Weight Distribution Hitch or not

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by MarylandIUEC

Yea they're pricey but in my opinion totally worth it. Not only like extra insurance for my truck and trailer but anybody in my vehicle or on the road around me.

Heres my take on those hitches, if you need one of those, or any anti sway for the matter, youre putting a bandaid on the problem. You should be able to go down the road, with no outside influence like trucks or wind, without a problem. If you want one, great, but you shouldnt need one.

[MarylandIUEC]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

Heres my take on those hitches, if you need one of those, or any anti sway for the matter, youre putting a bandaid on the problem. You should be able to go down the road, with no outside influence like trucks or wind, without a problem. If you want one, great, but you shouldnt need one.

Oh I can 100% go down the road without an issue. It's the 100+ mile trips on the interstate and through the mountains that are my biggest worry.

[TIME2CAMP]

Wow, this is a hot item. You are getting a lot of good info here. A friend towed his winnie micro 19 footer with his brand new kia last year. WDH no sway. He was up against the weight limits on weight capacity and tow capacity. I was not a fan of his choice, suggested he get a scangage to monitor trans fluid temp as I thought this would be the first failure. Well I was wrong. He ran trans temps around 210, which the dealer said was fine. Never burnt the trans fluid, or had any issues. He pulled it from Kentucky up to Maine, for the whole summer without an issue.
Even though I was wrong I would never do it. I have a similar weight trailer, pull with an old silverado 1500. But as you are learning, everyone has an opinion. If your Kia is under warranty and towing won't affect that, try it out. If you are towing in flat areas you might be OK, but in hills or on windy days be prepared to get pushed around a bit.
On the hitch you will need the WDH style but the sway should be optional. A properly set up rig won't need the sway. And a cheap WD hitch works fine when setup correctly. But that is another LONG discussion!

[carybosse]

I just upgraded from a 2nd Gen Canyon (Colorado sibling) with the V6 to my Silverado because my wife wanted to go way over the Canyon limit. The trailer being discussed here should be fine with a mid-size truck, and that is going to be more comfortable as a daily driver perhaps than a full size truck.

I would probably opt for a WD hitch setup, but the GM midsize twins typically have a payload of about 1400 pounds, so you would have to really load up the cabin and bed to push over that limit I believe. Of the mid-size trucks, I think the GM Twins have the best mix of tow reviews with the main use as a daily driver. You want to get past the concern of the non-Turbo V6, go for the 4 cyl diesel. If you are buying new, opt for the tow package AND the integrated trailer bake controller.

I would stay away from the Honda Ridgeline for towing this, even though it is well within it's specs.

Now, in a full size truck, I think any of the trucks can easily handle this tow.

[Cumminsfan]

Trailer axle placement is the key to whether you'll have sway or not.Tongue weight won't matter as much as axle placement.
There's a reason why boat trailers don't sway like travel trailers and only need 10% for TW.
Take a TT that has the axles more rearward and it will track much better than a TT with the axles more towards the center regardless of TW.
You can have 20% TW on a TT but if the axles are more centered then you will get more wiggle when passing semi's or in the wind.
With a TT you have a giant sail that is affected by the wind. If too large of a portion of the TT is behind the axles then you get a see saw effect.
I've had 3 TT's and 1 5er. The 1st TT had the axles more rearward and never wiggled or swayed with 12% TW. The last 2 TT's always wandered all over even with 12.5% and 14% TW. Their axles were more centered.

Tow vehicle goes a long way in maintaining wiggle and sway. On my 2nd TT I started with a 1/2 ton fully rated truck. I needed as much help from the WDH sway control as I could get. 2.5 years later I upgraded to a 3/4 ton diesel truck and even though the TT still wiggled around in the wind or when passing semi's the mass of the 3/4 ton diesel truck kept everything in line. Before the 1/2 ton would wander in the lane. That went away with the much heavier 3/4 ton. I even dropped the noisy greasy EQ4 and went with a basic EAZ-Lift.

So yes a WDH is needed to return the front of the tow vehicle to it's required height but sway control isn't always needed if the TT is built right and the tow vehicle is big enough.

[RamblingRV]

If I can add my two cents to an aging thread, I’d say:

1) if this is your first TT, maybe think about buying a little bigger truck than you think you’ll need. For example, there have been a lot of suggestions to go with the 2.7L F-150. That WILL be a good solution for the TT you’ve described. However, lots of folks go out their first and maybe even second seasons with a small TT such as yours, then decide they need something bigger. IE, plan ahead.

2) I believe that F-150s come standard with sway control, or at least standard when you have a tow package. At the weight of your little TT, and with Ford’s sway control, I don’t think you’ll need a special hitch. I towed a 3000# trailer (utility trailer) about 30,000 miles with a Honda Ridgeline AWD (which pulled it like a champ, BTW), and never needed a sway or WD setup. The AWD version of the Ridgeline, BTW, can tow up to 5000#. We did upgrade from the Ridgeline to an F-150, but went with the 3.5L, because we thought we’d be buying a TT again (downsizing from a DP that was too big for our needs) but ended up getting a small class C instead (too small now, and we’ll eventually get a little bit larger TT).

[Rbunce]

Don't be silly. Spend the bucks on the WDH. It will make towing much easier, and you won't end up with your tow vehicle's nose pointed upward. Also, if you get another tow vehicle, it is likely the WDH you buy now will plug in to the new vehicle's hitch. If not, you will only have spend a small amount on some sort of adapter.

[Bobhebee]

Trucks are tough to find right now... and no discounts. I would only get a 1500/150 with a tow package. A 5,000 pound tow rating won’t cut it in real world towing. You don’t think so now but believe me, you will also be upsizing the trailer in a few years. You don’t want to buy another truck every time you buy a trailer. I towed a 3000 pound trailer for two years with a Toyota Highlander all over the Country (a 5,000 pound tow rating w tow package). I could actually hear rivets popping in the unibody when going up the mountains. I ended up overheating the tranny in South Dakota once. I got lucky. The tranny overheat light went on (I never knew I had one) and I sat for an hour to let it cool down. I got the tranny flushed at a dealer the next day. The fluid was black as coal. I bought an F-150 as soon as I came back home to New England. The Toyota tranny started slipping a few months later.

[fatboy4909]

Specification sheet shows the Kia can only tow 1650#. Towing a 3000# trailer would be a big mistake. Get your truck now!

[doubleplay]

To the op:
Forget about towing weight limits and false advertising. Your limiting factor will be the payload of whatever vehicle you choose to buy. Having said that any 1/2 ton truck should be able to tow that trailer without any issues. Please don’t even think of towing with the Kia and don’t jeopardize the safety of your family and others on the road.

[kbmiddle]

Recommend the F-150 with the 3.5 turbo and ‘heavy duty’ towing package over the standard towing because this option includes an engine oil cooler as well as a he the transmission and on some models includes a 35 gallon fuel tank. Love the larger fuel tank with less stops and more gallons when you find a good price. Moderate driving my 4-door 3.5L Lariat Crew Cab 4X4 when not towing I get 19 to 20 mpg around town and 21+ mpg on longer trips. My second 3.5L with these specs except new one has the ten speed trans with better mpg.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by nicky8668

You’ll be over your hitch weight limit. Put that aside, you’ll hate towing with a short wheelbase vehicle. I towed a similar size trailer with my FJ Cruiser (104.9” wheelbase). It has plenty power to go over hills all day, but it hardly can keep the trailer straight. You’ll need at very least a sway control.

The tongue weight shows 270lb. It's misleading. That's before you add 2 propane tanks and 40 lbs of Propane and the 40-50 lb battery on the tongue.
I think you're going to find the rear suspension will not handle the load. And remember, the hitch on the vehicle is probably NOT attached to any actual frame member.

[glwinger]

Originally Posted by NockOn

Its rated for 3500lbs trailer is 2800lbs closer to 3500 once we put necessities in it. I've called my dealership to ask similar question last year (we delayed buying until this year) and they were totally useless.

I don't think the dealer was useless. He was covering his behind. He didn't want to take the liability of telling you that it would be OK.

[GOODFUNGUY]

Originally Posted by nockon

so if using my sorento is not going to cut it. I've got 1 1/2 month to get me a truck lol.

I know the sky is the limit but i don't want more truck then i need and don't plan on ever buying a bigger trailer and if i did i'd be ok to change truck again.
Having said that, are their any truck in the main lines, ford, gm, dodge that will not tow a trailer with a max loaded weight of 3700lbs?

There is a saying in the car, truck ,trailer, motor home and boat world.. Buying a boat that is 22 foot looks good for a couple summers then you want a 26 foot then a 32ft. Applies to the other things on wheels. Called the 3-4 foot plague. Buy more truck then you need you May be happy when the next longer trailer is in your driveway. 30 years ago i started with a tear drop trailer I built.
2 trailers and on 3ed motor home. Now I have a 34 foot double slide and room to live. You can't eat just one chip. Rev. Bob