Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Just bought a 26ft 4500# pound travel trailer. We have a thread about showing your truck towing, but I haven’t seen much about hitches. I like the Andersen hitch on paper but curious if it lifts enough weight to the front. 
 

What is your preferred hitch for towing with your T1?

Posted

I looked at the anderson but heard it didn't shift much weight, especially on heavy trailers.  I'm towing a toy hauler 7500lbs packed and use a blue ox sway pro.  I love it, easy to put on and adjust, clean, quiet, and really helps to shift the weight back to the front and no sway issues so far.

 

Another option I hear good things on is the equalizer 4pt, but no experience with it.

Posted

I have a similar 25ft 4500-5500# RV and just replaced my 4pt Equalizer with the Andersen and love it. The equalizer was heavy, extremely loud, and bouncy on the road. It worked, but wasn't great... The Andersen has been fantastic. Light, easy to install (connect/disconnect), quiet (literally no noise at all), and drives really nice. I don't get any of the bounce like before. As for transferring weight, I don't have a lot to say. I don't get any sag and pre/post measurements are the same so I would say it's working. I have not been on a scale though.

Posted (edited)

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System w/ 4-Point Sway Control - 12,000 lbs GTW, 1,200 lbs TW

About $850 @ trailer.com

A bit heavy and requires some muscle but will remove any sway or safety worries and give you peace of mind. 

 

Edited by LowCountryDenali
Posted

I'm using the eaz-lift Recurve R3 weight distribution with sway control hitch. My Travel Trailer is about 7,000lbs loaded.  

Posted

GM figures you don't need a weight distributing hitch on a 1500 if the trailer is under 7000#. n

 

Posted

Would also like to know, but is there something under $400 range that still has a good reputation? I might be buying a 9000lb GVRW camper in the next couple of years (so might be too soon to be asking). 

Posted
On 1/19/2021 at 2:21 PM, redwngr said:

GM figures you don't need a weight distributing hitch on a 1500 if the trailer is under 7000#. n

 

No way I'd tow a 7,000 lb trailer without a WD Hitch.

 

Posted
On 1/19/2021 at 11:21 AM, redwngr said:

GM figures you don't need a weight distributing hitch on a 1500 if the trailer is under 7000#. n

 

 

That would depend what your are towing - if a boat - maybe not needed - but it can't hurt - if a enclosed car trailer - absolutely want one - as when the wind kicks up - you will be thankful for the added stability and safetly! 

 

 

Posted

Two numbers on your weight equilization hitch - smaller one is tongue weight and bigger one is loaded trailer weight - want to get one that is more than these numbers, but not way over. 

 

I have a 1,400 / 12,000 lbs - my trailer has 1,200 lbs of tongue weight and is rated for 10,000 lbs - 

 

Not exact brand but this is same set up I have.  Does the job and is affordable - but the Equiilizer hitch is the best one - and what I had on my last trailer - which I much preferred to this set up.  This set up works fine, but more steps to hook up, more parts to deal with and not as good on sway control - but 30% the cost ($250/$800).  I got this one as the day I bought the trailer I had to tow it home 500 miles and it was windy and it was all they had.  Plan to replace it with an Equilizer hitch soon.

 

Hitch information link:   https://campaddict.com/weight-distribution-hitch/   - ton on information in this article. 

 

060501_1.jpg?sw=1350&sh=1000&sm=fit

  • 9 months later...
Posted (edited)

I definitely recommend these weight distribution hitches to anyone that's looking for a WDH with sway combo. I use this  EAZ LIFT 48058 Elite Kit for my Durango RT and 5250 lbs dry-weight camper. These hitches are made with top-tier steel, and they have a sway control system as well. It comes pre-installed and it makes the install process much easier. And since I’m not the most technically savvy person, it’s always a nice touch when there’s a feature that’ll make the installation a more straightforward task.  
 

Edited by daltonbourne
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 1/19/2021 at 2:21 PM, redwngr said:

GM figures you don't need a weight distributing hitch on a 1500 if the trailer is under 7000#. n

 

 

Need and recommended are two different things.  Coming from someone that tried a full enclosed trailer without a weight distribution hitch and without sway bars, I'd recommend it...wasn't fun...

Posted
On 1/20/2021 at 7:24 PM, Supercup said:

 

That would depend what your are towing - if a boat - maybe not needed - but it can't hurt - if a enclosed car trailer - absolutely want one - as when the wind kicks up - you will be thankful for the added stability and safetly! 

 

 

 

Precisely.  Wish I knew this ahead of time before I had to tow mine!  Factory ratings are a joke...push it to the limit, you'll have a hard time.

Posted

They are somewhat of a joke; I would never tow more than 8000 pounds with any half ton.

 

But people just don't think anymore. There is a huge difference between a utility trailer loaded up with flatbar weighing 10,000 pounds, vs a 34 foot toy hauler RV weighing 10,000 pounds. The wind and instability of the RV will make your experience far worse even though they weigh the same.

 

So these manufacturers don't know what you're pulling, you can tow some trailers weighing X pounds but you can't pull just any trailer weighing X pounds.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • I've been eyeing an upgrade to my tonneau cover for a bit now.  Intrigued by the BAK MX4 EZ-Lift with the torsion spring and went for the upgrade.  Thoughts and musings during unpacking, install and a few days of usage.   Once my order went into Realtruck, it took about 4 days to ship.  Unfortunately, FedEx Ground destroyed the box and contents and it was unusable upon receipt.  To Realtruck's credit, one email with pictures and an RMA was sent to me to send the first one back, and another unit was shipped out.  It arrived 3 days later, unscathed.   I opened the box and it looked like every other BAK MX4.   Biggest differences are the rails and retaining clamps, and of course the spring attached to the cover itself.     NOTE - if you are upgrading from a MX4 to the EZ-Lift, you will have to replace the rails.  The EZ-Lift rails have a notch cut in them to allow the new style retaining clamps to fit properly.  The new retaining clamps also have 2 knobs/carriage bolts and there are two tracks underneath the front panel. The strap clips are mildly different (more like the Undercover Flex clamps) in that the screws go in from the underside.  Personally I prefer these over the BAK clamps that use the nutserts that are a nuisance to install.  The remainder of the parts in the box (drain tubes, rail clamps, and bumper pads) are standard issue BAK.     I did not replace my front bed seal at the time because it seemed to be in decent shape.   BAK recommends shims on the GM trucks unless you place the clamps on the flanges about 1/3 of the way in from both the front and rear of the bed.  I shimmed the front and the middle, and initially placed the clamps equidistant.  This also turned out to be a mistake, because when I set the cover in place, the new style retaining clamps wouldn't clear the front clamp.   New style clamp inserted in the track:     And the issue which occurred because the front rail clamp was too far forward:     Once I removed the shim from the front of the bed, and slid the clamp back to the front flange, everything cleared fine.     The cover set on the rails without issue and I installed the strap clamps.  After I completed my adjustments, I pulled the pin to activate the torsion spring.  Mistake #3 on my part.  PULL THE PIN AS THE VERY VERY VERY LAST STEP!  The reason is, once you pull the pin, the torsion spring is activated.  If you have to loosen the front clamps and adjust the cover, the front panel will - by virtue of the spring, refuse to lay down.  The only way to get it to lay down so you can reinstall and tighten the clamps is to fully open the panel against the back of the cab, which will then allow the front panel of the cover to lay down and be tightened.  Not a big deal unless you haven't installed the foam pads yet (typically the last step) because minus the foam pads, you will need to place something between the frame of the cover and the back window so it doesn't get scratched.  The next time I install one I will install the foam pads before I pull the pin and activate the spring.   After using it for a few days:   The spring assist is great.  You literally can open it with one hand.  My shoulders aren't getting any younger and this was part of my motivation to swap out. The second panel latches and unlatches itself as you open and close the cover.  Neat in concept, however it took me a minute to get used to closing the cover and not hearing the "latching" sound that would tell me it was locked in place. The paddle handles are a huge upgrade and I wouldn't be surprised to see them become the standard across the Realtruck line.  They effectively eliminate the concern that a thief could coat hanger the cover open and get to the contents in the bed. I'm not sure why the very front panel on my cover has a different finish from the other 3 panels.  I have a request into Realtruck to find out if mine was not manufactured properly or if it was by design.   All in all I'm pleased.  Same level of protection, looks good, keeps stuff mostly dry (they all leak around the tailgate) and easy to install.
    • Same here, first I bought a few filters to get me going right after I bought my truck to do some short distance initial oil changes, then realized I could buy a case lot for less as they drop the price if filters or trans oil etc is bought by the un opened case lot as well as the discount for buying the vehicle there. So I have filters for a while but its good to know going forward, knowing to expect it to be a different part number and looking filter at the dealer and not be confused over it and think they are handing me the wrong part.
    • Saw Inglewood was in the National New last night for hail. Allot of hail. front end loader level hail. 😱
  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...