New to Towing

Hey guys so I have a 2016 sr5. So I just bought a 2006 spirit of america 28rls. I have not picked it up yet as I want to get the proper equipment to tow. What do you guys recommend as far a distribution hitch and sway bars for this camper and my truck. I believe the tongue weight on the camper is 730 lbs. Thanks in advance.

Matt

 

Would suggest an Equalizer 4 pt 1,000/10,000 lb Weight Distributing Hitch which includes the sway bars. You could think of going with the 1,400/14,000 lb model if the GVWR approaches 10,000 lbs. Other options but I like the Equalizer.

 

So this would range anywhere from 1 to 10,000lbs? Do you have a link or a good place to buy the setup your talking about? So it would be the wdh and the sway bars as a kit?

 

I second The Equalizer.

You can buy The Equalizer off Amazon or etrailer.com. Just google Equalizer and if you want a more specifics IRT part number for the different ratings go to their website.

 

Call Hensley Manufacturing. They have a great hitch set up, look them up and review there on line video of there equipment. If you have never towed before, this set up will pretty much taking the guessing out of everything. But beware, they are pricey, but worth every penny.

 

What is the payload on your truck?

 

If you are going to be towing a lot I would also look at a rear suspension addition like air bags or sumo springs/timbrens

 

I think the payload on the truck is about 1500. I would like to take the camper on about 3-4 trips per year.

 

Whats the yellow sticker on your door jam say?

 

I guessed before but had to go check, it says 1240

 

The 38 gallon fuel tank was one of the primary reasons for purchasing the Tundra. All of the other 1/2 ton P/U's had way smaller of just slightly smaller fuel tanks. The Tundra had the largest tank, and if you are towing anything, this is really a must. Lets face it, the Tundra gets crappy fuel mileage, but according to my buddies at work who also tow TT, and they have chevy's, fords and rams, they also get crappy fuel mileage when towing. So having the larger tank is a huge help.

 

This hitch will handle tongue weight up to 1,000 lbs and total trailer weight up tp 10,000 lbs. Tongue weight should be 10-15% of total trailer weight. https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution-Hitch/Equal-i-zer/EQ37100ET.html

My trailer had a stated tongue weight of 640 lbs but is running closer to 1,000 lbs. Wish I had bought the next size up.

 

Thanks for the link and info. I think Im going to get that one. But has anyone tried this one?

https://www.curtmfg.com/part/17063

 

I run the equalizer 10k WDH with my 26 foot travel trailer. It has been great, only have between 0.5-0.75 inch of sag at all 4 corners

 

I run the Blue Ox Swaypro, using 1500lb bars:
https://www.blueox.com/trailer-towing/swaypro/

Benefits:
- Very little setup when hooking up, only two bars to connect via chains
- Sway control is accomplished via a tilted ball mount (rather than separate 'brakes' or friction)
- Can back up without removing the unit, no turning restriction
- Lighter than many WDH setups, adds only moderate tongue weight
- Can be tuned to your load either via chain adjustment or by using different load bars
- Very quiet, no sqeaking/screeching/clunking
- Tends to be less expensive than many other WDH

I went with the 1500 bars since my trailer tongue weight could be 1000lbs by itself and figured I'd be pushing the 1000lbs bars at their limit when other cargo is included or when hitting ruts in the road. (Use 1-2 links more slack with the stiff 1500lb bars compared to the more flexible 1000lb bars, but either way the equivalent weight distribution force can be accomplished.)

Probably have 7000 miles on it, towing 28ft airstream w/ 6000lb dry weight and 7600lb GVWR. Nominal tongue weight 900lb but my sticker says 850. Loaded likely close to 1000, haven't weighed yet.

 

Thanks for all the responses and replies. I am going to order one of these hitches this week. I am just researching everything I can to completely understand what I can and can't do. So the camper dry is 6400lbs, and the tongue is 730lbs. It's a 28' coachmen camper, is this a heavier than most camper? Payload is 1240 so am I understanding correctly that with the people inside the truck we have to add the tongue weight plus passengers and not exceed 1240? And total weight cannot exceed 9800lbs that my truck is listed at? Thanks

 

yes, payload is all weight on the truck including tongue weight, passengers, the weight distribution hitch, and all other cargo. Also, I would not trust the yellow sticker. Go have your truck weighed (with a full tank of gas) and calculate the payload. payload = GVWR - truck weight. For example, the yellow stick on my truck says 1201 pounds of payload, but after weighing my truck I actually have 1050 pounds of payload (7000 - 5950). Payload gets eaten up so quickly. You will run out of payload long before you hit the towing capacity.

good luck

 

**I am by no means recommending you go over the door sticker.** Just telling you what I might do.

I see so many Tundras on here with empty weight (no passengers or supplies) at or north of GVWR from full armor and a bed rack/rtt or truck camper. Most of them have taken the necessary measures to beef up their rear suspension.

Say my goal was to tow at or even near my max tow rating. Like everyone on here has said, we run out of payload before we get to the towing limit. I think if I got a WDH and did my rear suspension correctly for my needs and stayed under both my axle ratings and my gross combined weight ratings (both of these numbers are also on the door jamb), I’d be absolutely fine. The door sticker payload number is a recommendation with a large buffer built into it.

 

so there is a white sticker with a weight, but the yellow sticker has other numbers. Do I deduct the yellow from the white to get the actual?

 

The yellow sticker will usually say something along the lines of "Reduce the payload by X pounds" and those are for dealer or port added accessories. If you truck has all weather mats, steps, bed liner, folding bed cover, heavier wheels or tires, etc. that ALL comes out of payload.

 

ok, so weight is 1240 but yellow indicates 119lbs. So Im down to 1121lbs. Trailer is 730lbs. So just so I fully understand, Take that 1121 deduct the 730 and get the 391 lbs. Is that what I am left with? Once I include the family I will be at or over. Im assuming you just load all gear, clothes, etc in the trailer?

 

You have to be careful loading the trailer as well. If you ass load it to keep the tongue weight down then you will be very unstable towing.

That tongue weight for the trailer is the same as the payload on your truck too. It doesn't count anything added to it. Batteries, propane tanks, and any water in your trailer are going to up that tongue weight. The Tundra has a pretty sad payload so lots of trailers are just too big for it. A second vehicle following with gear and people might solve it; or you could look at something like a Trailer Toad if you are dead set on that trailer, but without one you are likely going to be over your payload on a trailer that large.

The Tundra's biggest drawback is its low payload capacity, but even other manufacturers will run out of payload before they ever reach their towing limits. The big numbers they post up are for marketing, and people buy it all the time.

 

yup.. that is what you are left with. ohh.. and subtract another 100 pounds for your WDH. so now, you are left with 291 pounds. yes, you will most likely be over. you can try loading items in the rear of your trailer to lower the tongue weight, but you will need to be careful to not lower the tongue weight too much. it will take some trial and error.

 

Don't ass load your trailer.

https://youtu.be/4jk9H5AB4lM

 

https://youtu.be/w9Dgxe584Ss

 

Once you add water to the tanks and all clothing, food, etc to you trailer the payload is gone.

 

Yes, but...
1. You cannot exceed the GVWR of the trailer. It can only handle so much weight. How much room do you have between the trailer UVW (unloaded weight) and the trailer GVWR (max loaded weight)? To keep the weight down, always run with your tanks empty - dump your fresh, gray and black tanks before you depart. Fill with fresh water (if needed) when you arrive.
2. You need to load the trailer evenly side to side and you have to make sure you keep the tongue weight at 10-15% of total weight (i.e. manage front to back loading). Most of the weight over the axles is a good idea.
3. As you load your trailer, your tongue weight will increase some.
4. You will want to weigh your rig (truck & camper) at a CAT scale to see where you are at and adjust loading as needed. This website gives you direction how to do the weighing and calculations. https://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/towing-help-bumper

All that said, it can be managed with that size trailer. You will, however, need to pay some attention to your truck & trailer loading and tire pressure, your WDH set-up, keep your speed reasonable (60- 65 mph) and monitor sway, particularly in windy conditions. You will get the hang of it.

 

I definitely appreciate all the information here. I have already gotten the camper because it was a great deal. It does seem a bit heavy compared to other 28' campers. Does anyone else have a camper with this weight and do you have issues towing? What is the downfall if it's too heavy? Damage to the truck?

 

the downfall is that you could wreck and cause damage or injury to yourself or to others. if you are running overweight and your insurance company finds out, then they can deny your claim making you solely liable.

it is about safety and liability.

 

If you are over the manufacturers limits you MIGHT be held liable for anything that happens. Whether your truck breaks, you crash, or kill somebody it will boil down to the basics that you exceeded the manufacturers stated limits of use. That opens the door to insurance claim denials, civil suits, and possibly even criminal charges depending on what happened.

The best case scenario would be additional wear and tear.