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01-05-2025, 07:53 AM
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#1
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1 Rivet Member 
2024 22' Bambi
Harker heights
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 15
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Centerline TS WDH
I have never towed with a WDH before so looking for some advice. I am buying a 2024 Bambi 22FB with tongue weight if 525 lbs and towing with a Dodge Ram 1500 with max tongue weight of 1150. WDH needed and is the centerline with 12000lbs rating and tongue rating of 8-1200 lbs a good option? Also any advice in general will be greatly appreciated.
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01-05-2025, 08:44 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
1964 26' Overlander
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
Anna
, Illinois
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 5,917
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RE: Centerline TS WDH
Greetings Airie!
Welcome to the Forums and the world of Airstream ownership!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airie
I have never towed with a WDH before so looking for some advice. I am buying a 2024 Bambi 22FB with tongue weight if 525 lbs and towing with a Dodge Ram 1500 with max tongue weight of 1150. WDH needed and is the centerline with 12000lbs rating and tongue rating of 8-1200 lbs a good option? Also any advice in general will be greatly appreciated.
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While I cannot cite specific knowledge of the brand hitch that you are considering, I do see a red flag in that it is over-rated for the likely tongue weight of your trailer even at its maximum loaded to travel weight. Looking at the specifications for your trailer, the maximum GVWR of the trailer is 5,000 pounds, and the base (empty hitch weight) hitch weight of 525 pounds. Based on my experience with older Airstreams, I would expect something around 15% of the Gross Weight on the tongue which would be around a maximum of 750 pounds on the hitch.
The hitch specifications that you are listing drop to a tongue weight as low as 800 pounds, but that would concern me particularly with your tow vehicle being a pickup truck that likely will have rather stiff springs. When I was taught to setup my weight distributing hitch by a Reese Representative with years of Airstream experience over 30 years ago, his caution was that if towing with a pickup truck that the weight distribution bars should never be rated in excess of the hitch weight rather it was desirable to have weight distribution bars rated slightly under the actual hitch weight to insure a smooth ride for the Airstream. On the other hand, he advised when towing with a large, family car as I often do, the weight distribution bars needed to be rated for the actual tongue weight or slightly in excess of actual tongue weight to compensate for the soft springing of the family automobiles even when equipped with the factory heavy duty trailering packages.
One of the reasons that I sought out his advice was that my original Reese Hitch had been specified for my 1980 Towing rig that was my family car towing an 18-foot Nomad travel trailer. My local hitch shop advised that the hitch could be used without change when I purchased my 1964 Airstream Overlander in 1995, but by the time that I attended the International Rally in 1998 and had towed the trailer for 3 years with a 1995 Chevrolet K1500 pickup, I had developed a crack in the interior skin above the entry door. While at the 1998 International, I had the Reese Representative assess my hitch and he immediately condemned my 1,000 pound weight distribution bars as the cause of my interior skin fracture as well as the continuing issues with popped interior rivets. He swapped out my 1,000 weight distribution bars for 600 pound weight distribution bars, and I had no further problems for the 6 months that I had the pickup after that, and the hitch continued to perform beautifully with the Suburban that I had for several years after that -- the Suburban did not have any optional heavy duty suspension features to help insure a smooth ride for the Airstream. When I went back to towing with my full size family sedan, I switched back to 800 pound weight distribution bars, and they have performed flawlessly with my 1964 Overlander's hitch weight of 750 pounds when fully loaded for an extended vacation.
Good luck with your investigation!
Kevin
__________________
Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Pride Streamers/Wisconsin-UP Unit (Primary)/Missouri Greater Ozark Unit (Affiliate Member) #7864
AIR #827
1964 Overlander International
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
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01-05-2025, 08:59 AM
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#3
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2 Rivet Member 
Currently Looking...
Carefree
, Arizona
Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 81
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Airie
O64 makes some good points. No matter what kind of hitch you end up with you may want to consider ease of installation and removal and hitch weight. Also, try towing on the ball only to establish reference points and associated problems, if any. That way you can select a hitch that addresses your specific TV and TT combination.
There is a lot of vendor sales BS and thousands of pages of contradictory internet chatter on this subject. Take your time, you'll figure it out.
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01-05-2025, 09:29 AM
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#4
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1 Rivet Member 
2024 22' Bambi
Harker heights
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 15
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Thank you for the sound advice. I think that I will do more research.
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01-05-2025, 09:37 AM
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#5
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Rivet Master 
2010 30' Classic
Warren
, Manitoba
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,395
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I pulled a 1994 34' with the same hitch. My tongue weight was just over 1000 lbs when loaded. I would get bars with a lower weight rating. The bars are designed to flex and take some of the road shock away from the trailer. Several things contribute to a smooth ride for the trailer. Vehicle tire pressure, suspension of the vehicle (1/2 vs 3/4 ton), trailer tire pressure, and hitch bar design weight. In the case of hitch and bar weight, you can purchase a heavier weight hitch assembly, with the idea that in a few years you will upgrade to a larger trailer. Then the bars can simply be swapped out for heavier if required. Bigger is not always better when pulling an Airstream. Road shock from wrong tire inflation, wrong hitch set up and prong tow vehicle can cause severe damage to your unit. If I was installing this unit , with your tow vehicle and trailer , I would go with the 600-800 lb bars. I say this with experience using the Husky Centreline hitch system. I have since upgraded to a Hensley hitch as it was gifted to me. I was very happy with the Husky system and towed thousands of miles with it, and the only other suggestion that I can give, buy an additional lift tool and keep in the trailer. I lost one and it was a pain in the butt to unhitch without it!! The company is very easy to deal with!
__________________
ACI #7394
2012 GMC 2500 HD Duramax Denali
2010 Classic Limited 30' ,1994 Excella 34'
1987 Limited 34', 1976 31' Sovereign, 1976 Argosy 22' Gone to new homes
Hensley Hitch
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01-05-2025, 12:49 PM
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#6
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1 Rivet Member 
2024 22' Bambi
Harker heights
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 15
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Great advice. I think that we will pick up without WDH and use adjustable hitch to see how it works. Only about 100 mile drive and should get some type of idea. If needed I will def go with lower value of WDH.
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01-05-2025, 02:30 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master 
2019 22' Sport
Port Coquitlam
, British Columbia
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 1,418
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I have the older version of the 22FB Bambi. It is a bit lighter and has a measured tongue weight of 500 lbs. (published is 422 lbs.) with a GVW of 4,500 lbs. I have pulled it with a 2019 Honda Ridgeline, a 2022 Tundra and now have a 2023 Chev 3500 Duramax (Overkill for this little trailer).
I have been using a Weighsafe WDH for all of these trucks and it has been great but now I find the bars are too stiff with the 1 ton truck. In my case, I can reduce the weight distribution effects by turning the preload screw and still have the sway control.
I think the idea would be to get load bars that are compliant enough to soften the effects on the trailer.
The main reason I have been using the WDH is that it has built in sway control. I had a sway event with my previous trailer and don't ever want to go there again.
There are many products out there that can give you sway control and WD. I can't speak about the Centerline hitch as I don't know about it but there are many hitches out there that can do the trick for the light loads you are dealing with. etrailer.com is also a good source for reviews on the various products that they sell.
__________________
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Peter.
"Live Long and Prosper \\//" - Spock
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01-05-2025, 03:25 PM
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#8
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1 Rivet Member 
2024 22' Bambi
Harker heights
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 15
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That sounds like a good plan. Since my tongue weight is 525 and with propane/batteries probably around 600. Trailer GVWR is 5000 pounds then I should look at lower weight WDH?
Thanks
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01-07-2025, 10:24 PM
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#9
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3 Rivet Member 
Currently Looking...
Moreland
, Georgia
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 166
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The bars need to be fairly closely matched to the actual tongue weight.
Charles
__________________
'03 Ram 2500 CTD, 5.9L HO PacBrake six speed std cab long bed Leer top and 2008 BigfootRV 21RB trailer.. Previously, 2008 Thor Freedom Spirit 180, SOLD! 2007 Winnebago View 23H Motorhome, SOLD!
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01-12-2025, 11:51 AM
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#10
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Rivet Master 

2015 27' Flying Cloud
Portland
, Oregon
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 697
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1200 lb bars would beat the trailer to death. It could cause shell separation from frame. I know from my first trailer as I had 1200 lb bars towing with an F250. It caused cracks at the bottom of the front outer compartment door.
__________________
The ability to follow instructions is highly underrated.
Always be wary of stupid people in large numbers.
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01-12-2025, 12:09 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member 
Currently Looking...
Carefree
, Arizona
Join Date: Sep 2024
Posts: 81
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For a TV much bigger than required for the TT where WD is not needed, what are the choices for anti sway devices only.
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01-12-2025, 05:53 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master 
2006 25' Safari FB SE
Spokane
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 2,007
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There is a lot of very good information in this thread. Choosing bars is not something you should just do before you actually set up the WD hitch to actually distribute the weight. The function of WD is to remove the sag at the back of your TV and return some of that weight to the front steering axle. Once all things are level, you are good to go. Using an F350 to tow a Bambi probably will not require a WD hitch.
That said, I believe (my opinion) you need bars heavy enough to just barely get the leveling job done. With my 25FB and half ton Tundra I need WD. I use 1000 pound Equalizer bars, the nastiest things out there as posted by many, BUT I only have to dial it in very slightly to get things to line up. MY bars go on easily and I don't have to jack up the trailer any great amount. Never lost a rivet and don't have any cracks or dimples. I have lost a few of those small 1/8 inch interior rivets but that is another story.
I do believe that we all need sway control. There are many hitches that combine WD and sway control so that should not be an issue. Sway control only? Aside from friction sway bars, I really don't know any other options. Many people use them, perhaps some might chime in.
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01-17-2025, 04:33 AM
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#13
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1 Rivet Member 
2024 22' Bambi
Harker heights
, Texas
Join Date: Jan 2025
Posts: 15
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Update to WDH
Thanks to everyone for the great advice and information. After reading all the replies and researching all the options, I decided to go with the Fastway E2 WDH. I used the advice given to go with the 6000lb option with 600 tongue weight. I towed it home yesterday and I could tell the difference immediately. Will do a couple hour trip this weekend to ensure everything is good to go. I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their sound advice.
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