Stardove

Texas

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Joined: 01/01/2012

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First off I'm a lady, so be gentle with replies meaning keep it simple for me.
Hubby and I have a new Jayco Eagle 330RLTS which we took out for the first time last week. We are towing with a 2010 Toyota Tundra which came with a tow package. The hitch we bought is a Husky Center Line. I don't have a model number, but the RV dealer says it is set up correctly. We drove to dealer's after our first trip to ask about the Husky hitch and the stabilizer bars.
The issue we had is the trailer is weighing down the truck in the back. Hubby said it felt like front tires were coming off the road at around 55 miles per hour.
The techs at RV dealer said to get heavy duty shocks on the Tundra and that might help. My brother-in-law suggested super leaf springs and go with the air bags as last resort due to cost and potential damage to air bags causing leakage.
I still question whether the hitch is correct, but the three techs said it is.
So do we go with heavy duty shocks, the super springs or both?
Trailer's gross weight is 11,250 lbs
Hitch weight is 1400 lbs
Dry weight is 8770 lbs
We are both retired and this is our first RV TT. Hubby is also a 100% disabled US Veteran, so dealing with the Husky hitch is really hard for him. We are working as a team to hitch and unhitch. Before we go out again we have to do something to correct the issue of truck being weighted down. Thanks in advance for any advise. Stardove
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amxpress

Clayton, NC

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Your shock absorbers are not responsible for the ride height of your Tundra, unless you get air shocks. But don't do that.
I have Firestone air bags on my TV to help level the truck and keep the headlights down. The nice thing about them is they can be adjusted according to your load.
Click here to check them out: Firestone Airbags for Toyota Tundra
BTW, you're pretty close to your payload capacity.
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spike99

North America

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What is the specific name of your Weight Distribution System? What size of "weight bars" are you using? Based on the size of your trailer, a WDS with proper size bars are mandatory.
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B.O. Plenty

Minnesota

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Sounds to me like that dealer doesn't know much about setting up a hitch..Shouldn't need airbags, extra springs or any other leveling devices. You already have one..it's called a weight distributing hitch. If properly setup your truck should only sag about an inch in the rear. Contact the manufacturer and get the necessary instructions if you don't already have them, then bring it somewhere else if you don't feel confident about setting the hitch up yourselves...
B.O.
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wtravlr1

Palm Harbor, Florida,

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my trailer has a heavy tongue weight and........t tows perfect, no sway or other issues.
probably not the right set up, bars may be light.
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Stardove

Texas

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I tend to agree B.O. about the dealer not knowing. I even checked online for Husky dealers in the area to see about having someone other than the RV dealership techs to check the hitch. The issue is all Husky dealers in the area are RV dealerships.
Spike, you are asking questions I don't have the answers to. The dealer put the hitch together from two of their own dealerships, because they didn't have one completed hitch in stock. So we didn't get any manual or paperwork. Their cost of hitch which we paid was about $1,000. I do know the bars are heavy and rated for the RV TT according to dealership personnel.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQlbpc89W2We9DID5BFZnBLxiIzkj-f-OA-Z71m6AHX634YgS2Z0D8zx26Hnw
I'm not sure how linking works here, but I found this picture which is looks about like ours. You will have to enlarge to see any details.
Thanks all for advise so far and please continue with same. We don't know anything about how the hitch should be set up. We do know we didn't like how the truck rode. Trailer didn't sway, but the truck bounced along the highway. I'm grateful hubby listened and we took a short trip for our first outing. The dealership delivered the trailer, so they did not actually hook it up to the Tundra ever!!! That was probably our first mistake.
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Ivylog

Blairsville, Ga. USA

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"The techs at RV dealer said to get heavy duty shocks" Run as the techs are over paid for what they know. Heavy duty shocks do not support any weight but adjusting your WD bars a couple notches more will.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
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camp-n-family

Canada

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I'd double check the hitch set up first. It is a fairly heavy tongue though so I'd go with airbags for a better ride too, they're relatively cheap.
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gsxr1300

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That hitch weight is probably alitle heavy for your truck
There is a sticker inside the drivers door that shows max cargo weight including pasengers hitch weight and all items you have in the truck and bed
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MitchF150

Washington, the State

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Quote: Trailer's gross weight is 11,250 lbs
Hitch weight is 1400 lbs
Dry weight is 8770 lbs
I'd say that's your problem right there... You better have a Class 5 hitch on that Tundra, but somehow I don't think that's the case..
The stock one is probably good for #1000 tongue weight with a WD hitch setup.
You probably only have #1400 of payload in a perfect world left on that Tundra even if it's empty.
I'm not surprised that it feels 'lite' on the front.. The GVWR on your Tundra is probably only #7000 all by itself.. An almost #9000 dry weight travel trailer is not going to be the most enjoyable tow in my opinion..
I wish you the best in finding a solution to your towing issues, but I already know what it is... 
Mitch
*Anything I post is for entertainment purposes only and what usually works for me.. Your Mileage May Vary..
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