! But if you don't need a one ton truck why buy one? Then again not having enough truck is a disaster - been there once, never again. I am sure there are those that bought a WDH because the dealer said he should! Then there are those of us that have studied and investigated. There is a reason why the vast majority of us use a WDH hitch. We have better control, less wear and tear on the truck, sway control, ect..

Get the right truck, the right Hitch for the combo and enjoy the ride!

Just my thoughts

Happy Camping!!

[Grit_dog]

Good questions baker. And good to find a more powerful truck. That 6 banger will tow, but it’ll be at its limits and will be a turd from the getgo.
Sorry, can’t help with preferred wdh. Never used one, but if you ask some folks they’re the next best invention since beer in a can.
It’s also no wonder CW sponsers this board. Some of these discussions sell more “stuff” for RVing than one could possibly imagine. WDHs being one of the predominant items!

Personally, I’d tow the trailer “naked” first and see what’s needed. But thsts me. I don’t like spending $ on something I might not need before I know if i need it based on internet reccomendations.

[bakerkids]

bikendan wrote:
IMHO, first find the right floorplan/model.
2nd, find the tow vehicle easily capable of towing that floorplan.{especially TV's payload capacity}
3rd, find the right WDH for the tongue/GVWR of the TT.

1)Trailer chosen
2)Test driving trucks tomorrow and Saturday with double tow rate of dry trailer (one exception that has only 2k over camper dry weight).
3)This post is all about finding the right hitch once that truck is purchased.

Apparently I've posted too soon, but just wanted advice on who and where does that...private business, prospective buyer, dealer.

[blt2ski]

Bikeden has correct answer. Find trailer first. Then truck with payload to handle HW, people quantity and their weights, animals, canoe, kayak, orv's, generator, firwiod, crossed toolbox/fuel tank etc. One may find they need 3000 lbs of payload towing a 6-7000 lb trailer as I was, with 4 adult sized teens. I needed a 3500 crew cab to tow a trailer most 15 series trucks could do! Even the smallest of 6cylinders could pull it. Not saying you would be fastest rig on road.....

Marty

[bikendan]

IMHO, first find the right floorplan/model.
2nd, find the tow vehicle easily capable of towing that floorplan.{especially TV's payload capacity}
3rd, find the right WDH for the tongue/GVWR of the TT.

[blt2ski]

I will not, from experience agree with Barney's comment, 700 lbs will remove the same weight off the FA, no matter the rig! I changed out a set of 6400 lb springs, for 8400 on an older SW 3500 I had, amount removed from FA dropped 100+ lbs with higher capacity springs! This was with 1500 lbs of HW mind you!
650-700 lbs of HW on same truck with 6400 lb springs, removed a whopping 60-80 lbs. So the formula to get amount removed is not linear as some say. Rear spring capacity, soft or firmer springs will effect how much is removed from front axle. The more you squat, the more weight is removed. Hence why trucks are usually asset high.

Not sure if a dual cam is still around, I like the one I have for my TT long since ad. I will agree, an all in one is better.

Marty

[BarneyS]

bakerkids wrote:


Barney, if he ends up purchasing the Laramie, with a 9,095 tow capacity, Hemi, heavy duty cooling, class IV hitch receiver, tow package, etc., it's possible he may not need the weight distribution part, correct? Just the sway bars and hitch?

It is quite possible he could get away without one BUT that 700lbs will still unload the front axle by the same amount no matter if it is a 1500 or a 2500. The effect may be different but the unloading will be the same. He would probably enjoy the tow much better by using a simple WD hitch like the one I mentioned.

If he were to just purchase a sway bar then the hookup would take almost as long as it would using the whole WD part and he would have to mount the sway bar brackets on his tongue and hitch head. Might as well use a regular WD hitch head if you are going to do that. If you are going to use the WD hitch head, you might as well go ahead and use the spring bars also because it will give you a better, safer ride than without. It only takes a minute or so to hook them up so might as well use them.

I can see no good reason to not use WD when towing a travel trailer. Yes, there are lots of reasons but not any GOOD ones in my opinion. For those of you that like to jump on comments, I am not talking about extreme rigs - just the average good ol travel trailer/truck combinations.
Barney

[Boomerweps]

As others may chime in, the tow vehicles' (TV) cargo capacity is a key consideration. He's got to allow for the load on and in the tow vehicle which includes the weight of the Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) and trailer tongue weight.
I use a Husky Centerline TS WDH that has the no chain setup and has sway control built in the design. My dealer tech did a great job on setting it up and I bought it USED from the dealer. I downloaded it's manual and verified it was set up correctly, it was. I bought a new TV that only had a +3/4" difference in Hitch height but of course had a significant change in suspension, 2008 Explorer to 2019 F150, both with towing package. I connected my WDH to my TT, drove to a flat parking lot and took measurements connected, disconnected, with and without WDH spring bars. All were within tolerances. The manual is very clear on the set up. I have full confidence in installing this WDH on any vehicle or trailer.

[bakerkids]

BarneyS wrote:
It looks to me like that trailer will probably have a tongue weight around 700lbs when loaded for use. I think it would be an excellent candidate for an Andersen hitch.
This hitch is a new design (in past several years) and works well with light tongue weight trailers. It also does not put a lot of downward force on the smaller A frame trailers like a traditional WD hitch does and has anti-sway built in.

Before purchasing a hitch, check with the dealer on what size ball is required for that trailer. Most travel trailers take a 2 5/16" ball but many of the smaller ones only use a 2" ball.
Barney

Barney, if he ends up purchasing the Laramie, with a 9,095 tow capacity, Hemi, heavy duty cooling, class IV hitch receiver, tow package, etc., it's possible he may not need the weight distribution part, correct? Just the sway bars and hitch?

[BarneyS]

It looks to me like that trailer will probably have a tongue weight around 700lbs when loaded for use. I think it would be an excellent candidate for an Andersen hitch.
This hitch is a new design (in past several years) and works well with light tongue weight trailers. It also does not put a lot of downward force on the smaller A frame trailers like a traditional WD hitch does and has anti-sway built in.

Before purchasing a hitch, check with the dealer on what size ball is required for that trailer. Most travel trailers take a 2 5/16" ball but many of the smaller ones only use a 2" ball.
Barney

[bakerkids]

Grit dog wrote:
Missing the other half of the equation....what's he towing it with.
That's a little trailer for a full size rig, hook it up and drag it home, may/likely not need anything at all.
If towing with a mid size truck/SUV then yeah, need a wdh fo sho.

He has a RAM but it's a V6 so is also truck shopping for a Hemi. Initially was going with a lighter camper with the present truck. Now he's going to test drive a Laramie with a tow capacity of 9,050 this weekend. He has two others on the list but all have sufficient axle ratio and engine, tow package, etc. I would rather him at least have 7k capacity, and at the lowest 6k. He will be going cross country and staying in it for up to 13 weeks. Not weekend camping or a vacation. He will be the only passenger.

[twodownzero]

Tvov wrote:
According to the specs, that is a 24.5 foot trailer - I am assuming not including hitch length? I would get a weight distributing with sway control hitch.

As already asked, what is he towing with?

For that size trailer, being not that big, a simple WD hitch with friction bar sway control would work fine if he is towing with a capable truck. Smaller tow vehicle, go with a fancier hitch. Or if you want just buy the nicer one right away - you won't go wrong with it.

Installing a hitch may seem intimidating, but if you are handy with tools it is not that hard. In the world of RV's, "dealer installed" is not something to brag about, and you will find from these forums something to avoid.

My hitch was installed by the dealer... it was years later when I realized with some simple adjustments I could have a much better towing feel, and I should have installed the hitch myself at the beginning.

Live and learn!

This was my thought as well; if you need a fancy hitch to pull 7,000 pounds, you probably don't have enough tow vehicle to begin with. I have pulled more than that on a weight carrying hitch, although I prefer WD for anything over 5k pounds.

[Hondavalk]

https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Weight_Distribution.aspx

They have a wide range of choices and good videos. Everybody has a favorite hitch, mine is the Reese DC

[Ivylog]

Neither...the truck should come first. A complicated hitch is a bandaid for not enough tow vehicle. I pull heavy loads with nothing but a good ball/hitch and enough tongue weight.