WD hitch recommendations

[Jiminpc]

We just brought our new trailer home. It is a Rockwood signature 8263MBR. We are pulling it with a ram 3500. Previously we had a smaller trailer and truck using an equalizer hitch with the 10,000/1000 rating with no issues I had installed the plastic inserts on the L brackets to quiet the movements. I realize that plastic inserts reduce friction, but it seemed to be acceptable with the smaller set up. The new trailer with Propane and Battery have a tongue weight of about 1200 pounds and we made the trip home using our old hitch about an hour drive with moderate crosswinds and I noticed some sway. We want to purchase a heavier hitch that fits our needs. With the capacity of the truck I’m not concerned about tongue weight which when loaded being kitchen forward could be 1400+ pounds. I am more concerned about controlling sway. I have researched many different brands, but I cannot seem to settle on one particular. I am curious about using a heavier equalizer and not using the plastic L bracket pads.

 

[Aussieguy]

Ditch the plastic inserts
IMHO
the whole idea of the bar and L bracket is to create friction ... slowing down the sway.
The plastic quietens the hitch because it reduces the friction
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Front kitchen especially with full water tanks will be high hitch weights

make sure your Truck is level .... measure the amount of travel of the FRONT fender as you hitch up the trailer ...
If it goes up a lot that is a good indication steering tires are lifting too much allowing some sway to PUSH the TRUCK around.

the weight distribution part of the hitch needs to be adjusted for EACH trailer you hookup .... see the owner's manual for the hitch how to adjust.

 

[Jiminpc]

Ditch the plastic inserts
IMHO
the whole idea of the bar and L bracket is to create friction ... slowing down the sway.
The plastic quietens the hitch because it reduces the friction
------------------------------------------------------------------

Front kitchen especially with full water tanks will be high hitch weights

make sure your Truck is level .... measure the amount of travel of the FRONT fender as you hitch up the trailer ...
If it goes up a lot that is a good indication steering tires are lifting too much allowing some sway to PUSH the TRUCK around.

the weight distribution part of the hitch needs to be adjusted for EACH trailer you hookup .... see the owner's manual for the hitch how to adjust.

Thank you for the reply. When I mentioned sway, I was referring to the trailers rear end. I am familiar with the set up on the equalizer hitch. What I’m looking for is recommendations for the best hitch for this set up. I like the equalizer, but I have nothing to compare it to.

 

[jjscsix]

Ditch the plastic inserts
IMHO
the whole idea of the bar and L bracket is to create friction ... slowing down the sway.
The plastic quietens the hitch because it reduces the friction
------------------------------------------------------------------

Front kitchen especially with full water tanks will be high hitch weights

make sure your Truck is level .... measure the amount of travel of the FRONT fender as you hitch up the trailer ...
If it goes up a lot that is a good indication steering tires are lifting too much allowing some sway to PUSH the TRUCK around.

the weight distribution part of the hitch needs to be adjusted for EACH trailer you hookup .... see the owner's manual for the hitch how to adjust.

I have a 34’ trailer. I have read that the friction is there to help control sway. There is no way on earth i believe those two bars can make a difference on a trailer that long. There is WAY too much leverage from a trailer that big. My Curt hitch also has a big ball bearing on each side that are designed to diminish sway, and our expedition has sway control that is part of the HD trailer package.

Because of the amount of noise my hitch was making just driving down the road, i greased the L bracket my bars rest on. On a trip in October we drove a total of about 300 miles (150 each direction)in 20 mph constant + gusty side winds running 65 mph on I-20 between Amarillo and the Albuquerque. Never had a hint of sway. We also had many semis passing us which is as bad as crosswinds.

 

[Tex94]

If you have a SRW 3500, I’d say worth the money with the length and size to get a ProPride. Personally I’d buy that one regardless, BUT If you have a DRW I’d think based off what others have said one of the higher end curt, equalizer or Reese products would suit you plenty well with that heavy tongue weight.

 

[Mr. Dan]

This thread, WD hitch recommendations, has been moved from the Running Gear, Axles, Brakes, Tires & Frames forum to the Towing, Tow Vehicles, Hitches & Toads forum. The duplicate thread has been deleted.

 

[Jiminpc]

It is srw and I have watched information about the pro pride. It is a chunk of money, but safety and peace of mind have value. Thank you for the recommendation.

 

[Mike134]

Typically, all the towing experts would weigh in (no pun intended) that you need a bigger truck. BUT you have silenced them buy having a 1 ton so they have no meaningful advice.

Trail sway is almost always caused by not enough tongue weight, and/or sometimes just a fluke of conditions can cause it. I'd make sure you're in the 15-16% tongue weight range and see how it tows.

 

[Super 8]

Might be worth a call to see if the 12,000 lb bars will fit your existing 10,000 hitch head.
I believe the 12,000-14,000 are interchangeable.

https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store/spring-arms/spring-arms-1?sku=90-01-1299

 

[itat]

Unless you can’t open the tailgate with the Equalizer hitch head, I’d stick with the Equalizer. I agree with Super 8’s post….contact Equalizer to see if you can reuse your hitch head with new 12,000# bars. If not, you should be able to sell the 10K Equalizer easily.

I’m using the new Weigh Safe WDH and it has the advantage of have a longer hitch head so opening the tailgate isn’t a problem but I haven’t been able to get the sway control dialled in as well as I did with our previous Equalizer, and the previous TT was 2’ longer. The Weigh Safe is extremely easy to adjust if you need to use it on more than one trailer.

 

[llr2800]

Typically, all the towing experts would weigh in (no pun intended) that you need a bigger truck. BUT you have silenced them buy having a 1 ton so they have no meaningful advice.

Trail sway is almost always caused by not enough tongue weight, and/or sometimes just a fluke of conditions can cause it. I'd make sure you're in the 15-16% tongue weight range and see how it tows.

This is my suggestion too as you have plenty of truck for the job. Too low of TW is always an issue.

I don't really think you need it but the ProPride does a wonderful job of making an uncomfortable tow very comfortable. Only one season with it but really like it.

I had a similar size TT with my 2500 using a Blue Ox sway pro with no issues at all. I forget the numbers but believe the TW was higher. The only time I had any tow issue with this, I stopped to check everything, the wind was so high it was not easy to stand straight. I did leave the interstate at this point.

Also there is a big difference between push and sway, push can't be avoided. You should be able to eliminate sway.

 

[Moho81]

I use the equalizer and I love it. Before you spend more money I would suggest resetting up the hitch for the new trailer and removing the plastic silencers off the L bracket.

When I went from a smaller trailer to a larger trailer I had to tinker with the hitch set up to get it just right.