Best Weight Distribution System for a 2018 Nissan Armada Towing a 2018 Winnebago 27BHSS
Question:
Newbie here. We just bought our very first travel trailer, a 2018 Winnebago 27BHSS 6620 dry, 8800 GVWR, dry hitch weight 760 along with our 2018 Nissan Armada towing capacity 8,500 lbs.. The RV dealership fitted my car/trailer with a Reese hitch with single friction sway control. The ride home was a white knuckle affair, with ever-present sway situations and the Winnebago manhandling my truck on the highway. My initial thought was to have them install another sway control bar on the left side surprised they didnt recommend it, but after some research, I dont think that second sway control will be enough. Do you think an Equalizer hitch is sufficient for my setup? The nuclear option would be to go with a ProPride or Hensley Arrow. As Im sure you know the cost is prohibitive but would be a sure-fire sway mitigation solution. Any advice you could provide would be great!
asked by: James C
Expert Reply:
I have a great Weight Distribution (WD) solution for you that is much more cost-effective than the options you are looking at. The reason why you had a deathgrip on your wheel is due to a few different factors that all hit at the same time.
First of all your 2018 Winnebago 27BHSS does push the weight capacity of your 2018 Nissan Armada so that definitely contributes to the sway you are feeling. Second of all, the Reese Friction Sway Control Kit # 83660 was great when it first came out, but it really isn't that useful since there are much better sway control units out there. Since your trailer is over 26' long you definitely needed 2 of them and the dealer should have known that.
The last thing is that we have found that dealers tend to just throw a WD system on towing setups without making sure that everything is properly rated. If you got Reese system like part # PS49901 installed which is not rated high enough for your towing setup then that would explain why the trailer was driving your Armada instead of the other way around.
When looking for a WD system you want to choose one that has 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.
If you plan on going all the way up to 8,500 lbs with your Winnebago (which isn't really recommended) then you are looking at a TW range on your trailer of 850 lbe - 1,275 lbs. For your application I recommend going with a Reese Strait-Line WD system. These are top-of-the-line and use integrated cam sway control units which help to prevent trailer sway before it starts instead of correcting it after it has already begun.
For the TW range mentioned above we have the Strait-Line # RP66130 which has a TW range of 800 lbs - 1,500 lbs. This system doesn't come with a shank but you could use the shank that you currently have (provided that it has the proper weight capacity) or you could use one like part # RP54970. The hitch ball, like the 2-5/16" part # C40030, is sold separately as well.
Let me know what your TTW is if it doesn't fall inside the range of the system mentioned above and I can make a different recommendation if necessary. Check out the helpful articles on towing and the review video of the Strait-Line system that I linked for more information and a look at how it works!
Products Referenced in This Question
2-5/16" Hitch Ball - 1-1/4" Diameter x 2-5/8" Long Shank - Chrome - 15,000 lbs
- Trailer Hitch Ball
- Trailer Hitch Ball
- Standard Ball
- Chrome-Plated Steel
- 2-5/16 Inch Diameter Ball
- 2-5/8 Inch Shank Length
- 1-1/4 Inch Diameter Shank
- 15000 lbs GTW
- Class IV
- Class V
- CURT
more information >
Reese Weight Dist Shank - 12-1/4" Long - 2" Drop to 6-1/2" Rise - 1,500 lbs TW
- Accessories and Parts
- Weight Distribution Hitch
- Shanks
- Fits 2 Inch Hitch
- Round - 2 Inch Drop
- Trunnion - 1 Inch Drop
- Round - 5 Inch Rise
- Trunnion - 6 Inch Rise
- Reese
more information >
Strait-Line Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control - No Shank - Trunnion Bar - 15K GTW, 1,500 lbs TW
- Weight Distribution Hitch
- WD With Sway Control
- Some Sway
- Shank Not Included
- Electric Brake Compatible
- Fits 2 Inch Hitch
- Fits 2-1/2 Inch Hitch
- Allows Backing Up
- 1100 lbs
- 1200 lbs
- 1300 lbs
- 1400 lbs
- Reese
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Reese Friction Sway Control Kit - Economy - by Draw-Tite, Reese and Hidden Hitch
- Accessories and Parts
- Weight Distribution Hitch
- Sway Control Parts
- Reese
more information >
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