Best WD System for Towing a 2018 Forest River Salem 32BHI with a 2012 Ram 2500  

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Expert Reply:

I spoke with a rep from Forest River who said that the 2018 Salem 32BHI travel trailers come with a 2-5/16" coupler so you need a hitch ball of the same size.

For safe travel we recommend using a Weight Distribution (WD) system if the trailer weighs at least half of the weight of the tow vehicle. Since this is the case for your 2012 Ram 2500 it would be beneficial for you to use one.

You want to choose a WD system with a Tongue Weight (TW) range that the Total Tongue Weight (TTW) of your towing setup falls in the middle of. To find the TTW of your towing setup you will need to add the TW of your fully loaded and ready-to-go trailer along with the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle. Keep in mind that a properly loaded trailer will have a TW that is 10-15% of the loaded weight of your trailer.

The UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) for your 32BHI is 9,139 lbs and it has a CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) of 2,153 lbs. When you combine those it will give you 11,292 lbs which is your GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). This is the max amount of weight for your trailer.

A GVWR of 11,292 lbs means that your TW should be between 1,129 lbs - 1,694 lbs. For this application I recommend going with the Reese Strait-Line # RP66075 which has a TW range of 1,000 lbs - 1,700 lbs. You can use the Reese Titan Shank # RP54977 along with the 2-5/16" hitch ball # 19286 to complete your towing setup.

Please note that these will not fit on frames wider than 2-1/2" and they take up about 5-1/2" on the frame 30" from the center of the hitch ball. If you have something mounted on your trailer frame in that area, like propane tanks, then you can use the Bolt-On Chain Hangers # RP58305 which have a GTW of 14,000 lbs and a TW rating of 1,400 lbs. If you use these then you will be limited to these weight limits.

I have linked some helpful articles for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jon G

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