Weight Distribution/Sway Control System for 26-Foot Trailer Towed by 2015 Ram 1500

Question:

I have a crewcab 2015 Dodge Ram 1500 with the big V8 engine. When I tow our camper, I am getting far too much sway when trucks pass us. We have a 26.5 foot camper that we tow: our hitch weight unloaded is 500lbs, and with some excess weight in the bed of the truck such as a camper or wood or etc. Please give me advice on which weight distribution/sway control would work best for us.

asked by: Matt B

Helpful Expert Reply:

A weight distribution/sway control (WD/SC) system is best selected based on your actual fully-loaded trailer tongue weight (TW). A tongue weight scale like # e99044 really makes it easy to accurately and frequently check your fully-loaded trailer TW to ensure it is loaded to provide the correct 12- to 14-percent TW relative to its gross weight. Trailers with too little TW will tend to sway more. As all WD/SC systems are weight-sensitive accurate TW measurement really matters.

You are correct to consider cargo weight in the Ram's bed as this will appear just like trailer TW to the weight distribution system. Any cargo weight behind the rear axle must be added to the actual measured trailer TW to give you your total tongue weight, TTW. The ideal is that this total TW will fall in the middle of the operating range for the particular WD/SC system. For a trailer with a dry (unloaded) hitch weight of 500-lbs your loaded TW is likely to be more like 800-lbs, but this is where the Sherline scale # 5780 becomes an indispensable tool.

For a total TW of 800-lbs an ideal choice is the trunnion bar system # EQ37100ET from Equal-i-zer. This works well over a range of TW from 600- to 1000-lbs and it will provide better ground clearance than an entry-level round bar system. This is also all-inclusive; it even has a hitch ball.

You might want to include the thin-walled socket # ALL643216 for easier hitch ball installation.

expert reply by: Adam R