weight distribution sizing

[dieself350]

Hi .I will be towing a 2008 north trail 31 bhd with my 94 f350. I know this trailer is well under weight for my rig. but i want to use sway control on it and wd just for fun. I currenty have a reese 12k trunnion bar setup with duel cam sway control on a noto to her trailer. would my current wd hitch be too large for the tt? would it be best to 8k set?

 

[jnbhobe]

I think you'll be ok. What is the tougue weight of your trailer?? Just set it up to the right specs. Get your height and angle for your ball right then get the cams set when your perfectly straight.

 

[dieself350]

I dont have the exact tung weight of it yet. i have done a ton of looking up and it seams to range between 530 to 690 based on 10% weight. the trailer gvw is 6900

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I think you'll be fine with more hitch than less. You don't have to cinch it up as tight as it goes, only as tight as you need it to be. The main thing is getting the ball at the right height to have the trailer tow reasonably level.

 

[hoefler]

You won't need the bars at all with the weight you have listed. Matter of fact it would make the ride worse. As you go over bumps and dips in the road, you will feel it bang as the chains go slack then tighten back up. Tow it with out the bars and then with them, you will see what I mean. If you want sway control, you can us a friction style with out weight distribution bars. If you have dual wheels, you may not need any sway control anyways. I tow a loaded enclosed trailer that weighs around 6,500#+ with 1,000-1,100# tongue weight every day I work, no bars or sway control, never had a problem.

 

[pmmjarrett]

I think you'll be fine with more hitch than less. You don't have to cinch it up as tight as it goes, only as tight as you need it to be. The main thing is getting the ball at the right height to have the trailer tow reasonably level.

Most of the RV transport industry requires us to tow almost all trailers with a minimum 10k WD hitch unless using a medium duty... we don't use sway control.

That said. I'd never install a set "just for fun"..... But if that's what is fun for you, go for it and enjoy the bonding time with the WD hitch.

If you do run it you don't need to cinch the chains very tight. Where many people go wrong with these hitches is they thnk it's for leveling out their improperly loaded tow vehicle and use cheater pipes to do it. The end result of this can be as severe as a broken tounge on the trailer. I have seen tounges ripped clean off the trailers because of this. I've also see people that had them cinched so tight they couldn't go though a dip in a parking lot or up an inclined driveway because they lost traction on a rear wheel drive vehicle and it actually had the drive tire off the ground. That has to be pretty hard on both the tow vehicle frame and the trailer frame.

These hitches are just designed to distribute a few hundred pounds of weight from the rear axle to the front axle not take the whole load off the rear axle and put it on the front axle.

FYI Usually the max tounge weight rating on these hitches is 1/10th the gross weight rating.

 

[dieself350]

Now i am confused. should i use it or not use it? I would say i am more worried having this thing swaying in the wind. i am use to towing boats and construction junk around. i will be draging this think 600 miles, i want to make a smooth trip for me

 

[pmmjarrett]

Try it. Install it PROPERLY and if you don't like it you can always take it off and throw it in the bed of the truck. You can't put it on if you don't have it.

It's better to have something and not need it than to need it and not have it.