YabbaDabbaDoo

I don't know jack about towing. We just bought a travel trailer and I've never towed anything in my life. I need to buy a WD hitch before I pick up the trailer, and I don't know what I need to get. I can't wrap my head around payload/tongue weight/GVWR/GCWR/etc.....

I was hoping to just put the specs of my truck here and someone with more knowledge and experience can help guide me.

We are buying this trailer and I believe the dry weight is about 4600 pounds.

Here is the payload sticker on my truck:



Specs of my truck:

2015 F150 XLT FX4 package
3.5 Ecoboost
Trailer Tow package
3.55 gears
Integrated trailer brake controller

Can anyone point me in the direction of a proper weight distribution hitch for this setup? Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Steve Osborne

you give me hope on a 16 f150.....your payload is decent ..the gearing I still need to grasp a 3.55 out pulling a 3.73 for a 2013/14 to a 15...,...but maybe buy more than needed encase you upgrade..1000lbs or more..as I did..1000-10000lbs...

77Ranger460

eTrailer is a good place gain information on WD hitches.

Norotso

Your TT will be similar weight to ours, I've been using a Equil-izer with 4 point sway built in and have ~ 40k kms towing and have never been disappointed.

http://www.equalizerhitch.com/

brulaz

Dry weight of 4600# means loaded weight may be 5600# ?
And tongue weight should be 12-15% of that, say 750# ??

These are just guesses. Tongue weight is really hard to estimate.

Still, a WDH rated for 1000# should do the job ok.

I have an Equal-I-Zer brand.

Ricktwuhk

Amazed that people spend that kind of money without more answers upfront. You can rent one, tow it, try it out... Make sure you practice with the IBC before your first trip.

acadianbob

This sounds about right but I would be careful not to oversize the bars. I did that thinking more was better and it's not. In this case, I'd go for 800# bars.

You could also look at Reese Straight Line.

Velosprout

I recommend the Fastaway hitch; made by same company as Equalixer, but faster hook-up. http://www.fastwaytrailer.com/index....&product_id=50

smokeywren

Trailer GVWR is 6,000 pounds, so that's the most your trailer should ever weigh when wet and loaded for a camping trip. Dry hitch weight 0f 505 pounds is 11.68% of 4,323 dry trailer weight, or a bit less than the average of 12.5% to 13% tongue weight for a tandem-axle TT.


So assume tongue weight of 13% of wet and loaded trailer weight of about 5,500 pounds, or 715 pounds. But if you load'er down to 6,000 pounds, then tongue weight goes up to 780 pounds. Add at least 50 pounds for the weight of your WD hitch and your total hitch weight would be 765 to 830.


So if you are certain you will never load the trailer to 6,000 pounds, then you might get by with 800-pound spring bars. But Rule 1 is to never overload your hitch, so if I'm buying it I'm going to insist on next weight up that's available for that hitch.


As to which hitch, Rule 2 is do not skrimp on the hitch by buying a cheap hitch. You want a high-end but affordable hitch.


My favorite high-end but affordable hitch is the Reese Strait-Line Trunnion Bar WD hitch with built-in dual-cam sway control. Reese makes cheap hitches as well as the excellent Strait-Line, so be sure if you get a Reese that it is the Strait-Line.


Note that one does not include the adjustable shank or ball. When you add the adjustable shank and trailer ball, your total will be close to $600 from a discount on-line source. The 1,200-pound spring bars are fine for your tongue weight of around 800 pounds. My hitch weight is similar to yours and my WD hitch is rated for up to 1,400 pounds tongue weight. Any decent hitch has adjustable spring bars you can tighten only to the tension required for your tongue weight. Too weak spring bars is a no no because you cannot get them tight enough, but stronger than required is no problem with good hitches.


Equal-I-Zer is also a good one. Equal-I-Zer doesn't make cheap hitches, so any Equal-I-Zer rated for 1,000 pounds hitch weight will be a good one.
Note that one includes the shank but not the ball.


And the Blue Ox SwayPro is also in that group of good WD hitches. They don't make cheap hitches either, so any SwayPro rated for 1,000 pounds hitch weight will be a good one


The Husky CenterLine was one of the top WD hitches for years, but Husky redesigned it recently to make it less expensive. The old CenterLine sold for around the same price as the others in this high-end group, but I haven't heard if the new one is still that good. But Husky also makes cheap hitches, so be sure if you buy a Husky that it is at least a CenterLine, and preferably the old version of the CenterLine.


Some WD hitches, including the Strait-Line, are available with either round bars or trunnion spring bars. Trunnion bars are best because they don't curve down below the ball and drag on the ground when you go over a dip or bump. Round bars have less clearance between the ground and the bars, so they often drag on the ground. So insist on trunnion bars.

acadianbob

I agree. The thing I like about this hitch setup is that it actively works to move a trailer back into its proper position; not just resist any kind of movement.