Tires & Hitch for Towing

[dwengerram]

I have a 2019 Big Horn Long Horn 1500 4X4 with 5.7Hemi, ETorque, Hellwig rear sway bar on lightest setting, quad cab, 6'4" bed. I'm pulling a 2020 Ameri-Lite 30' travel trailer, 5,400# dry, 7,660# GVWR. I used the hitch, stabilizer and sway control bar from previous trailer. I don't like the sway in the setup. The truck has 35K miles so it's about time to change out the factory Wrangler 275/65R18 116T tires. The truck drives great, has plenty of power but when towing I don't like the side to side driving on ice feel. I tow the trailer 6-10 weekends per summer. My 2003 Ram 1500 4X4 Laramie with factory original except for extra leaf spring & BF Goodrich tires was more stable when towing a heavy load. The hitch system was from my previous 2003 23" trailer. It's rated for the load for this trailer so I moved it to the new trailer. Any recommendations on better tires? Change out the hitch system for something like Equalizer 1400/14000?

 

[LoNeStAr]

It’s hard to pinpoint one particular issue but from the pic it appears the nose of the camper is raised up. Optimally you would prefer level or slighty angled down. This could be causing some of the sway. An equalizer 1400/14000 is not needed based on your trailers weight.

Also where do you pack your gear in the trailer? What is your tongue weight? 10-15% of the trailer weight?

 

[Turin]

I had the same problem. For me, the solution was a Hellwig sway bar (which I'm not sure did anything), increasing tire pressure to 40 front/48 rear while towing (which eliminated almost all of the squishy feeling) and replacing my hitch with a ProPride 3P (which is f***ing magical).

Zero sway. The TT tracks straight behind the truck. I don't feel the wind or passing semis nearly as much and when I do the truck and TT move as a unit. Towing is now a comfortable and relaxed one-handed affair even on the interstate at 70 mph.

The hitch can't fix a lack of sidewall stiffness, so I'll probably move to a D or E load range tire when I replace the factory set, though I'm hoping to find something that doesn't kill the ride quality when I'm not towing.

 

[dwengerram]

The photo is a little misleading since our driveway is not level. The trailer actually is slightly lower in the front when on a level surface. the tongue weight is 660lbs. I notice the sway even when the trailer is empty, no water in tanks, no bikes. Truck tires were inflated to 44psi. The ball is as high as possible without the tailgate hitting it. I could move the ball one hole higher but I know that some day I would forget and have a big dent when the tailgate hits the ball.

 

[dwengerram]

I had the same problem. For me, the solution was a Hellwig sway bar (which I'm not sure did anything), increasing tire pressure to 40 front/48 rear while towing (which eliminated almost all of the squishy feeling) and replacing my hitch with a ProPride 3P (which is f***ing magical).

Zero sway. The TT tracks straight behind the truck. I don't feel the wind or passing semis nearly as much and when I do the truck and TT move as a unit. Towing is now a comfortable and relaxed one-handed affair even on the interstate at 70 mph.

The hitch can't fix a lack of sidewall stiffness, so I'll probably move to a D or E load range tire when I replace the factory set, though I'm hoping to find something that doesn't kill the ride quality when I'm not towing.

I just looked at the ProPride website. $3,000 for the ProPride hitch system. Yikes! Expensive. It looks like it would work very well but I'm not ready to spend 3 grand on a hitch system yet.

 

[LoNeStAr]

The photo is a little misleading since our driveway is not level. The trailer actually is slightly lower in the front when on a level surface. the tongue weight is 660lbs. I notice the sway even when the trailer is empty, no water in tanks, no bikes. Truck tires were inflated to 44psi. The ball is as high as possible without the tailgate hitting it. I could move the ball one hole higher but I know that some day I would forget and have a big dent when the tailgate hits the ball.

is that 660 dry tongue weight? Did you adjust the hitch for this trailer or just move it from the other one?

 

[dwengerram]

is that 660 dry tongue weight? Did you adjust the hitch for this trailer or just move it from the other one?

Yes 660 is the factory spec. I adjusted the hitch for this trailer. The previous trailer was lighter and set lower.

 

[LoNeStAr]

Tires may be your next option. I don’t have a TT yet as my wife and I are still narrowing it down but I have towed other trailers and once I added Timbrens and went to an XL tire it did make a big difference. I choose not to go with E rated tires because of the ride quality and I am not going to be full time RVing once we get our rig. The XL can handle 2833 lbs at 50 psi which is well above the 4100 my rear axle is rated for.

 

[devildodge]

660 is the hitch weight dry at the 5400 you list.

So they are saying a 12% hitch weight.

It seems you do not have it loaded much...so I will just say your tongue weight is somewhere between the dry of 660 and the max of 920.

The factory hitch weight usually doesnt include propane and battery...which I can not really tell if they are on your trailer or not.

Looks like a pretty good setup.

Have you ever taken it across a CAT scale to see where you really are? You surely do not need too...but they make it much easier to see where you can make even more improvements.

I am ready for next season camping already.

 

[Turin]

I just looked at the ProPride website. $3,000 for the ProPride hitch system. Yikes! Expensive. It looks like it would work very well but I'm not ready to spend 3 grand on a hitch system yet.

Not cheap but IMO worth every penny. My only regret is not buying one in the first place. The ProPride made sense for us because we plan to travel cross-country, so comfort while towing is important. (Safety too, obviously.) There are other benefits, too: Hitching and unhitching is quick and easy. The weight distribution bars stay on the hitch head full time. You don't need to change anything to back up or when driving on wet roads. You can get a sharper turning angle between the truck and trailer. I can drop my tailgate while hitched up.

That said, if you don't tow often, far, or fast, a less expensive hitch may work fine for you.