Weight Distribution and Sway Control Recommendation for a Chevy Silverado 2500 and Keystone Cougar

Question

Question:

I have a Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 crew cab truck and I am purchasing a Keystone Cougar 30rkswe trailer, 34ft., GTW of 8200 lbs., would like your opinion for the best option for weight distribution hitch with sway control, I current now use a draw-tite weight distribution hitch to pull a 26ft. trailer with a GTW of 6200. Recommendation?

asked by: Jim

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Expert Reply:

When choosing a weight distribution system you will want to go by the tongue weight of the trailer, loaded and ready to tow, plus the weight of anything loaded behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. You will then choose a system with a tongue weight capacity range that puts that total weight in the middle of the systems range.

If the loaded trailer weighed 8,200 pounds and you had nothing behind the rear axle of the truck, the typical tongue weight would be 10 to 15 percent of the gross trailer weight or 820 to 1,230 pounds. If you do not plan on having the trailer fully loaded to its max or 8,200 pounds, then I recommend a system rated for 600 to 1,200 pounds like # RP66084. This system comes with a shank so you would just need a ball like # 19286.

If you will be towing at or near capacity and will have gear in the truck behind the rear axle, a heavier system rated for 800 to 1,500 pounds should be used, like # RP66130. For this system, you would need to add a shank, # RP54970. And for a ball, use # 63840.

Both of these systems have dual-cam sway control that proactively and aggressively resist the start of sway by forcing the vehicle and trailer to ride in straight line. I have included links to the installation instructions for you. I have also included a link to our FAQ article on weight distribution and sway control for you.

expert reply by: Michael H

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Answer 1

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Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

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Answer 6

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Answer 7

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Answer 8

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Answer 9

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Answer 10

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Answer 11

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Answer 12

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