Weight distributing hitches

[portlandtug25]

Hello All,
I'd like to hear from anyone using a weight distributing hitch. I plan to tow my R25 SC on an EZ Loader double axle ( came with the boat) about a 110 miles over a relatively, but not completely flat road) using a 2018 Ram 2500 with Cummins 6.7L. ( tow on this truck is factory rated with class V hitch at 17,000 lbs). My best guess is to be pulling about 7000-7200 boat lbs, and 1800 lbs of trailer.. so lets call it 9000 together).

I've towed this rig over the same route before with a 2014 Ram 2500, and a regular hitch , and it towed fine at 55 mph, but am wondering if I would be better off with a WD hitch.

Thanks, anyone!

 

[knotflying]

If your tongue weight is within specs you should be fine without the weight distribution hitch. Many a boater has towed their R-25 around the country with your same rig setup and rarely have I heard mention of needing a weight distribution hitch.

 

[Brian B]

I tow my 25SC from RI to FL with an F-350 6.7L diesel only on a ball hitch and it tows great. My boat and trailer weigh in at 9500 lbs.

 

[snydzy]

I tow my 25se with a weight distribution hitch.....using a Ford F-250 with a class V hitch. Here’s the secret: Those receiver-pull ratings always have an asterisk or footnote emphasizing that above a certain trailer and/or tongue weight, a weight distributing hitch must be used. If the trailered weight exceeds x-amount, as specified by the pickup manufacturer’s towing specifications for that particular truck, that’s the rule.
For instance, the 2015 Ram 1500/2500/3500 owner’s manual says a weight-distribution hitch is required for trailers weighing more than 5,000 pounds. Your boat weighs more than that.
It doesn’t matter what the salesman says, or anyone else. In a court of law the vehicle manufacturer’s stated limitations and requirements for the vehicle being properly equipped to tow a certain load is a hard fact.
Being in an accident that was caused because the truck wasn’t being used in accordance to the manufacturers specifications is a HUGE liability issue, not to mention your personal safety and occupants. Check your manual.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

My 2014 Silverado 2500 HD diesel has a 2 1/2” receiver hitch that is good for 13,000 pounds weight-carrying and 1,500 pounds tongue weight before weight distribution is needed. No asterisks. You just need to see what your truck manual specifies. I’ll bet it is equal to or better than my truck. Exceeding tongue weight limitations can lead to handling issues.

The biggest problem towing a large rig like we all have is stopping it. Maintain those trailer brakes!

 

[portlandtug25]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The liability issue is worth thinking about.

Here's another question: there's much discussion of tongue weight being 10-15% of GTW. At the risk of sounding stupid, how can you measure it?
And if it's not within specs, how can you adjust it? The boat has to fit on the trailer bunks pretty much just one way. You can't really shift the load, fore and aft, except by maybe subtracting a few pounds of stuff from one end of the boat or the other.-- there's not much I can remove to balance the load, maybe dinghy/motor, fluids, bedding , fenders, spare anchor etc, I'll tow with empty water and holding tanks of course.

Further thoughts anyone?
Thanks

 

[ixlr8]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The liability issue is worth thinking about.

Here's another question: there's much discussion of tongue weight being 10-15% of GTW. At the risk of sounding stupid, how can you measure it?
And if it's not within specs, how can you adjust it? The boat has to fit on the trailer bunks pretty much just one way. You can't really shift the load, fore and aft, except by maybe subtracting a few pounds of stuff from one end of the boat or the other.-- there's not much I can remove to balance the load, maybe dinghy/motor, fluids, bedding , fenders, spare anchor etc, I'll tow with empty water and holding tanks of course.

Further thoughts anyone?
Thanks

It is not cheap, I got it as I have several trailers, one of which I load my tractor on, with various implements.

https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weig ... rop-hitch/

If weight does not come out where you want it, you can either move stuff around in the boat or you can move the boat on the trailer. It just means the bunks will have to be readjusted if you move the boat on the trailer.

 

[scross]

Weight distribution hitches are great for steel trailers. At least one trailer manufacturer I spoke with said, “No Way!” to using them on aluminum trailers. If you have an aluminum trailer and are thinking load distribution please call the trailer manufacturer to discuss!
Also, if you have a tandem or triple axle trailer it is important to have the load equally distributed between the axles. The 10-15% tongue weight rule is more for single axle trailers. Having a tongue weight of 15% with the front axle carrying much more than it’s share of the total load is not a safe practice IMHO.
In speaking with staff at LoadMaster, Tuff Trailers and EZ Loader the consensus for a tandem axle tounge weight was 8-10% of total weight. Don’t take my word for it, call your trailer manufacturer and discuss your situation. They are generally very helpful!
BTW, your RT 25 SC probably weight closer to 10,000 pounds than 9,000 pounds including the trailer. Maybe quite a bit more. Weight it to be sure!

 

[NorthernFocus]

Here's another question: there's much discussion of tongue weight being 10-15% of GTW. At the risk of sounding stupid, how can you measure it?

You can suspend/support the hitch end of the trailer on an adequately sized scale.

...And if it's not within specs, how can you adjust it? The boat has to fit on the trailer bunks pretty much just one way. You can't really shift the load, fore and aft, except by maybe subtracting a few pounds of stuff from one end of the boat or the other.-- there's not much I can remove to balance the load, maybe dinghy/motor, fluids, bedding , fenders, spare anchor etc, I'll tow with empty water and holding tanks of course.

Further thoughts anyone?

The axles can be shifted forward/backward in order to achieve the desired balance. If you look at how they are attached to the trailer frame it is quite easily done.

 

[S. Todd]

You can purchase a tongue weight scale that fits into the ball of your coupler for lots less than the previously mentioned draw bar with the integrated scale. I have one and it works well. You just set it on wood blocks to the point where the trailer is level and it gives an analog reading on the dial. I purchased it probably 10 years ago and do not recall where. I concur with the prior advice that 10 to 15% is too heavy for our tandem trailers in the weight category we are in. My tongue weight on a 2015 25SC on an aluminum trailer is right at 640 lbs which is about 7%. No fish tailing ever. 7% to 10% is the rule of thumb I have seen most often with 7% for the trailers that are greater than 5,000 or 6,000 lbs. A bathroom scale can also be used, but because your tongue weight exceeds the limit on most bathroom scales you need to use two of them with a board between them or one with a board used as a fulcrum and do the math depending on where on the fulcrum the coupler is located.

 

[mferguson]

Having just been through an ordeal relative to this topic, a couple of points I haven't seen mentioned are:

1. You should ensure that the top of ball height be correct to ensure good balance between the front and rear axles to help minimize sway. The trailer manufacturer should be able to give you that dimension for your particular trailer model. The idea is to equalize the fore / aft load across the axles, and not be overly heavy on either, especially the rear.

2. Not sure if rear end sag will be an issue on yours, but on my truck I was warned that the rear end could sag quite a bit. I installed some rear helper spring units that replace the rear bump stops. No interference during normal no-trailer driving, but keeps the truck almost perfectly level with the load (and hence, the ball height). Mine are made by Timbren (sp?).

Some will probably cringe, but for my very infrequent trailering, I use an F150 with the twin turbo ecoboost for my C28 and triple axle aluminum trailer (about 10,000 lbs). Truck is rated at 11,800, but has the "*" that says "equalizer hitch required." Talked to trailer manufacturer who said those were not recommended, don't work well on tongue-type trailers. Got all sorts of yes / not a good idea / won't matter advice from dealer and trailer shops. I found a couple of companies that sell some that are supposedly compatible, and bought one anyway. Trailer shop could not install it, anti-sway bars too short to clear the hydraulic brake assembly, and ended up returning it.

So, I made sure the ball height was as close as I could get (about 5/8" off), loaded the boat and took it for a test drive, which I highy recommend before you go on your trip. Mine was rock solid, so I took it 350 miles over interstate on a pretty windy day at 60 - 65 MPH, and was passed by many semi's, and it tracked very nicely, no issues.

If I could find a compatible solution I would do it, but haven't been able to so far.

 

[scross]

Besides putting in helper springs, one way to ensure your trailer frame is parallel to the ground when attached to the truck is to Install a set of air bags to the rear suspension. That way you can add or subtract air pressure to the air bags to eliminate any truck rear end sag. Having a ball mount with the right amount of rise or drop will help as well. Make sure your ball mount is rated for the weight you are towing.
Having the trailer frame parallel to the ground is the easiest way to get close to balancing the load between the two or three axles on your trailer. It’s not a perfect solution to balancing axle load but it should be close and it’s easy to check.
Steel weight distribution setups on aluminum framed trailers can literally exert enough force to bend the aluminum trailer frame’s I beams in normal usage. If your trailer manufacturer says don’t do it, then don’t!

 

[SgtAlf]

This is a topic dear to my heart. I towed my R23 brand new, and empty for the most part, from Maryland to NJ with an F150. I could not drive over 57 MPH without the trailer starting to sway. Made it a long drive. I was going to go for the load leveler, glad I read this thread.
I'm pretty sure the trailer was nose down on that trip. I have a different ball and receiver tongue to raise the trailer tongue. At some point I will be towing to Savannah, Ga. when I relocate when my house sells. I do not want to drive at 57 MPH tp GA! I see airbags in my future.

 

[scross]

Just today I pulled a 30 ft LOA 7,650 pound steel framed travel trailer with a weight distribution hitch for 6 hours on I-84 in Idaho.
Even with the weight distribution hitch (approx 750 pound tongue weight) I had to add a lot of air to the airbags to offset about 3” of truck rear end sag. Truck and trailer are both level thanks to an adjustable height ball mount.
Only difference I can tell with WD is that the travel trailer does not bounce as much as my boat trailer going over bumps in the road. Otherwise no difference in towing feel that I can discern.

 

[BB marine]

I use the weight distribution bars on our Truck/trailer combination. I tow with a HD2500 14000lbs capacity with 2.5" Class 5 hitch. No requirements for weight distribution. I really do not need the bars but still use them. I do drop the rear of the truck between 2 to 3 inches when the trailer is set on the ball but not bad (without bars.) My concern is not loading some of the weight to my steering Axel ( better braking and steering in wet conditions ) I also get a better ride and reduced sway. With the bars the complete rig seems to ride as one. If the bars are set up properly the sag in the rear should be removed when the bars are installed and the rig should set level. The ball hight and angle of the hitch setting is a trial and error setting to achieve correct distribution. Once it is set up correctly the front Axel should have enough load on it that it drops approx 2" excepting some of the weight from the rear of the truck. Aluminum trailer manufactures discourage the use of weight distribution bars. Also many boat trailer tongue designs do not work well with the bars. It takes some design changes to allow them to work. I have an aluminum trailer with a design that will except the bars but still made changes to the brackets to extend the mounting support surface. I also used a 12000lbs sc Reese friction pad system. This system reduces binding when backing up and turning also helps reduce sway. I have towed with and without the bars. I prefer with the bars. A couple of notes. You must remove the bars before launching the boat. The bars are set up with the weight of the boat on the trailer.To install the bars you have to raise the trailer up (tongue jack) while coupled to the truck 5 or 6 inches . Then slide the bars on the friction pads attached to the trailer, lower the jack and now the rig sits level. Air bags are good they level the truck but don't change the weight distribution. For 3/4 ton or 1 ton with a proper rated hitch the bars are not needed but in my opinion they help. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer on this. Tow with in the manufacturers requirements and set up your rig in a way that you are safe and comfortable while towing.