New Silverado 2.5 receiver with 6 in drop, what to do?

[MikeAir]

Help. I have new 2500HD which sits high and has the new 2.5 X 2.5 receiver (and a sleeve to make it 2 X 2). The drop is 6 to 7 inches. I have a very old non-adjustable head. I have 800 pound weight distribution bars and chains, but no sway bar attachment knob on trailer frame. So I have to start over. I have a 1973 27 ft Overlander. Interested in adjustable head/shank with perhaps 8 in drop, plus weight distribution and sway control. Suggestions?

[dwightdi]

Put your old stuff up for sale on the classified on this site or on Craigslist and buy new or used stuff that will give you the necessary drop to replace it.

[AirsDream]

I've got the same receiver on my GMC Diesel HD Pickup. I use a Reese Dual Cam, and it works just fine, is fully adjustable, etc. I just changed tire sizes on the trailer, and so had to readjust for purposes of leveling the trailer, etc. ... easy half hour job. There are lots of other options from other manufacturers, however. YMMV.

[MikeAir]

The Reese dual cam solves weight distributing and sway issues. What did you use as the drop shank for a 2.5 in receiver?

[Ganglin]

This will get you 5.75 drop:

Reese 54977 Titan WD Shank Rating 17000 lbs GTW 1700 lbs TW 2-1/2 Inch Diameter 15 Inch Length 8-1/4 Inch Rise 5-3/4 Inch Drop Camper Trailer RV

[MikeAir]

Thanks for the suggestions. I looked up the Reese dual cam and the Reese 54977 shank, which look like good ideas. One last question, what did you use as a weight distribution hitch? I'm thinking about the Reese 7903. Any thoughts?

[Ganglin]

I'm using an older version of the Reese Dual Cam with 750 pound bars. 1200 bars might be too much. What tongue weight is your trailer.

Here's an article that might interest you.

Tuning a Reese Hitch

[Mikethefixit]

Agree with Gary. I also use the old version of the Reese DUAL Cam. My truck is 1 ton so I use 550 lbs bars. We get a great ride. We just return from a 3 day,kinda local,shake down and we still get that OCEAN WAVE RIDE.
GOOD LUCK
RoGer

[MikeAir]

Tongue weight is listed as 500, but that's not including two 40 pound LP gas tanks or anything in trailer. What happens if the weight distributing hitch system is too strong, like 1200?

[newroswell]

Mike, go to the scales and get weighed. It was free where I went if you just want the weights and don't need a certificate. I found my 30' Flying Cloud was over 300 lbs heavier (ready to camp with fresh water, LP gas, 2 batteries, etc) on the tongue than Airstreams official dry weight guess in the specifications.

[AirsDream]

Yeah, get a weight reading ... bars too "heavy" stiffen the link between truck and trailer too much and roughen the trailer's ride. Airstreams like a smooth, soft ride. My 23 footer uses much ligher bars (I can't remember whether they are 550# or 600#, but work very nicely).

I use a 2" solid shank with the "reducer" on my 2.5" receiver. I believe it's this one:
Reese 3214 WD Shank 14000 lbs GTW 1400 lbs TW 14 Inch Length Camper Trailer RV

[AlbertF]

Is your old hitch head really non-adjustable? Or is it a weld- together type?

If it's the latter, any welding shop could grind out the welds and re-assemble at the correct height. The advantages of this style include the ability to set the height very precisely.