Recommended Hitch and Weight Distribution With Sway Control for a 1999-2016 Ford F-250 w/ 8K Trailer

Question:

We have a new camper and need a new hitch. The camper weighs around 8,000 pounds loaded. The tongue weight is around 1350 pounds. Its a Keystone Carbon 27. We are pulling it with a Ford F-250 4x4. Should we get a hitch thats rated for a slightly heavier tongue weight, or do we need to be exact? We want anti sway and all the good stuff to make pulling the camper a breeze. Thank you! We love you guys.

asked by: Ken B

Helpful Expert Reply:

It never hurts to have a trailer hitch receiver that is over-rated for the application it will be used for; in fact, it is usually better to have a higher rated hitch. I don't know what year F-250 that you have, but the Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver # C15410 will fit Ford F-250's from 2005-2016 and F-250's from 1999-2004 that have a Standard or Step Bumper. This trailer hitch will work well for your application since it has a Max Gross Trailer Weight of 17,000 lbs and a Max Tongue Weight of 2,550 lbs. Keep in mind that even though the hitch might have these weight ratings, you will need to check your owner's manual to make sure that your F-250 can handle that kind of weight should you ever need to tow anything that big.

When towing a trailer, your trailer Tongue Weight (TW) should be 10-15 percent of the weight of the trailer when loaded. Since your camper is 8,000 lbs loaded, 15 percent of that is 1,200 lbs. You might want to try to adjust the weight around in your camper a bit so that the TW of your camper falls in-between that 10-15 percent margin. 13 percent of your camper weight is a good TW to shoot for, which in your case would be 1,040 lbs. If you can adjust your TW to where it reflects this number, it will really help to keep your ride much more smooth and will help to keep your F-250 more level while towing.

The Weight Distribution and Sway Control system that I highly recommend using is the Reese Strait-Line system. The great thing about this system is that it actually will prevent sway before it starts as opposed to most other sway control systems that will only correct sway after it starts. The Strait-Line that I recommend going with is part # RP66084. This has a Gross Towing Weight of 12,000 lbs and a Gross Tongue Weight Range of 600 lbs - 1,200 lbs. When calculating your TW you will want to take the TW of your loaded and ready-to-go trailer plus the weight of any cargo placed behind the rear axle of your F-250, and pick a weight distribution that has a range where the your Total Tongue Weight falls. If you can adjust the TW of your trailer to that 13 percent 1,040 lbs, this system will allow you to carry around 160 lbs of cargo behind your rear axle.

The part # RP66084 comes with a shank but does not include a hitch ball. You can use either the Curt 2 inch Hitch Ball # A-90, or the Tow Ready 2-5/16 inch Hitch Ball # 19286 depending on the size of your trailer coupler.

I have attached some demonstration videos and helpful articles about towing for you to review as well.