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Originally Posted by zrosett
It is a 2005 Starcraft Antigua 195ck.
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Dry weight about 3,000 pounds, so that's a very light TT. Count on at least 4,000 pounds trailer weight with up to 600 pounds hitch weight when wet and loaded for the road.
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I have a 2010 Dodge Ram 4x4 Bighorn 1500. GVWR 6800 pounds.
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The GVWR will be your limiter. It means you cannot haul a bunch of weight in the truck and haul the 600 pounds of hitch weight of the wet and loaded trailer at the same time without overloading the truck.
So plan to load the truck and trailer lightly until you can get the wet and loaded rig to a certified automated truck (CAT) scale. The weight on the two truck axles should not exceed the 6,800 pounds GVWR of your truck.
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Do I need anything special to pull this trailer?
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Yes, definitely. You need the trailer brake controller SlyFox mentioned. My first choice would be the one that was optional equipment with your Dodge. If that one costs too much for your budget, then there are several less-expensive brake controllers on the market. They work okay, but not as good as the integrated trailer brake controller (ITBC) that was an option on your Dodge.
You also need a weight-distributing (WD) hitch with weight capacity of not more than 800 pounds hitch weight (TW or tongue weight).
And it sounds like you are reading the specs from your step bumper that includes provisions to tow a trailer with a weight-carrying (WC) hitch.
DO NOT tow that trailer with a ball mounted on your step-bumper. You need a weight-distributing (WD) hitch with sway control, and that means you must have a receiver attached to the frame of the truck and sticking out below the bumper. The WD hitch shank fits into that receiver.
Here's a receiver hitch that will meet your needs. Note the applicable specs:
WDTW 1,000 lbs
Receiver Size 2 inch
Draw-Tite Class IV, 2 inch Receiver Hitch 75662
The WDTW spec means you can tow a trailer with tongue weight or hitch weight up to 1,000 pounds with a WD hitch without overloading the receiver. Since your tongue weight will be about 500 to 600 pounds, that's all the receiver weight capacity you need.
The 2 inch receiver size is the standard size for towing trailers that have hitch weight of less than about 1,200 pounds.
For the WD hitch itself, I skip the economy models and go for a Reese Strait-Line WD hitch with dual-cam sway controls. Here's one that's complete with the shank and everything else you need to have an excellent WD setup:
Strait-Line Weight Distribution System w Sway Control - Trunnion Bar - 800 lbs TW Reese Weight Distribution RP66083
Note that one is rated for tongue weight up to 800 pounds. Do not buy one rated for more than 800 pounds tongue weigh, because they will be harder to adjust to handle your actual tongue weight.
There are cheaper WD hitches available, but I like my Reese Strait-Line dual-cam. On a recent 4,200 mile trip when my TT grossed 4,870 pounds with 650 pounds hitch weight, it performed flawlessly.