Repurposing a WDH w/Sway hitch

[Brutal_HO]

Please keep it civil guys. No need for insults, passive or direct.

 

[roegs]

So for the OP and others wondering about weight distribution and sway control there is an excellent thread from last year right on this forum. You might also read your owners manual. RAM put quite a bit of effort into explaining how to tow safely. Towing safely and towing because the butt-o-meter says things feel fine at the moment are two totally different things. Everybody gets to make their own choice on what they want to do.

Best hitch to use to tow 35ft TT with 2019 Ram Laramie

New to it all.!!! I am looking at what the best set up for me would be when it comes to getting the right Anti-sway / Weight distribution set up for towing 35ft TT #9000 - #10000 lbs. Have a Ram 2019 2500 Laramie 6.7l as TV with Bags. any help would be greatly appreciated

hdrams.com

 

[mcspeed]

Braking loss is minimal thats why trailers have their own brakes no one is saying go squat the truck and think its safe but with in reason a wdh is not needed on a 3/4 and 1ton truck like it is with a 1/2 ton.

With a light weight trailer that is correct. With a heavy trailer it is incorrect. It’s about weight distribution. The truck has a front bias and is designed to brake/Steer/handle with this bias in mind. If the bias shifts to the rear, the handling characteristics are changed and could be negatively impacted in emergency conditions.

For those that don’t understand this there is an excellent video explaining how it works posted in this forum.


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[MDBumblebee]

Ram 2500 manual page 246:
WARNING! If the gross trailer weight is 5,000 lb (2,267 kg) or more, it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control of your vehicle and cause a collision.

If FCA recommends it, why not do it.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

If FCA recommends it, why not do it.

If the government tells you to turn in your guns do you?

Its in there for liability reasons

 

[Frank]

Ram 2500 manual page 246:
WARNING! If the gross trailer weight is 5,000 lb (2,267 kg) or more, it is recommended to use a weight-distributing hitch to ensure stable handling of your vehicle. If you use a standard weight-carrying hitch, you could lose control of your vehicle and cause a collision.

If FCA recommends it, why not do it.

Because it's a copy and paste from the half ton manual that the lawyers really liked. It completely ignores why you use a WDH in the first place. There are half tons that should probably start using it around 350. There are 1 tons that are fine to 1,000. A poorly loaded 5,000 trailer may need one while a properly loaded 8,000 lbs trailer may be OK. Understand how the hitch functions, measure the load, and use it when appropriate.

 

[roegs]

Because it's a copy and paste from the half ton manual that the lawyers really liked. It completely ignores why you use a WDH in the first place. There are half tons that should probably start using it around 350. There are 1 tons that are fine to 1,000. A poorly loaded 5,000 trailer may need one while a properly loaded 8,000 lbs trailer may be OK. Understand how the hitch functions, measure the load, and use it when appropriate.

If you continue reading past the warning statement, they devote multiple pages on how a WD hitch functions and why its necessary and recommended. Even includes pictures. I'll agree that RAM must include this information for liability, but its also in there for safety.

 

[Great White North Eh]

If the government tells you to turn in your guns do you?

Its in there for liability reasons

Justin can come get mine!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Justin can come get mine!

They can have mine if they can pry em out of my cold dead hands!

 

[MDBumblebee]

If the government tells you to turn in your guns do you?

Its in there for liability reasons

One is the second amendment to the bill of rights, the other is a safety recommendation from a car company so the comparison isn't quite the same.

In any case, my point is not to start a flame war but to only point out that since he already has the hitch there's no good reason not to use it. Using one or not is a matter of opinion, but for me, using one is safer than NOT using one. And for either of us to tell the OP what he should do - either way - based solely on our own experiences and biases when we don't know every aspect of his rig and TV in regards to payload, GAWR, GVWR, GCWR, TW, etc. is not helpful to the OP.

And I'm not the noob my profile indicates. I was over on the 5thgen forums for two years and have made many trips to the CAT scale adjusting my WDH to work with my 1500. I've just upgraded to an HD and am still going to use my WDH because is the safer thing to do.

 

[OhioRAM]

My experience has been very similar to yours. A 9,600lb GVWR travel trailer with a Ram 1500 last year. I have the Equal-I-zer hitch and loved it. Towed good but wanted more. I upgraded to a 2020 Ram 3500 Cummins with the factory air bags out back. First time I hitched up the camper to see how it sat and I couldn’t get the bars on at all. I read the directions and adjusted the hitch per the manufacture and it works as it should.
In my experience with the airbags I only had 1/2” of squat in the truck but with the hitch setup properly I have plenty of weight on the bars for sway control and about 1/4” squat.
Even with WAY more truck than I need I will never tow without this hitch (or one similar)

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

One is the second amendment to the bill of rights, the other is a safety recommendation from a car company so the comparison isn't quite the same.

we have no constitution here in Canada so the comparison is exactly the same really lol

 

[HopFanatik]

I moved my 7,600lb TT a few miles without the trunnion bars on and it felt sloppy. It will adjust, you may just need to figure out the right pieces.

There are drop shanks made for specific WDH heads and even drop hitches that will work with many unrelated company WDHs.

Instead of getting a drop shank from E2 for mine I'm looking to get a 2.5" class V shank that will work with their head.

Did you find a 2.5 shank that works w/ the e2 head?

 

[Razzman]

I just did the same. Came from a 2017 1500 and using an Equalizer e4 towing our TT @ 6520 lbs loaded and we usually carry about 400 lbs in the bed. Truck struggled on steep grades and while the weight wasn't so much the issue as have a 11.5' sail behind us was so we upgraded to a 2500 CTD. After seeing the setup with the 2" sleeve I opted for a new EQ 8" 2 1/2" shank, I get trailer & towing stuff at wholesale so it was no big deal. Did the whole setup and it works perfectly, can't even feel the trailer.

 

[Aketay]

This is my hitch, 4 inch adjustable with 2 1/2 inch shank.

 

[Aketay]

This is what I can tow with it. I do use air bags to level up. 1900 lbs tongue weight and 12800 lbs UVW.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

This is my hitch, 4 inch adjustable with 2 1/2 inch shank.

What reciver is that thats under the oem one? Im assuming its rated higher than the oem?

 

[Aketay]

Sorry I’m slow to reply. Yes rated much better than the factory one. Have bent the factory hitch on previous trucks. This one has been one my last three trucks and has been used about 400,000 miles. It is the Curt commercial duty class V.

 

[Hawkdriver73]

I went from a Ram 1500 to the Ram 2500 which is quite a bit higher, so ended up buying a new longer drop bar to lower the hitch setup as needed. I didn't need to change much with the head angle, and the bars hooked up without issue. I would agree after having towed cross country and back, big semi-trucks, the WDH is a safe way to tow and control trailer sway.

I'm new to the group, I know this thread is old, but I recently went from a Chevy 1500 with a rise on the WDH. With my new RAM 2500 I'll need a drop shank, what length drop did you go with? Already tried flipping the current shank from rise to drop, but not near enough. Thanks

 

[steve49]

I'm new to the group, I know this thread is old, but I recently went from a Chevy 1500 with a rise on the WDH. With my new RAM 2500 I'll need a drop shank, what length drop did you go with? Already tried flipping the current shank from rise to drop, but not near enough. Thanks

Try this,

Help with WD Drop Shank Selection

I have this WD hitch - https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Reese-49903-1000-Sway/dp/B0071XQ4V8/ - which I had on my 2019 1500 to pull our TT. Camper is 33' tip to tail, 6,100 lbs dry weight and I haven't been to the scales since I replaced the mattress but I'd say tongue weight is knocking on 800 lbs...

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