Weighed my tongue today using the bathroom scale method. Weighed in at 1054 lbs and that was loaded up with two full tanks of LP, battery, and the front of the trailer loaded with what we would normally take.
Using the calculator at Equal-i-zer's web site putting in a guesstimated* GTW of 7200 lbs, actual TW of 1054 and 100 lbs in the bed of the truck behind the rear axle, it recommended a 14,000lb/1,400 hitch.
By my calculations I should have closer to 1200 lbs on the tongue. Would using the 1,400 lb hitch be too stiffly sprung for my application?
Thanks!
Todd
* The trailer was weighed at the factory at 6138 lbs which didn't include LP, or battery. There are no other dealer installed options. 1000 lbs of stuff seems to be a good guess of what we have packed.
Either one would probably work fine. I would get the 1200lb hitch as long as you are sure your tongue weight would never go over that number. If there is a chance you might go over, or plan on getting a larger trailer in the future, I would get the 1400lb hitch.
In my opinion, the additional 200lbs is not going to hurt your trailer or truck and will not make it ride too stiff.
Now, if your tongue weight is considerably less than 1200lbs, then the 1400lb bars may be too much.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
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I has a similar issue when I bought my Springdale trailer several years ago. I called Equal-i-zer and they said to go with the heavier bars. They said it would make no difference on ride, give leeway in case I ended up with more tongue weight and put me in good shape if I bought a heavier trailer. Give them a call if you are in doubt. They are good folks to deal with.
2007 Northwoods Arctic Fox 32 5S Fifth Wheel-for sale now that we are not full-timing
2011 Keystone 23rks Hideout to poke around the smaller parks in the great Southwest
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Prodigy brake control
You should be sizing your hitch for the maximum of the trailer GVWR and tongue weight. I agree that it's not enough difference to be a big issue though.
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IMO, you should not go with the 1400 bars.
If it were my rig with a tongue weight of 1050#, I would opt for the 1000# bars.
1200# bars seem to be more than enough.
IMO, it is fundamentally wrong to use the WDH to compensate for load in the truck bed.
The purpose of the WDH is to restore some or all of the front-end load which was removed by trailer tongue weight and not by load in the bed.
If it's not necessary to compensate for bed load when you're not towing,
it should not be necessary to compensate for bed load when you are towing.
And, if you have bed load behind the rear axle, you probably also have bed load ahead of the rear axle,
which likely would more than compensate for any bed-load effects on the front axle.
Furthermore, a load of 100# placed behind the rear axle probably would have its CG about 2' behind the rear axle.
That would correspond to an additional load of about 40# placed on the ball.
Using the Equal-i-zer calculator with a tongue weight of 1090# and a bed load of zero, gives a recommendation of a 12k hitch.
Also, Equal-i-zer recently has decreased the recommended amount of load transfer for a given tongue weight.
Since the recommended amount of load transfer is reduced, you should be able to get by with lower-rated bars.
Ron Gratz wrote: IMO, you should not go with the 1400 bars.
If it were my rig with a tongue weight of 1050#, I would opt for the 1000# bars.
1200# bars seem to be more than enough.
IMO, it is fundamentally wrong to use the WDH to compensate for load in the truck bed.
The purpose of the WDH is to restore some or all of the front-end load which was removed by trailer tongue weight and not by load in the bed.
If it's not necessary to compensate for bed load when you're not towing,
it should not be necessary to compensate for bed load when you are towing.
And, if you have bed load behind the rear axle, you probably also have bed load ahead of the rear axle,
which likely would more than compensate for any bed-load effects on the front axle.
Furthermore, a load of 100# placed behind the rear axle probably would have its CG about 2' behind the rear axle.
That would correspond to an additional load of about 40# placed on the ball.
Using the Equal-i-zer calculator with a tongue weight of 1090# and a bed load of zero, gives a recommendation of a 12k hitch.
Also, Equal-i-zer recently has decreased the recommended amount of load transfer for a given tongue weight.
Since the recommended amount of load transfer is reduced, you should be able to get by with lower-rated bars.
Ron
Agree with Ron. My TW right around 1100# and I have the 1200# EQ rig...more than adequate. Moderate variance in weight around the rear axle doesn't change anything. I carry water, tools and oxygen tanks back there. I have the rear end beefed a bit with the RAS system.
"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US"
TWO OF US + THREE FUR KIDS (36 lbs, 44 lbs, 80 lbs)
SADLY, HEALTH ISSUES HAVE FORCED ME TO GIVE UP TRAILERING. MY EXCURSION AND TT HAVE BOTH BEEN SOLD. IT'S BEEN A HELL OF A RIDE.
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