Newbie needs help

[Jbmotorsport]

Ok guys. Ended up with a 2011 Chevy 3500 hd crew cab long box 4x4 drw. Towing capacity for conventional is 17k. The trailer came from previous owner with an E2 weight distribution bar kit. Only problem is after inspecting it I find several issues. It is setup for 10k and 1k tongue weight with a 10k ball. I went ahead and just hitched up to a standard class v 2 5/16 ball rated for 14k and 1400 lb tongue, and did not install the weight distribution bar. I noted the sag in my truck is only 1.5 inches, and the secondary HD springs in my 1 ton are not even touching yet. Will I be ok towing with this setup and not using the weight distribution hitch. Seems the truck is plenty stout. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[tuffr2]

On occasion I tow just an 8,000lb TT with a dually truck. I just hitch and go with no WD or sway control. No problem.

But with your rig I think you are pushing it w/o WD. Try it and see. Try towing down the highway at 65 -70mph. The dually truck might be ok. I do like the anti-sway built into that wide read axle.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Jbmotorsport

Will I be ok towing with this setup and not using the weight distribution hitch.

No. Without a WD hitch all the tongue weight is on the ball way back behind the rear axle. The rear axle acts as a fulcrum (see-saw), so weight is removed from the front axle of the truck and added to the rear axle. That light front end can cause handling problems of the truck not wanting to go where you aim it.

Also, without the spring bars connected and tightened, you have no sway control system. Towing any trailer without a good sway control system scares the bejusus out of me.

Temporary fix is to go ahead and connect the spring bars and get them as tight as they will go. That will distribute at least some of the tongue weight back onto the front axle of the truck and make handling better. That heavy trailer can overpower the sway control system of your WD hitch, but it's better than no sway control at all.

Final fix is to replace the E2 WD hitch with a heavier-duty WD hitch rated to handle the max tongue weight you might have. An E2 WD hitch is designed so you can replace just the spring bars with heavier-duty spring bars, without having to buy a complete new WD hitch. Assuming your E2 has trunnion bars and not round bars, the heaviest duty trunnion bars available for the E2 are rated 1200 pounds max tongue weight. Not nearly enough for your requirements https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...2-01-1299.html

However, since your trailer thas GVWR more than about 9,230 pounds, then you'll need a different brand of WD hitch that is rated for the 1,700 pounds max tongue weight your trailer could have when loaded for the road.

Ignore the unrealistic tongue weight in the trailer brochure. Compute the max tongue weight any TT might have as the GVWR of the trailer times 13% (0.13). Your Raptor has GVWR of 13,000 pounds, so you need a WD hitch rated for 1700 pounds max tongue weight.