Weight distribution hitch question

[Dave Pelletier]

What they said; manufacturer's dry weights are fiction. My 25RDS has a tongue weight of just over 1,200 lbs, GVWR is 9,995 lbs. Get that thing loaded and on a scale.

And do NOT start reducing your tongue weight as insufficient tongue weight is the #1 reason for trailer instability.

Dave

[move on]

What you have here is a trailer that is a bit too large for your truck. You are going to have to pay extra attention to the way you load it. You want the heaviest items as close to the trailer axles as possible and the lighter items up front, while still maintaining a 10% tongue weight. Check where your water tanks are. The fresh water tank is often directly over the axle, a good place to put that 500 lbs of water. Once you use up the water it goes to the other tanks where it may increase your tongue weight if you don't drain it before moving.

You often hear that you should keep tongue weight between 10 and 15%. In my opinion 15% is way too much. It means that the trailer center of gravity is too far forward and this will increase the tendency for the rig to oversteer and jackknife in a sharp turn. For this reason, when manufacturers certify their tow vehicles, they keep the tongue weight down to 10% for the understeer test. Your trailer won't sway at 10% tongue weight unless it's too large for the tow vehicle, in which case the only thing you can do is get a larger tow vehicle. I've seen some manufacturers' recommend to keep the minimum tongue weight above 7 or 8%, but 10% is the general norm.

Weigh the loaded rig at a truck stop using a simple ball mount without weight distribution to see where you stand. If your rear axle is not overloaded and the truck is not sagging too much then I would try towing without a WD hitch. You will actually be safer because WD hitches create stability problems of their own.

An unloaded Ram 2500 diesel has a front/rear weight of distribution of 60/40, i.e., it has too much weight up front. If you drop 850-900 lbs on the hitch ball you'll have a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. You should be able to go as much as 40/60 front/rear before you need a WD hitch, but if you do decide to go with the WD hitch you'll have to keep the speed down to maintain safety.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by move on

What you have here is a trailer that is a bit too large for your truck. You are going to have to pay extra attention to the way you load it. You want the heaviest items as close to the trailer axles as possible and the lighter items up front, while still maintaining a 10% tongue weight. Check where your water tanks are. The fresh water tank is often directly over the axle, a good place to put that 500 lbs of water. Once you use up the water it goes to the other tanks where it may increase your tongue weight if you don't drain it before moving.

You often hear that you should keep tongue weight between 10 and 15%. In my opinion 15% is way too much. It means that the trailer center of gravity is too far forward and this will increase the tendency for the rig to oversteer and jackknife in a sharp turn. For this reason, when manufacturers certify their tow vehicles, they keep the tongue weight down to 10% for the understeer test. Your trailer won't sway at 10% tongue weight unless it's too large for the tow vehicle, in which case the only thing you can do is get a larger tow vehicle. I've seen some manufacturers' recommend to keep the minimum tongue weight above 7 or 8%, but 10% is the general norm.

Weigh the loaded rig at a truck stop using a simple ball mount without weight distribution to see where you stand. If your rear axle is not overloaded and the truck is not sagging too much then I would try towing without a WD hitch. You will actually be safer because WD hitches create stability problems of their own.

An unloaded Ram 2500 diesel has a front/rear weight of distribution of 60/40, i.e., it has too much weight up front. If you drop 850-900 lbs on the hitch ball you'll have a perfect 50/50 weight distribution. You should be able to go as much as 40/60 front/rear before you need a WD hitch, but if you do decide to go with the WD hitch you'll have to keep the speed down to maintain safety.

I agree with your first paragraph, I have a different opinion on the remainder:

10% is bare minimum and I prefer at least 12% and closer to 15% if possible. the effect of the weight on the TV has little to do with the trailer's percentage - i.e. 15% of 8,000 lbs is 1200 lbs..........10% of 13,000 lbs is 1300 lbs so the TV is influenced more by the larger trailer with less tongue weight % than it is with smaller trailer with more. The whole reason that 8 or even 10% tongue weight TT's exist is to try to fit into the payload ratings of smaller TV's.....my truck doesn't care and I believe my rig is more stable at my 14% than it would be at 10%

As long as your TV is adequate and can handle the weight, a higher percentage tongue weight is better for trailer stability IMO.

The truck only sees/cares about the weight on the tongue (and leverage), not the percentage of tongue weight......the trailer only sees/cares about the % of the tongue weight as it relates to stability and isn't concerned with the actual lbs.



Dave

[zach976]

I appreciate all the input. I think this thread got a little off track. My truck pulls the trailer with ease, no squatting or sway on the highway. My only concern was if I should get a WD hitch with a higher max weight. I guess, as recommended, I should have it all weighed to get real numbers. Thanks

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by zach976

I appreciate all the input. I think this thread got a little off track. My truck pulls the trailer with ease, no squatting or sway on the highway. My only concern was if I should get a WD hitch with a higher max weight. I guess, as recommended, I should have it all weighed to get real numbers. Thanks

From what you are saying, if you aren't getting any sway or squatting, I would say you should stay with the hitch you have now. It's doing it's job.

[77Travco]

Originally Posted by zach976

I appreciate all the input. I think this thread got a little off track. My truck pulls the trailer with ease, no squatting or sway on the highway. My only concern was if I should get a WD hitch with a higher max weight. I guess, as recommended, I should have it all weighed to get real numbers. Thanks

Ugh oh... the weight police will chime in now for sure.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by 77Travco

Ugh oh... the weight police will chime in now for sure.

I found that interesting too. Just a quick look at the specs on the truck and the trailer it appears that he's pulling about half the rated capacity of the truck. I admit I'm not expert, but dang!

And just for my own curiosity, what does the 1000 pound mean on the WD hitch if not a suggested maximum?

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by zach976

I appreciate all the input. I think this thread got a little off track. My truck pulls the trailer with ease, no squatting or sway on the highway. My only concern was if I should get a WD hitch with a higher max weight. I guess, as recommended, I should have it all weighed to get real numbers. Thanks

You have a stout tow vehicle though that is a VERY large trailer at 37'6" and 11,400 GVWR. I'd echo the others that suggested that you weigh the truck and trailer to get better numbers as the manufacturer's dry weights are notoriously inaccurate. For eg. my trailers advertised dry tongue weight is 720 lbs, actual tongue weight is 1280 lbs. My guess is that you'd be better off with the 1400lb WD bars.

Good luck

Dave

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by EdInArk

Just a quick look at the specs on the truck and the trailer it appears that he's pulling about half the rated capacity of the truck. I admit I'm not expert, but dang!

I'm not one to get hung up on a sticker, but again, the manufacturer's dry weights and maximum tow capacities are largely fiction; with a 3/4 ton diesel he'll run out of payload looooooong before he'd get anywhere near that max tow capacity number.

Dave

[Rosy]

Originally Posted by zach976

We just bought our first camper from some friends and the trailer came with a weight distribution hitch with a max tongue weight of 1000 lbs. Our trailer tongue weight is 1208 lbs. I’m assuming that’s not good. Should I buy one with a max weight of 1200 lbs or one in the 1400 lb range? Sorry for the dumb question.

Check out the Equal-i-zer website. They have a calculator that will help you. But my guess is you'll probably want to go up to the 1400 lb bars. Those bars have to lift not just the tongue of the trailer but also anything in the bed of your truck behind the axle.

Also, since that 1200 lbs is the manufacturer's stated dry tongue weight, you also need to account for propane, battery, weight of the hitch itself, spare tire if it's on the front, gear in your front storage, etc.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

I'm not one to get hung up on a sticker, but again, the manufacturer's dry weights and maximum tow capacities are largely fiction; with a 3/4 ton diesel he'll run out of payload looooooong before he'd get anywhere near that max tow capacity number.

Dave

Thanks. Makes sense.

[JHinman]

Originally Posted by EdInArk

And just for my own curiosity, what does the 1000 pound mean on the WD hitch if not a suggested maximum?

I think the WD capacity relates to the ability of the device to shift weight from rear axle to front axle, and not the ability of the hitch to support the trailer tongue. It shifts the weight by applying a moment (or torque, depending on the “language” you use) to the hitch.

I expect the effectiveness of the WD mechanism depends on several things, including the wheelbase of the tow vehicle and the distance from the rear axle to the hitch ball. It probably also depends on what proportion of the tongue weight you want to transfer to the front axle, too. Maybe you want half the tongue weight on each axle, or maybe not.

The point of this rambling discussion is that the WD capacity is not fixed. It depends on more than just you tongue weight. Having undersized WD bars probably does not mean your trailer will fall off your truck, but instead means you might not get as much distribution as you really want.

[EdInArk]

Originally Posted by JHinman

I think the WD capacity relates to the ability of the device to shift weight from rear axle to front axle, and not the ability of the hitch to support the trailer tongue. It shifts the weight by applying a moment (or torque, depending on the “language” you use) to the hitch.

I expect the effectiveness of the WD mechanism depends on several things, including the wheelbase of the tow vehicle and the distance from the rear axle to the hitch ball. It probably also depends on what proportion of the tongue weight you want to transfer to the front axle, too. Maybe you want half the tongue weight on each axle, or maybe not.

The point of this rambling discussion is that the WD capacity is not fixed. It depends on more than just you tongue weight. Having undersized WD bars probably does not mean your trailer will fall off your truck, but instead means you might not get as much distribution as you really want.

Thanks. I just assumed that the 1000 pounds on my WD hitch meant it was good for up to 1000 pounds of tongue weight.

[JHinman]

EdInArk - it could mean that. I don’t think so, but I have not seen your specific hitch. Please do not rely on me, or any other stranger in the internet, when it comes to your safety. I write what I think is factual, but you should follow up with the manufacturer and/or other resources to verify it.

My first hitch was an EZ-Lift, with bars rated at 700 lb. The same hitch with different bars was rated at 1000 lb. The rating of that system seemed to be the distribution capacity, not the tongue capacity.