Ittybitty camper question

We plan on towing a Coachmen Clipper 17Bh ( I would post a picture of it but haven't figured out how yet #help)

It's only about 3800lbs loaded, when researching with our original tow vehicle (2020 Subaru Ascent) they stated to not use sway bars or weight distribution hitches etc...

I assume there's no need for them when pulling such a light trailer behind a 2024 SR5 TRD Tundra?

What are some pics of what y'all tow with your Tundra?

Any advice is always welcome!

 

Is this it?

 

I think Toyota recommended 5000# was when you should start using a WDH. I've only seen one lightweight WDH for trailers below 6,000#.

One problem with using a WDH on a lighter trailer is you can bend the A frame on the front of the trailer.

It's common for RV dealers to try to sell a 10,000# rated WDH for lighter weight trailers and that increases the chances of bending trailer frames if you hit a big dip in the road or make a steep grade change such as pulling into a gas station.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/what-do-you-tow-with-your-tundra.238/

 

Yup!

 

Be excited, check your tire pressure, load it and get weighed so you see where it is all balanced...

oh, and post pictures. to include your reef....

 

You could use something like this for sway control but not weight distribution. Even a light trailer becomes a big sail in a crosswind. https://www.bulletproofhitches.com/products/bulletproof-sway-control-system

 

Ittybitty, aka a normal size trailer, not the mansion-on-wheels everyone seems to think they need in order to "camp" these days.

I tow a 17' trailer with my 02 Tundra. Only thing it needed was some help with the rear suspension/leaf springs.

17 feet, and still an insane luxury.

 

I found the light weight WDH. Equil-i-lizer makes a hitch for a 4,000# trailer. If you want to move some weight back to the front axle, that's the way to do it.

$700 Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control Hitch, 90-00-0401, 4000 Lbs Trailer Weight Rating, 400 Lbs Tongue Weight Rating, Weight Distribution Kit DOES NOT Include Hitch Shank, Ball NOT Included

https://www.amazon.com/Equal-i-zer-...distribution+hitch&qid=1721948004&sr=8-6&th=1

 

We received our Tundra today, looking over the trailer breaking system... do you tow that 17BH Clipper? If so what trailer do you select in tow mode "Electric Break 0-4999"?
Also what setting do you use for "Gain" etc?

 

Single axle trailers are less stable. The load usually isn’t distributed evenly. So my opinion is: if you can afford the stabilizer hitch then get one & avoid future headaches.

 

Is there a difference between a stabalizer hitch and weight distribution hitch?
We were told not to use a WDH on our trailer as it is under 5000lbs and could possibly bend the "A" frame in the front of the camper?

 

It just occurred to me why they said don't use a WDH. The Subaru has a unibody and I don't think the unibody is designed for the load a WDH puts on it.

 

There is a difference between a stabilizer hitch & a weight distribution hitch. The stabilizer hitch improves the connection between the trailer & the truck. Weight distribution hitches improve stability especially when going fast or turning sharp corners. The issue with bending the frame I think happens when owners don’t unhitch the weight distribution hitch before backing up. However, I’m no expert. I just know what works for me.
There’s also an equalizer hitch.

 

I think the backing up restrictions are for hitches that have the separate friction type sway control not types like the E-2 or Fastway which have sway control using the spring bars against the L bracket friction. From what I can read the restriction against backing is due to getting nearly jackknifed and the friction bar not extending or retracting enough. It could possibly be an interference issue with the tongue as well.

A word of caution: A Gen 2-2.5 will just about jackknife going forward. I tried making a tight 180° turn going forward and I was rather shocked to see the rear bumper only about 1.5" from the trailer. Had I continued the turn I may have made contact.

 

Just like on a truck, you'll be surprised how quickly the weight adds up on a camper. As already mentioned, put all your stuff in it and go weigh it. I would bet you are at over 500lb tongue weight and over the 3900GVWR. Sad part is, the trailer probably has a 3500lb axle.

I made the mistake you might about be ready to do. I had a 17' 5k GVWR camper, so i purchased a lighter weight weight distribution hitch. Tongue weight on my camper ended up being around 700-900lbs depending on if the fresh water tank was filled.

If you read around, the common thing to do is get a 10k weight distribution hitch. Just because it is rated for 10k does not mean you need to crank it down all the way. They have plenty of adjustability. Started with a Camco R6 with worked ok and was quiet. I ended up with a Equilizer 10k. It worked much better, made a good bit of noise until i added the friction pads.

I initially thought i could get away with only air bags. Once i tried the WDH, the towing stability was sooo much better. These campers are like sails in the wind, when a truck passes they move all over.

 

Here's the problem using a 10,000 pound WDH on a small trailer

 

Nah, that's the problem with:
a- a shitty trailer
b- cranking down on a wdh thinking it has to be maxed out. This can all be checked and verified with a trip to the scales.

Which hitch is the dealer trying to sell with the trailer?

 

I tow a tiny camper. It is a Trailmanor 2720. I went with a weight distribution hitch (Blue Ox TrackPro 600lb) and it makes a difference. I'd highly recommend getting one.

I've tried towing without (my truck has +1 rear shackles, timbren bump stops, and rear sway bar) and it just doesn't tow as well. There is more weight on the front with the WDH and less porpoising.

 

Needed no. Recommended Yes.

It only takes 5min to hook up the WDH (I don't use sway control). It will help distribute the weight (which adds up), even on a small trailer.

My advise, tow it once or twice (not thousands of miles) and see how you like it. I wasn't comfortable without the WDH when I tried. As many will say, you feel more "connected" to your trailer with a WDH connected.

My setup: Escape 19
Hitch Weight 306lb (it weighed more when I tested it)
Dry Weight 3150lb
GVWR 4400lbs

 

Most dealers try to sell a 10,000 # WDH for everything under 5 ton. Which in a static situation is fine. Where the problem results is when you drive through a dip or other rapid change in grade. Think a steep driveway or entrance to a gas station. The 10,000 pound bars don't flex enough and remove too much weight from the TV rear axle. This weight is transferred to the TT axle through the TT A frame and to the TV front axle through the TV hitch and frame. With so many TT frames being built by Lippert and enough bent Lippert frames to warrant more than a few YT videos, It's not worth the risk.
Throwing out some numbers here: Let's say the WDH manufacturer designs their spring bars to flex 10° under full design load and that load is 1,000 # force for a 10,000 # hitch. A 4,000 # hitch is designed to put 400 # of force at the same 10° angle. Again these numbers are imaginary just for visualization.
What do you think may happen to a lightweight A frame when you apply 2.5 X the design load on it?
Again your choice but I wouldn't do it.

 

First TV and the camper we will be towing with the Tundra





#learnedhowtopostphotos

 

No need for a WDH. The weight of the WDH itself is greater than the amount of weight it's going to transfer. The whole purpose of a WDH is to re-distribute the weight that was transferred off of your front axle when you hitch up a trailer behind the rear axle. The tongue weight acts as lever to remove weight from to front axle and transfers it to the rear axle. The lever is proportional to the hitch to rear axle vs rear axle to front axle. You MIGHT get 80 lbs weight transfer from the front. A WDH weights 75-200 lbs. With such a small trailer, you aren't going to leverage much weight off of the front axle, so they are not necessary.

Sway control may help, but I've never needed it. One of my enclosed trailers is 6x10, another open deck single axle is 7x12. All of my trailers bigger than that are double axle. Load em right and they don't need any sway control. Empty at 70 mph they don't move. Loaded up at 70 mph they don't move. YMMV, but I've not been in any situation that's needed one. The only time I've had a squirmy single axle was when the tow vehicle or trailer tires were soft and aired down a little.

 

Is there such thing as a quality "sway" control? With out wdh? The one I was looking at was...oops

 

Reese makes an anti-sway product that works without weight distribution.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-165514.html

Andersen's WDH has a unique anti-sway mechanism but needs the chains hooked up for it work. The chains don't necessarily need tow be tightened enough to redistribute weight, but they would need to be taught at ride height.

https://andersenhitches.com/product/weight-distribution-hitch/

 

I've got the Reese friction sway control. Does it qualify as "quality"? Depends on what you mean I guess. I bought it early on, on advice from another forum. Never needed it. My 17' trailer always towed rock solid with my 98 Tacoma. Oddly enough, now that I've upgraded to an adequate size truck (my 02 Tundra), I'm getting sway. So I'll be using the sway control in the future. Haven't been towing the trailer as much recently so I haven't tested whether it'll control my sway.

 

Would love to hear how it goes.

 

I'll be towing a few hundred miles late next week. Will let you know if it's more stable than before.