Recommended Weight Distribution System With Sway Control For 33-Ft Heartland Travel Trailer

Question:

question about a load leveling hitch. I have a 2015 Ford F-250 and just purchased a 33foot heartland wilderness travel trailer with dry weight of 6780 lb I told them i have been researching the load hitches and I wanted the good Equlizer hitch for sway on long trips. During the wheeling and dealing on the trailer they offered to throw it in and cover it. I had showed them a pic of it to make sure they knew which one I wanted... when I picked it up I thought it looked a little different then the pic but a lot of the pics I saw said pic may not be actuall product... long story short I got home and got to looking closer and what they actually put on was a fastway e2 92-00-0800 8000lb hitch. Which not only is not a Equlizer brand it is also 2 point sway control not the 4 point Like the one I showed them and only rated at 8000lb where as the one I showed them I believe was a 10,000 lb or a 12k...My truck has a small lift and so it also does not have quite enough on it, I think the in it was 3inch and I need around 4-5... With my truck I dont really think I need the hitch for weight as much as for sway control on long stretches of highway. My question is the hitch they gave me, is it even going to make a noticeable difference? Im going to try to get them to get me the hitch I talked to them about but just in case they try to give me the this one is just as good spill I wanted to check with a expert... Im really not a hard to please guy and they seemed like really good people so Im hoping they will make it right... But ya never know how things like this will go...

asked by: Dewain D

Expert Reply:

The most important thing you need o know when choosing a weight distribution hitch is the total tongue weight. This is the tongue weight of your fully-loaded-ready-to-tow trailer added to the weight of any cargo you place behind the rear axle. The tongue weight of a trailer is typically 10 to 15 percent of the trailer so for a dry weight of 6780-lbs it could range from 678-lbs to 1017-lbs. The WD system they gave you may not be big enough. for the Fastway system # FA94-00-0800, we offer for 8,000-lbs, the maximum tongue weight is 800-lbs.

Using a system that is too small is really kind of useless. Using a system that is too big results in a stiffer uncomfortable ride. We always tell customers that you want a system where your total tongue weight is near the middle of the tongue weight range of the system.

The system I would recommend for you is part # FA92-00-1200. This system is designed for a maximum tongue weight of 1,200-lbs. This has a 2-point sway control system which does help keep the trailer in line and under control.

The hitch ball is sold separately so for a 2-5/16 inch hitch ball I recommend part # EQ91-00-6120. for a 2-inch ball you can use part # A-90.

I have attached a link to a helpful article about weight distribution you can check out.