[sdbob]

What are you guys using? I looked at Reese and others in catalog.I'm thinking a hitch with built in sway control rather than a separate bar to control sway. Any ideas-problems? Its an open trailer for a single car really don't have problems just trying to be safer and prevent them.I had an older reese but someone stole the ball mount. Yes I didn't have it locked. I know now.

[stu72]

I'm using the the Equalizer brand hitch with the sway control and love it. I have the 6000 lbs.
I tow a 21ft camper that weights 3600lbs. with a 2012 Nissan Frontier if that says anything. Tows straight as an arrow. They are alot of money but cheap insurance to me.

[JLHarper]

You are right.....prices can be hefty on these.

I found much better prices at a large Camper dealer and they had a few different lines.

You can find them used on CL also....

[ron cozzo]

Another vote for Equalizer. Try RVWholesalers.com for a good price.

[Trulyvintage]

From one who hauls every day ....


Harbor Freight has a 10K spring bar set on sale just about every month
that with the 20% coupon works out to less than $180 w/ tax

@ http://www.harborfreight.com/10000-l...tem-67649.html

I put a new one on every year - usually in the Spring


BEST PLACE to buy an equalizer hitch delivered FREE in just a few days:

@ http://www.hitchanything.com/trailer-hitch


I just ordered & installed a hitch from them on my F350 a few months ago ....



Jim

[sdbob]

Thanks guys I was looking at the Equalizer.

[beemergary]

PM sent

[sdbob]

You have mail.

[2manyponchos]

Another vote for the Equalizer. I have the 12,000 lb version. Have pulled a 2 car open steel deck trailer behind my 2003 3/4 ton Dodge diesel on multiple occasions with no issues. Truck is rated to 20,000 GCVW and I have been at 19,800 many times. The Equalizer is an awesome setup. You don't even realize that you are pulling a 40' trailer and 12,000 lbs.

[60man]

I have the Reese Class IV Round bar hitch.
It's great but wish I had got the trunnon style bars....easier to hook up ..IMO.
I just use sway bars on interstate....Find I don't need them otherwise..It's the 80 MPH 18 wheelers that will move ya..
My rig is right at 9,000#'s
Your ride will be much better once you find the right amount of chain/bar tension..

[hotrodrx]

This is what I use to tow a 1972 airstream 31 ft. 4800 lbs. Tahoe weighs 5300? The levelers and hitch is by Reese. I believe I saw a setup similar from adventure rv for 500 or so. The sway control is an absolute must for me. The short Tahoe needs it. Pics attached

[sdbob]

Thanks for more info. More to think about. Bob

[The Boss]

I have a 10k 20' enclosed job trailer that's filled with tools & materials that's a must with the weight distribution hitch but it's unnecessary on my 7k open car trailer.

When I connect to the Job trailer I drop the hitch on the ball & lock it, then jack the tongue back up before I chain in the bars. I then drop the jack and it sits nice with little to no bounce. Stand back when you let them loose however - there's a lot of tension there!

[DanC]

I use a Reese Trunnion Bar EQ system on my Buick Roadmaster wagon pulling my 18' open car hauler. No issues except one time while doing a near 90deg turn backing, one of the bars fell out of the deadhead. Never had an issue with sway on an open trailer - unless it was improperly loaded.

However if I ever replace my trunnion setup it will be for one of these Anderson setups http://youtu.be/HRoQ_yQZQwQ and it has a "built in by design" sway control. Everyone I've talked to that have these setups are ones pulling campers and they say it is the best hitch setup they've had and so easy and quick to setup. The big problem is that they are about double the price of a round bar or trunnion setup.

BTW, the trick to not getting a drawbar/deadhead stolen is removing the thing when not in use!!! It's a pet peeve of mine to see drawbars sticking out when not in use ready to shin me.

My worth, DanC

[johnta1]

Stand back when you let them loose however - there's a lot of tension there!

You don't have the trailer jacked up when you loosen them?

[Sirrotica]

A fifth wheel/gooseneck trailer fixes all of these problems...........

I only use a ball hitch on small trailers, with little tongue weight. I've hauled heavy ball hitch trailers and there is no comparison to the stability and secure feeling a bed mounted hitch has over a bumper mounted hitch. One other advantage is no searching for raccoons on telephone poles with your headlights at night.

[60man]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

A fifth wheel/gooseneck trailer fixes all of these problems...........

I only use a ball hitch on small trailers, with little tongue weight. I've hauled heavy ball hitch trailers and there is no comparison to the stability and secure feeling a bed mounted hitch has over a bumper mounted hitch. One other advantage is no searching for raccoons on telephone poles with your headlights at night.

10-4..but some of us have the bed full...
I carry a slide in truck camper..

[Sirrotica]

Troy, time for a fifth wheel trailer with living quarters......................

Sell the camper and present trailer and trade up.

[dataway]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

A fifth wheel/gooseneck trailer fixes all of these problems...........

I only use a ball hitch on small trailers, with little tongue weight. I've hauled heavy ball hitch trailers and there is no comparison to the stability and secure feeling a bed mounted hitch has over a bumper mounted hitch. One other advantage is no searching for raccoons on telephone poles with your headlights at night.

+100 I pull a 26' enclosed goose neck with living quarters with a 2011 GMC 1500 5.3 (all towing options). The big danger of a gooseneck or 5th wheel ..... you forget you are towing. I've pulled this trailer at 90 mph on the straight without problems, and around the mountain corners of New England all day ...can't even tell it's back there unless you are accelerating or braking. Still quite a bit of room in the bed of the truck for equipment.

People never believe how good a gooseneck is until they tow one. Just incredibly stable, never even a twitch.
JohnnyB

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by dataway

+100 I pull a 26' enclosed goose neck with living quarters with a 2011 GMC 1500 5.3 (all towing options). The big danger of a gooseneck or 5th wheel ..... you forget you are towing. I've pulled this trailer at 90 mph on the straight without problems, and around the mountain corners of New England all day ...can't even tell it's back there unless you are accelerating or braking. Still quite a bit of room in the bed of the truck for equipment.

People never believe how good a gooseneck is until they tow one. Just incredibly stable, never even a twitch.
JohnnyB

I have an inverted 5th wheel 27 foot camper and it tows just as you say, so nicely you never even know it's there. With the inverted 5th wheel you only have a 2 inch pin in the bed and same as a gooseneck you can get one that stows flush or just remove the nut on the bottom if you have to have a bed that's completely flat to say, haul sheets of plywood, drywall etc.. My camper is a 1978 Holiday Rambler, so it's no lightweight and last year I made my own air ride suspension. Not helper bags over springs, mine is completely suspended by air, it has a very nice ride for a K 3500 dually, night and day over the spring suspension it had when I bought it. My wife couldn't believe the difference in the ride the first time she rode in it after I installed my air ride. I haven't gotten around to plumbing in an air ride automatic leveling valve so right now, so I adjust it manually for load, height and ride quality. It's also nice to be able to dump the air and lower the truck when loading the bed or hooking or unhooking up to trailers, no cranking the jack up and down to get the height correct, just adjust the truck height with the air ride.

Next step is engineering and building a setup for the front suspension since no one offers an air ride setup for a 4X4 chevy because the axles run where the air bags would be on a 2X4 setup. I'm hoping when done it will ride like a car and still be able to haul over a ton in the bed, a snowplow on the front in the winter and be adjustable for whatever type and load you have in a trailer. If your going to haul trailers and such you might as well make it enjoyable and not beat the fillings out of your teeth while doing it.

At some point I hope to build my own air ride trailer that will kneel to load with no ramps etc. and not beat up whatever you have on/in the trailer.

The torque of a diesel also makes pulling heavy loads easier over gas engined trucks, just taking a page from the big rigs I drove that haul heavy day in and day out.