Equalizer anti-sway hitch

[KDP250]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forum and new to the camping world. I just bought a 2012 Forest River gray wolf 19RR and will be picking it up Wednesday. Before I do that I was hoping the experts here could answer my questions. I've Googled the questions and get answers both ways so I'm stumped.

I'll be pulling the camper with a 2015 dodge ram 3500 with a 6 inch lift (I have the drop hitch already) and factory installed electronic brake control. Will I need an equalizer and/or anti sway hitch to pull this camper? Like I said I've researched and read both yes and no answers. If it is a definitive yes then I'll buy one on my way to pick it up from one of the local RV dealers.

Thanks so much for the help!

[klrobert]

Let me preface this by saying I do not have a dually, but based on my experience with a 2500, I really don't think you need it. The 19RR is short and relatively light. I would not be afraid to pull it with my truck without one. If I were you, I would at least pull it home without the equalizer to see how it pulls. If it is not needed, you can save some $$$.

[asquared]

Double check your hitch ratings I believe class five hitches require a wdh for a tongue weight over 500 lbs. For a 19' tt you could get away with a simple wdh and a single friction sway bar or you could just get the wdh with integrated sway control.

[dustman_stx]

Let's put it this way- every camper on every dealer lot is delivered with no type of weight distribution or away control. It's placed on a ball and they take off, most of the time with a 1 ton dually(though I have seen SRW 1 tons hauling.). They rack up thousands of miles MONTHLY doing this. With the amount of truck you have and such a small trailer you absolutely do NOT need anything but a ball to drop it onto. The larger and heavier a trailer gets in relation to the TV the more and better hitch the hitch needed gets.

[dustman_stx]

Oh- and if you decide you want one anyway, a local dealer is the WORST place to get one. It'll cost you substantially more than ordering one. I recommend RVWholesalers and the Equalizer 4 point if you decide to go with a WDH. It's easy to use, easy to setup, and integrates anti away and weight distribution.

[The_Rhino]

a local dealer is the WORST place to get one.

Since you are buying used (like we did) an easy negotiation is to get the dealer to include & setup the WDH for "free"... Our dealer was having a sale on the new TT's, same as ours. Therefore they also dropped the price of our used unit - to actually less than most folks were asking on Craigslist... They wouldn't budge much on price because of this, but we did get the Equalizer 4 & setup included for the same price plus some free accessories & $100 store credit...

They also included a free pressurized leak test & re-caulking, since it was used. I spent 2 hours inside the TT looking for prior signs of leaks (no leaks) but found some loose trim, etc. that I wanted them to fix. During the 2.5 hour PDI we checked EVERY system & I had them change-out the CO2 detector, adjust the slide cables & awning brackets. Altogether I felt my unit rolled-off the lot in better working order than most new units delivered by the wholesalers, etc. The key is not to leave the lot until you are totally happy. Once you are off the lot, there are no guarantees...

Since you are buying used, you need to replace the original China Bomb tires ASAP. I ordered Maxxis tires online & had a local tire guy mount them to my rims for about $650 total. I couldn't get the dealer to drop the sale price to account for new tires since they claimed the existing ones had great tread and no dry rot... I also bought a TPMS online for $350 so for $1000 extra have much better peace-of-mind rolling along at 65 mph...

Even with the extra $1000 spent on tires & TPMS my 3 YO used unit still cost 25% less than a new one (from the wholesalers). For repair work, my local dealers give priority to folks who buy from them... If you buy wholesale, you pretty-much have to wait until camping season is over up north...

[vanreever]

Personally, i had a hybrid similar in size to your tt and just used a friction sway bar. Don't think you need equalizer wd hitch with a 3500. Only annoying thing is taking off the sway bar before backing in. But some wd hitches require the friction bar as well. I have the E2 on my F150 for my new trailer but the 19rr seems like your truck could handle the tongue weight. Maybe I am wrong, but maybe you could negotiate for other goodies instead of a hitch.