weight distribution hitch?

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jensmom1961

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OK, here's what I need to find out. Just bought a new camper, 19 feet long, 3400 pounds. Do I NEED to have a weight distribution hitch with sway control, or can I just pull it using the ball hitch I already have ?? I value your input, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.................
I'm pulling it with an F150 pickup.
 
The need to or not will depend on how much the truck sags when you connect it. With that said I would have the weight bars and for sure the sway control on any camper. Yours is small but if it gets wiping in the wind you will wish you had spent the extra cash. Look to craigslist many campers get one and upgrade trying different hitch setups. May save you some cash.
 
I don't really know the legal aspects of this or not.  I have been told that they are required. 

From the practical side of the question,  the way to determine if it would help you is to take the trailer out on the Interstate and pay attention when you re being passed by Semis if you feel the truck and trailer being sucked toward the semi,  you would definitely need a good Equalizer Hitch and I would recommend the Equal-Izer brand.  They work very well. 

The first time I pulled my old trailer a 32' Yellowstone was a 900 mile haul and the Equal-Izer was not adjusted properly.  I was whipped all over the place.  Once I got the adjustments correct the whole thing piulled like it was not even there.

Just my .02...
 
I've got just a WD hitch with no sway control. (Look in my signature link). This pulls really well and very little sway for my 31' foot Jayco I pull. I would suggest at least a WD hitch to keep the trailer tongue from pull the tail of the truck down.
 
jensmom1961 said:
OK, here's what I need to find out. Just bought a new camper, 19 feet long, 3400 pounds. Do I NEED to have a weight distribution hitch with sway control, or can I just pull it using the ball hitch I already have ?? I value your input, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.................
I'm pulling it with an F150 pickup.
Click to expand...

Welcome to RV Forum!

I would suggest you get both the WD hitch and sway control as a rule.  You can certainly try it without both and see.  As previously stated.  Hook it up and see if it sags the rear of your truck.  If so plan on getting one and using it.

As for the 3400 pounds.  Is that the DRY weight of the trailer or the GROSS weight?  Dry weight is a worthless number since Im sure you will be adding propane, water, clothes, pots, pans, etc. etc.  Not to mention that does not include any accessories that were added like an Awning, AC (possibly not included in the dry wt) etc.    When looking at weight numbers, If you don't have it weighed use the Gross weight for the trailer to be on the safe side.  The F150 should tow that with NO issues.  It will tow it more comfortably with a WD hitch and Sway Control.

Hook it up and post us some pics!  We love pics!
 
Probably should have both. Even with my 1 ton truck I used the WD with anti sway. The anti-sway might not be needed in every condition but it will save you in cross winds and passing and being passed by larger vehicles. Sometimes even a van or pick up truck can affect you. I could feel another vehicle approaching g the rear of my trailer.
 
My previous TT was approximately the same size & weight as yours.  When I purchased it, I had a fairly light, not the best towing vehicle and so I invested in a anti-sway/WD hitch and found I needed to crank the bars down fairly a good bit.  When I purchased my Ram 1500, I found I did not need to crank the bars much if at all.  So definitely get an anti-sway hitch and one with a WD is still not a bad idea.
 
I highly suggest getting the WD hitch and sway bars; for the $ you spend on the TT...it's worth the extra $ to get them.  I purchased a new TT last fall here in MN and although the dealer told me up front, it is not required by law BUT they highly recommended it.  I wouldn't want to try pulling my TT without.
 
The purpose of a weight distributing hitch isn't to keep the back of the truck from squatting - it's to keep the front of the truck from rising and removing weight from the front end as the rear end squats.  The rear axle acts as a fulcrum, when you add weight at the truck's rear bumper the leverage removes weight from the front end.

The arms on a weight distributing hitch force the truck back to a level posture, restoring the front end of the truck to it's correct height and compressing the springs to transfer the proper amount of weight to the front wheels.

If you have any doubt about needing a weight distributing hitch, go ahead and hitch the trailer to your existing ball hitch.  Pick a convenient reference point on the front and rear bumpers and measure their heights with and without the trailer attached.  If the front end rises with the trailer attached to the truck, you need the weight distribution hitch.
 
Lou Schneider said:
The purpose of a weight distributing hitch isn't to keep the back of the truck from squatting - it's to keep the front of the truck from rising and removing weight from the front end as the rear end squats.  The rear axle acts as a fulcrum, when you add weight at the truck's rear bumper the leverage removes weight from the front end.

The arms on a weight distributing hitch force the truck back to a level posture, restoring the front end of the truck to it's correct height and compressing the springs to transfer the proper amount of weight to the front wheels.

If you have any doubt about needing a weight distributing hitch, go ahead and hitch the trailer to your existing ball hitch.  Pick a convenient reference point on the front and rear bumpers and measure their heights with and without the trailer attached.  If the front end rises with the trailer attached to the truck, you need the weight distribution hitch.
Click to expand...

Right on.  Excellent response
 
Lou you did a better job of explaining the issue then me. The bottom line is you have to look how the towed item or load effects the tow vehicle and make the decision. Just because you do not have a WD issue will not mean you will not have a sway issue. I see so many post saying well my truck does not sag at all. That does not mean when you get up to 60 your rig will not be swaying all around the highway. Once again you have to look at what your plans are. If you are pulling 10 miles to the local camp no issue but if you are like me and going cross the state all the time then you should have sway control no matter if you need WD or not. High winds can come up at anytime and make for an unsafe trip. Nothing worse then white knuckle driving and I have done plenty even with proper sway and WD controls.
 
Forgive me; I'm brain damaged and somewhat confused.  I always thought a WD hitch was for Weight Distribution... and a SwayControl device handled Sway.  In this topic I'm reading about a WD hitch doing it all. What am I missing?
Where does a Sway Control gizmo come into play,  like this Camco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDl24M_803E 

My rig is: 3200 GVW 16' TT, tongue weight about 275#, plus maybe 550# in the back of the 97Chevy Tahoe tow veh + 2 front passengers.

Sag at my hitch doesn't *seem* to be noticable ... but I often feel like the 16' in the back wants to start wagging in the Montana breeze; a little unnerving.  Is the general concensus that with a WD hitch, that "wag" would ressolve itself?  Or maybe just might want a Sway Control alone?  ...  A big Equil-i-zer WD hitch setup seems so "overkill" - I have not much $$ to just pick one up for experimenting, but if you guys think I'm nutz without one or both, I'd swing it somehow.  Great topic!  You guys are tops.
 
BigSkyTrailerGuy said:
Forgive me; I'm brain damaged and somewhat confused.  I always thought a WD hitch was for Weight Distribution... and a SwayControl device handled Sway.  In this topic I'm reading about a WD hitch doing it all. What am I missing?
Where does a Sway Control gizmo come into play,  like this Camco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDl24M_803E 

My rig is: 3200 GVW 16' TT, tongue weight about 275#, plus maybe 550# in the back of the 97Chevy Tahoe tow veh + 2 front passengers.

Sag at my hitch doesn't *seem* to be noticable ... but I often feel like the 16' in the back wants to start wagging in the Montana breeze; a little unnerving.  Is the general concensus that with a WD hitch, that "wag" would ressolve itself?  Or maybe just might want a Sway Control alone?  ...  A big Equil-i-zer WD hitch setup seems so "overkill" - I have not much $$ to just pick one up for experimenting, but if you guys think I'm nutz without one or both, I'd swing it somehow.  Great topic!  You guys are tops.
Click to expand...

On many hitches, there is a an anti-sway component and a weight distribution component.
 
BigSkyTrailerGuy:

I have not seen a hitch head that supports anti-sway just by itself..

I lost control of a trailer once  (too rear heavy), got pushed sideways across 4 lanes of highway (luckily no traffic),
snapped a wheel off the trailer..

when we got our 1st travel trailer, I put two anti friction sway devices on cause I was nervous about it.
I use one on my enclosed car hauler all the time. altho with the dually pulling now (vs the suburban before it),
there is almost no sway.
 
Just a suggestion. Many have tried hitches and not found the one for them. Check craiglist and try to go for used. Folks are trying new things all the time and trying to sell off what they have. Just because it did not work for them does not mean it will not work for you. They may be trying to stop sway on a 30 ft when you are trying to control a 16 ft. Big diff there.
 
Like there are some here that like jumping for high dollar WD hitches. You might find the same as good hitch for less money and does the job well too. Like in my signature link you'll see what I'm running and have little problems with the trailer. Most of the stability is with a tow vehicle with proper suspension and not max'ing out the tow vehicle and WD hitch with a excessive large trailer.
 
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