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Best Weight Distribution System for towing a 5000 lb Travel Trailer

PaulR65

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Hi All,
I am new to the Ram 1500, converting over to the Ram side after 20 years as a Ford F-150 guide. I really loved the new 2019 Ram when it came out, then saw it an auto show, the took some test drives and got a look at the internal and I have to same Ram really moved my needle!

As well I have always heard from a towing perspective that Ram's are the way to go because of their suspension. So that was a factor as well, not mention that when I towed with my 2017 F-150, and even with the mid-level tow package I was encountering that dreaded term "porpoising" so I had had enough - time to get new truck.

So I picked up my 2019 Ram 1500 on last week, and last Saturday I needed to tow our Travel Trailer as it's inspection and some warranty work had just been completed. Any case we currently have the Equalizer Weight Distribution system (unfortunately we have our TT off site) but I believe it's next version up from the base Equalizer WD system.

When we hooked up to our new 2019 Ram 1500, I noticed that the back really squatted down quite a bit, easily 2 inches if not more. I was a bit surprised, but all that being said it towed our trailer just fine but i did notice a bit of the "porpoising" though nowhere near my old 2017 F-150.

Our travel trailer is a MPG 2120, with a dry weight of 4941 lbs. With what we store in the front cabins of the trailer can't be any more than 100 lbs, but to be on the safe side we'll say the weight is closer to 5100 lbs total. So my question is, would it make sense to maybe adjust - up the WDH or possibly look into a new one, and if so, what would you recommend?

We are relatively new to camping and pulling anything behind our truck.

Thanks,
Paul
 

Zeronet

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It would help to know what model weight distribution you have and what the weight rating is on that WD hitch.

If you’re getting a lot of rear sag on the truck with such a light trailer, it suggests to me your WD hitch setup could use some adjustment to apply more weight transfer. This should also reduce the porpoising.

In my case I have a camper that weighs 6400 and a tongue weight of 840 (920 including the weight of the hitch itself) loaded for camping. I get no squat (tows level) with a Blue Ox and 1500lb bars. Very little porpoising with this setup.

With that size camper and a properly sized/adjusted WD hitch you should have no problems.
 

Johnvan

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Etrailer is a great place to shop and read reviews.
I use a Reese Stediflex based on the recommendation from my RV dealer and the reviews on etrailer. I purchased it through etrailer.
 

PaulR65

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I'll have to check the (WD system) next time I go over to where we store our camper and get the model/weight info should be there. That aside thanks for some of your recommendations. I will start with adjusting the height of the ball (there's at least two more slots above where it is currently set) and if that doesn't work I will look at those that you are using.

I neglected to mention I have a 2019 Bighorn, Quad Cab with the 5.7 Hemi and 6'4" bed and 4x4 and 20 inch wheels. I have to say with what I got, compared to what I had its' amazing. Sticker for sticker you get more with Ram for less than you get with Ford and for more.... And there was a time, not very long ago when I said a number of times I'd never drive a Ram.... I ate my words! :)

Thanks,
Paul
 

Zeronet

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I don’t have the equalizer hitch but, assuming your trailer is level when the weight distribution is attached, I believe the WD adjustments are done by adjusting the hitch head angle and/or adjusting the L brackets. Not necessarily changing the height of the ball. Follow the complete instructions in the owners manual or download the pdf to get it dialed-in.
 

bandit

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My TT is around that size (6500 dry/640 tongue) and my equalizer hitch sits level while towing and I have had no problems driving in normal weather at reasonable speeds. I'd agree with the above poster that you may want to ensure that the hitch is set up proper.
 

PaulR65

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Thanks all, and thanks for the suggestion about making sure it is set up properly. Being we bought our RV from a place that sells RVs like hot dogs my guess is they just slap em on and say there ya go sonny without much thought. Then again too, to be fair they set up my system on a different truck and no two truck (brands) are the same. Thanks guys!
 

riccnick

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The owner's manual has a pretty good step by step for setting up weight distribution hitches, and I think you should start there. Eyeballing 2" of squat is not how to tell if your hitch is set up correctly. You need to take measurements on a flat surface to get it close, and then if it needs further fine tuning, you have to hit the scales.

I bookmarked this link to the copy of the owners manual on the forum and reference it frequently.

Page 411 outlines the steps to adjust a wdh on a truck with air suspension. Just ignore the steps about the air ride and follow the steps for calculating the H values and adjusting the hitch. Start there and see where you stand before you start messing with anything else. If you can't meet the required H values with the way the hitch is without pushing the trailer off of level, then you know the hitch height will need to change.
 

Han Ridge

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I tow a 5200 lbs (dry) camper and use a e2 6K WDH. I noticed a bit of squat also. Instead of buying a new WDH I purchased and installed an Air Lift 1000HD air spring kit. It not only took out the squat it improved the bounce when going over bumps.
 

trainman

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On our new Oliver Elite II we have to use the Anderson WDH because of the front fiberglass cover over the LP tanks and the fiberglass cover is molded in a design that covers the frame. You might check out the YouTube videos on the Anderson WDH and see what you think about it. This WDH works different then the standard WDH, it has chains and does not use torsion bars and the sway control is all in one with the chains. You just need to watch the videos if interested. I purchased this Anderson WDH online for $479, free shipping, and received it in 3 days, if I remember it was "Mr. Truck", he also has a YouTube video. Anderson Video,

trainman
 
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