Towing a single axle trailer

So I have a SR5 TRD off road with tow packages and I'm trying to buy this camping trailer but camping world said I can't drive it off the lot u less I have a sway control hitch and they wanna charge me 2k for one ?
It dosnt seem hard to install one but do I really need to get one ?

 

Yes you need one, doesn’t have to be from there

 

Good to have one, but you can go get it yourself for way less. Camping World is a brooding pit of snakes, so be careful. Any reputable camper store/trailer supply will have them.

 

Yeah I mean if I need one I'll get one outside I figure 2k to bolt about 4 bolts it's too much

 

Check your owners manual. Mine says over 5,000 a WDH is required. If the hitch shown is the one they want to sell you, it will most likely bend your trailer frame. Camping world is the worst place to buy anything. Research their sales agreement.

 

They can't force you to buy it. There is no law requiring you to have it on something that light. If it is their policy to try and force additional purchases, then you should decide if it's worth helping them stay in business. Get the pricing on the trailer from them, and then shop around to see if somebody else will match it. It's a predatory tactic and you shouldn't have to support it.

 

I'd ask, point blank, what it is that requires you to have it. Tell them to pull up the law or show you their policy that dictates it. I would bet money that it's just a scare tactic by a scumbag sales-douche to run up their commission. Call him/her on it. If it's bullshit, go scorched earth. Burn them in reviews, tell the BBB, and hell, see if your state has any laws against such practices. Investigations or fines from the State AG might make them curb this kind of crap. Not that the gooberment gives a shit about helping you, but you can try.

 

As the other user mentioned. Anything at 5,000 lb it would be wise to have WDH, the trailer you buying is 3,850lb. So you are good. Also camping world is a brood of blood sucking vipers. I wouldn’t buy anything from them. But that’s up to you. WDH are very cheap elsewhere

 

https://youtu.be/xElhTNS_xn8?si=W6zhoh0EEQyCnH4g

 

You don’t need it, but at highway speeds you want it for sway, and ride comfort to stop the bouncing.

My surf boat is over 5000 lbs on the trailer and I just huck that on the hitch, and rip down the hi way at 70MPH, but it doesn’t wander around like a RV.

The truck will tow it legally, me I would by the equalizer hitch any where but there. I think I paid $500 for mine when I had my 28, Komfort trailer

 

For my old 2019 Jayco 195RB (3750 lbs) I had a Fastway E2 Equalizer WDH. I paid about $500 for it. It worked great with both my prior Taco and present Tundra.

$2k is robbery! Tell them you'll call up Marcus Lemonis and complain about that hitch price.

EDIT: That's overpaying for that Coleman LT17, Camping World had a bunch of them around New Years for around $11,500 or so.

 

Didn’t know camping world was that bad, damn. Never been there , maybe I won’t ever go lol

 

Its probably their policy to prevent lawsuits from idiots. Doesn't have to be a law. Find someone that has what they require to leave there with it. Then do the research for what you need.

 

This.

A trailer that light and you really don’t want or need a Weight distribution hitch. If you want sway control, sure get a sway control device. But WD hitch - no way. You need the tongue weight for a stable tow.

 

That's not at all what I am saying. A WDH won't hurt this trailer. Properly set up, it will just distribute the weight, but not to the point you'll lose tongue weight and become unstable. You still keep your 10-15% tongue weight ratio.

 

I understood what you were saying - predatory tactics, and such. Which I agree with. The part about not needing a WD hitch was my own opinion; tried to separate it in a different paragraph to keep your thoughts your thoughts and my thoughts my thoughts.. ha.

The trailer only weighs 3k with maybe 450 or 500 tongue if it’s heavy. You would only be pushing 50-100 pounds around with a WD hitch before you get out of the optimal tongue weight. With 1000 lb bars, they would barely be loading, and bumps would be like there is no suspension as they would quickly spring… (get what I did there..) into action. Just my opinion based off my my experiences with WD hitches.

I had a little 14’ box enclosed for a while; it towed fully loaded up with the stock suspension.

 

Sure, stock will handle the lighter weight, but a properly set up WDH (meaning not a heavy one for bigger loads) is not going to hurt it. No, it's not necessary at that weight, but if it's causing instability it's either the wrong weight set up (bars or whatever else), weight isn't distributed properly in the trailer, or it isn't correctly set up.

 

Agreed.

 

If you decide to get a weight distribution hitch, get it properly sized for your loaded camper not the 10,000 trailer/ 1,000# bars WDH the RV dealerships like to sell. They seem to only offer this size and even then don't install them correctly. Using an oversized WDH can bend trailer frames. Google bent lippert frames.
Download the manual online and read it before choosing the brand you want. Some are very easy to install, adjust and use. Some don't recommend backing up while connected. Get your Tow Vehicle and trailer fully loaded as if you're going camping and adjust the WDH for that load.

My travel trailer is 6,080# Gross and seems to end up being about 5,600 loaded. The tongue weight puts me right near the maximum weight for a 6,000# WDH. I found a used Fastway E2 round bar 8,000# WDH for sale and called Fastway and Gulfstream, the TT manufacturer asking them if a WDH of this size would work and they both said yes. They also both told me not to use the 10,000# WDH since it might bend my frame. Frame bending occurs when the angle between the TV and TT increases. Think pulling into a gas station where there's a large change in grade or a rough road where you get that rhythmic bounce.
Fastway added there is some overlap in sizes but not enough to go two sizes up.

 

https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Fastway/FA92-00-0450.html

Here is one that is correctly sized for the Coleman you're considering. Before you buy make sure the trailer A frame has a spot between 27-30" back from the center of the hitch for mounting the L brackets.

 

Just my 2 cents worth but try to find a similar sized and weight slightly used or new leftover camper with dual axles...seen way too many broken and twisted singles on the side of the road due to one tire or wheel bearing failure...that would NOT be a good day. The RV Camper market is soft as a marshmallow right now and dealers are desperate...run away from that deal sir!

 

Yikes. That's what I'm talking about - not wanting to use a WD hitch on a trailer that small.

 

Beware of snakes in the grass! If these guys are trying to charge you that much for a hitch, make sure to check the trailer out to see if anything is missing. ie: hot water heater, AC unit, furnace, propane tanks, battery, etc...

My mom bought at trailer from a shady dealership and it came without a hot water heater. They also stuck a home window mounted AC unit into the side of it. That made a mess of the wall with the moisture. They charged her a couple of grand to put a heater in afterwards. They probably took the one that came with the trailer out and put it on the shelf waiting for her to come back!

 

Im picking up a new trailer next weekend, the dealership wanted $800 for a WDH. I asked for the PN and found it on Amazon for $420.

FB Marketplace or OfferUp would be a good source for a slightly used one as well...

 

OP you made me curious, so I looked up this model in RV Trader, CW, and other sites. I assume price is why you want this TT, yes?

I see used 2021 is around $10,500, 2022/2023 between $11,500 and $12,500. Looks like that TT depreciates about $1k per year. Conventional wisdom says "buy used" (scroll up for some that say that). NORMALLY I would agree with that, but in the RV arena it's pretty well known to avoid "COVID trailers" (2020 - 2022) since those are known to be of even worse build quality than the abysmal norm.

Conventional wisdom also says "avoid Camping World" as well. They have a reputation for predatory sales tactics and abysmal service.

That being said, since you are buying at the lower end of the spectrum, it's not as important if you go with CW or not IMO. NO RV dealer is really going to give a crap about your $13k trailer. No profit in it.

My advice:

• Make your best deal, shoot for $12.5 or so brand new 2024. Go new. The further away from 2020-2022 the better. Do your best on price!
• Take your time doing your pre-delivery inspection. Run the AC, heater, all faucets and shower at the same time. Let them run during your entire inspection. CW will have a large ladder for roof service. Get on that ladder and look for roof damage or any exposed wiring, screws, etc. Open EVERY cabinet door multiple times, check for missing, broken, or damaged items. Run the stabilizers, look for warpage or bent hardware. Get under the trailer and look for leaks. Since you were running the water, the only water you should see would be AC condensation.
• Make them fix everything you have found BEFORE you sign!! Do NOT accept "bring it back and we'll fix" - they won't. I don't care if you get a "due bill" or not! Once you sign on the dotted line THEY WILL FORGET YOU EVER EXISTED.
• Forget the extended warranty. The trailer is cheap and you can source parts yourself and in many cases so you're own repairs.

I gave a recommendation above on a WDH that worked for my Jayco 195RB and my Taco/Tundra. Bring WDH with you, they may charge you an hour labor to install, that's fair.

The industry is getting hungry again like pre-covid and they should be willing to deal.

My Jayco on the day I left to trade in on a bigger trailer last year:


2019 Jayco 195RB, purchased November 2019 for $12,995 + tax/reg.

 

That's a scam. Even if you actually need one, the best ones on the market are around $1k installed. And you're going to want a hitch shop to set it up for you, not the RV dealer.

 

Want to stress the part about NOT allowing the RV place to set up your hitch for @MRQZTNDR93 . I had them do it and it was really messed up. Fixed it myself.

 

The WDH is not hard to setup, just takes a little time. Each one is a little different, so follow the instructions for your type. You'll almost always set the hitch height first based on the level height of the trailer frame / hitch. Then you'll adjust how much tension is on the bars to provide the appropriate distribution of weight. Could be number of chain links you use, or how much tilt the hitch head has or even tightening a big nut on the Anderson style ones. Ideally everything sits pretty level when properly adjusted. Trailer frame looks relatively level, truck sits relatively level. You should be able to measure the effectiveness either with a scale (best) or with tape measure (works pretty good). The front of your truck should not lift with the trailer attached. It will likely come down slightly with a heavy trailer and properly adjusted WDH. The RV dealers probably know how to set it up and just don't care, or want to take the time to dial it in for you.

As for the OP, I would likely not run WDH on a trailer that small if it were me. I don't usually tow very far and the juice (unnecessary distribution of such little weight and sway if loaded properly) wouldn't be worth the squeeze (Me sweating to hook up and unhook the WDH). If you live somewhere very windy or plan to tow long distance, I would run WDH to improve the towing experience.

 

Thank you, yeah i might get one later just tow tow long distance, but ill be towing it home about 80miles total

 

I probably should have added NOT to have Camping World do it, at the very least. I don’t know if they are in The Great White North, but they are a horrible business.