Weight distribution hitches

[8ball_99]

Time for an update, I traded in the travel trailer after our 2nd trip with it and went back to a 5th wheel. The driving experience was no where near as nice as a 5th wheel and the floor plan left a lot to be desired. I had a lot of bounce and feedback from the trailer into the truck throughout both trips . We went back to a 5th wheel and got a 2026 Sabre 37RVmiles. The experience is night and day from the travel trailer to the 5th wheel. Right off the dealer lot the 5th wheel was an easy relaxed tow vs bumper pull which needed constant correction the whole time we were on the road. Also the bumper pull had to be limited to 66 mph or it would be very unsettled behind the truck. Ultimately in the end I can’t see myself ever trying out a bumper pull camper. My work trailers which are just short trip and mostly flat equipment trailers are fine but in a camper I’m going to stay with the 5th wheels.

Wow, Im surprised that trailer did so bad on the road. 39' is a long TT but wasn't that heavy with under 12k GVWR and was less then 12' tall. Some trailers just pull bad from the factory. It must of not had it's weight distributed very well. Hopefully you didn't get beat up to bad trading so fast!

 

[KLA]

I have a smaller travel trailer(23 foot) and use a weight distribution hitch with an anti-sway bar, pulling it with my 22 1500 ZR2. As long as I tighten up the anti-sway bar properly, the truck pulled the trailer just fine at 80mph on the highway. Steady and stable with no problems at all.

 

[Je942010]

Wow, Im surprised that trailer did so bad on the road. 39' is a long TT but wasn't that heavy with under 12k GVWR and was less then 12' tall. Some trailers just pull bad from the factory. It must of not had it's weight distributed very well. Hopefully you didn't get beat up to bad trading so fast!

I was shocked as well. I think the weigh bias was set too far to the back and the axles were too close to the center to be honest. I’ve towed close to 60,000 miles over the last 20 years and that was by far the worst trailer I’ve ever hooked up to. Dropping that at the dealer and picking the new one was a night and day difference. We ended up upgrading significantly so there was a difference in price so we knew what to expect going into it.

 

[8ball_99]

Yep, was probably the case. Sometimes they are just designed poorly. Too much weight on one side, poor axle placement, ect. It doesn't help that they tend to put the cheapest tires they can find on most of them at the factory. I'm curious what your tongue weight was. Did you end up getting a weigh safe Heavy WD hitch before you traded it? Not stable at highway speeds usually means not enough tongue weight.

 

[securityguy]

Time for an update, I traded in the travel trailer after our 2nd trip with it and went back to a 5th wheel. The driving experience was no where near as nice as a 5th wheel and the floor plan left a lot to be desired. I had a lot of bounce and feedback from the trailer into the truck throughout both trips . We went back to a 5th wheel and got a 2026 Sabre 37RVmiles. The experience is night and day from the travel trailer to the 5th wheel. Right off the dealer lot the 5th wheel was an easy relaxed tow vs bumper pull which needed constant correction the whole time we were on the road. Also the bumper pull had to be limited to 66 mph or it would be very unsettled behind the truck. Ultimately in the end I can’t see myself ever trying out a bumper pull camper. My work trailers which are just short trip and mostly flat equipment trailers are fine but in a camper I’m going to stay with the 5th wheels.

What hitch did you buy for the new trailer?

 

[Je942010]

What hitch did you buy for the new trailer?

I still had my B&W companion 5th wheel from my previous trailer and I’m putting a Gen Y Pin box on the trailer.

 

[Je942010]

Yep, was probably the case. Sometimes they are just designed poorly. Too much weight on one side, poor axle placement, ect. It doesn't help that they tend to put the cheapest tires they can find on most of them at the factory. I'm curious what your tongue weight was. Did you end up getting a weigh safe Heavy WD hitch before you traded it? Not stable at highway speeds usually means not enough tongue weight.

I never got a weighsafe hitch for it but I did run the pro pride hitch on it. The sway was manageable under 65 but the porpoising was horrendous. Every transition or bump in the road would take 8-10 cycles to stop bouncing.

 

[AXE]

I never got a weighsafe hitch for it but I did run the pro pride hitch on it. The sway was manageable under 65 but the porpoising was horrendous. Every transition or bump in the road would take 8-10 cycles to stop bouncing.

How much air did you run in your bags? I've had to run 90+ psi on some roads to keep it firm and smooth. On previous trucks without the soft suspension I could run 65-75 psi and it would be fine.

Also, my TT likes to tow with more water in the tanks. I've got two tanks holding 140 gallons over the axles and it tows best at 3/4+ full.

Anyways, it doesn't matter now.

I am considering upgrading mine now and going with a 5er. Keystone has a toyhauler with a 20 foot garage so I can load my sxs and dirt bike, so don't need the bed space as much. They got them discounted pretty good, but don't know much about that brand.

 

[Je942010]

How much air did you run in your bags? I've had to run 90+ psi on some roads to keep it firm and smooth. On previous trucks without the soft suspension I could run 65-75 psi and it would be fine.

Also, my TT likes to tow with more water in the tanks. I've got two tanks holding 140 gallons over the axles and it tows best at 3/4+ full.

Anyways, it doesn't matter now.

I am considering upgrading mine now and going with a 5er. Keystone has a toyhauler with a 20 foot garage so I can load my sxs and dirt bike, so don't need the bed space as much. They got them discounted pretty good, but don't know much about that brand.

I tried 40-75lbs of air in the bags and I could never get the trailer to settle. My old 5th wheel was a Keystone Fuzion toy hauler and it was built like a tank. Not sure about the new ones but the 2015 that I had was built incredibly strong and the interior finishes held up great throughout the years we had it. This is the setup I was running all the way up until this season. I had 25-30,000 miles on that trailer and never had any issues on it. To be honest I still regret getting rid of the truck and the trailer a little bit.

 

[AXE]

Thats a nice looking rig! I see quite a few of the Fuzion models around here. Popular with the duners hauling their sxs to the sand. I just started looking at them, so gonna check them out.

I dont spend much time in my camper when I'm out, so I want something more simple and functional. Don't need as many bells and whistles. Fer crissakes they look like home inside now. Hard to justify the expense when you use it 20-30 days a year.