Need Help - Is it the WDH or the truck?

[move on]

Originally Posted by DRAGN83

Well, let's not over state things. I recently upgraded to a Ram 2500 gas engine with a payload of 2975 VS 1645 on my outgoing Sierra 1500. But I still went through the excercise of weighing the truck, then weighing again on the way home from the RV dealership. Our trailer is a bit heavier at 7051 unloaded but still, I still need my WDH. And I still go through all the math to make sure I'm properly loaded and the weight distributed properly. Even with fobs of excess capacity, you still need to do this.

By all means weigh your rig, but a Ram 2500 does not need a WD hitch to tow this trailer. I have one and I tow a larger trailer without a WD hitch. It has never sagged or swayed. The use of a WD hitch will actually tend to destabilize a rig so I recommend not to use one. WD hitches should only be used if the tow vehicle rear axle can't handle the load. In this case you'll have to drive slower to compensate for the loss of safety that the hitch creates.

[Grit dog]

The OP's trailer is nowhere near close to maxing out the truck's capacity for towing.
Newer camper may not be quite as stable as the old one...possibly more rear overhang, more weight aft in the camper, same tires and suspension on trailer loaded heavier, too much weight off TV rear axle, etc.
Point is don't freak out about taking the extra "stuff" that you used to take.

[DRAGN83]

Originally Posted by move on

By all means weigh your rig, but a Ram 2500 does not need a WD hitch to tow this trailer. I have one and I tow a larger trailer without a WD hitch. It has never sagged or swayed. The use of a WD hitch will actually tend to destabilize a rig so I recommend not to use one. WD hitches should only be used if the tow vehicle rear axle can't handle the load. In this case you'll have to drive slower to compensate for the loss of safety that the hitch creates.

Not so at all! It's all about how much weight is being lifted off of the front wheels. It's easily possible to have your rear axle way short of It's max and have too much weight lifted off of the front. In my case even with the WDH, the front axle is 320 pounds lighter than it is wi5hout the trailer.

On both my previous Sierra 1500 and current Ram 2500, the owners manual has you measure the lift at the front without the bars and then adjust the WDH to take out at least half of that lift.

[move on]

Originally Posted by DRAGN83

Not so at all! It's all about how much weight is being lifted off of the front wheels. It's easily possible to have your rear axle way short of It's max and have too much weight lifted off of the front. In my case even with the WDH, the front axle is 320 pounds lighter than it is wi5hout the trailer.

On both my previous Sierra 1500 and current Ram 2500, the owners manual has you measure the lift at the front without the bars and then adjust the WDH to take out at least half of that lift.

The RAM manual does NOT say to take out at least half of the lift. Anything more than half can be dangerous because you are taking too much weight off the rear axle with the WD hitch. When you take weight off the rear wheels that lessens the rear tires' ability to keep the trailer from swaying and the tow vehicle from oversteering. As far as I know all pickup truck manuals are now limiting the FALR (front axle load restoration) to 50% and in some cases to 25% and 33%.

The other main problem with using a WD hitch is that they extend the distance from the truck's rear axle to the hitch point, some hitches by 6" and others by as much as 2'. Extending this distance gives the trailer more leverage over the tow vehicle. For maximum stability you want to keep the distance as short as possible (on a 5th wheel rig that distance = 0 or less and this is what gives it better stability than a travel trailer).

Still another problem with a WD hitch is that these hitches add mass right at the hitch point where you don't want it. Some hitches weigh up to 200 lbs. This will also lower the truck's oversteer threshold.

My recommendation, for maximum safety, is not to use a WD hitch and step up to a larger tow vehicle that can properly handle the hitch load without one.

[THenne1713]

You can take a single axle 5x8 load a few hundred pounds to 1k# behind the trailer axle and sway out of control/wreck. The reverse of overloading tongue weight does no good when hitch breaks and trailer breaks away? Ever load a PU w/ shingles w/ too much behind truck axle, and have to hit brakes to get front wheels to hit asphalt so you can turn? :-) :-0 TRUE

[runamuck]

I never read that ram towing section but my 1500 laramie tows our 6000# 28' travel trailer fine with a husky wdh. your rig should too. it is probably all in your hitch setup. I have air bags on the rear and changed out the sway bar and I run a few more pounds of air in the rear tires when towing. I put 20-25 in the air bags just to add some stiffness to the coil spring rear end. I get no sway with 600# tongue wt. maybe take whole rig to the rv dealer you got the trailer from and let them make some adjustments. I recently towed our trailer up to woodland park co. and back and only sway I got was between pueblo and raton from the gale force winds on I-25.

[Adaycj]

Originally Posted by move on

By all means weigh your rig, but a Ram 2500 does not need a WD hitch to tow this trailer. I have one and I tow a larger trailer without a WD hitch. It has never sagged or swayed. The use of a WD hitch will actually tend to destabilize a rig so I recommend not to use one. WD hitches should only be used if the tow vehicle rear axle can't handle the load. In this case you'll have to drive slower to compensate for the loss of safety that the hitch creates.

My company's 2018 Ram 2500 says exactly this on page 423 of the owners manual under a section labeled "Warning".

"If the gross trailer weight is 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg) or more,
it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to
ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a
standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control
of your vehicle and cause a collision."

If requested I can provide a link to the online version of the owners manual in an effort to mitigate the misinformation in this thread.

[move on]

Originally Posted by Adaycj

My company's 2018 Ram 2500 says exactly this on page 423 of the owners manual under a section labeled "Warning".

"If the gross trailer weight is 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg) or more,
it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to
ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a
standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control
of your vehicle and cause a collision."

If requested I can provide a link to the online version of the owners manual in an effort to mitigate the misinformation in this thread.

That applies to the 1500, not the 2500. A half ton pickup is really only safe to tow 5000 lbs in my opinion. You can use a WD hitch for bigger loads but you will be compromising safety and you will have to slow down to compensate. It would be much better to step up to a larger truck.

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by move on

That applies to the 1500, not the 2500. A half ton pickup is really only safe to tow 5000 lbs in my opinion. You can use a WD hitch for bigger loads but you will be compromising safety and you will have to slow down to compensate. It would be much better to step up to a larger truck.

https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/s...pickup2500.pdf
2019 2500-3500.
Page 412
Page 415 explains how to set up the WDH
Sorry but I have to follow Ram's advice vs a test using a 1972 station wagon towing a 5,000lb TT.

I have a 2019 3500

[move on]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/s...pickup2500.pdf
2019 2500-3500.
Page 412
Page 415 explains how to set up the WDH
Sorry but I have to follow Ram's advice vs a test using a 1972 station wagon towing a 5,000lb TT.

I have a 2019 3500

FYI Here's what U-Haul says about WD hitches:

Other Hitch Systems
Weight distribution hitches or sway control devices
ARE NOT USED for towing a U-Haul trailer. Towing
a properly loaded trailer does not require these
devices. These devices may have a negative effect
on vehicle handling and braking and may restrict the
operation of the trailer coupler mechanism.

[Adaycj]

Originally Posted by move on

That applies to the 1500, not the 2500. A half ton pickup is really only safe to tow 5000 lbs in my opinion. You can use a WD hitch for bigger loads but you will be compromising safety and you will have to slow down to compensate. It would be much better to step up to a larger truck.

No the paper.owners manual on my desk says 2500 on it, and it came with a 2500 truck brand new. There is nothing in the manual that states the towing information is specific
to a 1500.

[move on]

Ok. It seems like a leftover comment from the 2018 manual that dealt with both the 1500 and 2500 in the same manual. A 3/4 ton pickup does not need a WD hitch. Ford for example says you don't need A WD hitch for an F-250. U-haul says you should not use one. Who do you want to believe? I would believe the science.

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by move on

Ok. It seems like a leftover comment from the 2018 manual that dealt with both the 1500 and 2500 in the same manual. A 3/4 ton pickup does not need a WD hitch. Ford for example says you don't need A WD hitch for an F-250. U-haul says you should not use one. Who do you want to believe? I would believe the science.

I think Ford would beg to differ with you on that. The below screenshots are from the 2022 Ford RV And Trailer Towing Guide which clearly states that conventional travel trailers are normally towed with a conventional weight distributing hitch when the gross trailer weight exceeds 5000 lbs. You can see the relevant details highlighted. I will follow the truck manufacturer's recommendations for the type of trailer I am pulling. If I ever find myself needing to tow a U-Haul trailer then I would consider the recommendations they provide for their trailers. However, I think it is not relevant to try and apply U-Haul's recommendation to a conventional travel trailer. Ford is pretty specific and I would certainly trust them over U-Haul or any other general characterization. Reading the owner's manual and towing guide for your specific tow vehicle would be the most reliable and accurate source of this information.

[move on]

Originally Posted by ttavasc

I think Ford would beg to differ with you on that. The below screenshots are from the 2022 Ford RV And Trailer Towing Guide which clearly states that conventional travel trailers are normally towed with a conventional weight distributing hitch when the gross trailer weight exceeds 5000 lbs. You can see the relevant details highlighted. I will follow the truck manufacturer's recommendations for the type of trailer I am pulling. If I ever find myself needing to tow a U-Haul trailer then I would consider the recommendations they provide for their trailers. However, I think it is not relevant to try and apply U-Haul's recommendation to a conventional travel trailer. Ford is pretty specific and I would certainly trust them over U-Haul or any other general characterization. Reading the owner's manual and towing guide for your specific tow vehicle would be the most reliable and accurate source of this information.

I agree. You should not tow anything more than 5000 lbs with a half ton truck if you want to be safe.