Weight distribution help and suggestion

[mwkersh]

Originally Posted by HeikeET

Thank you for your help [emoji2] and btw I am a girl ... Heike from Germany
I am now totally confused 🤷*♀️ [emoji15] not sure what to do at all

Heike, I will chime in just to answer your initial questions and hopefully it hits what you are looking for. Yes, for a Ram 1500 you need a weight distribution hitch for anything weighing over 5000 pounds. Your 25 foot Airstream will definitely hit the mark. It is required to tow a load that heavy to distribute the weight between the truck axles and the trailer axles. The air leveling system doesn't distribute the weight like a proper weight distribution hitch will.

A good mid-range weight distribution hitch is the equalizer. This is something you don't want to really skimp on but you also don't need a really expensive Hensley, etc. The Equializer will serve you well in this capacity.

[HeikeET]

Thank you so much for all the info �� The local airstream dealership only installs the center line TS by husky ... the equalizer seems more popular /or well known
Do you have any input on the difference ?
Thanks
Heike

[mwkersh]

I don't have any experience with that hitch, but I would say it's similar in design to the Equializer. I think the big thing is the bars are held in place with brackets vs chains. I have used both styles, and I much prefer the brackets over chains. Both Amazon and Etrailer have good ratings for the hitch. This is the information from Etrailer: https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...y/HT32218.html.

This can open a whole other can of worms, but if your dealer is reputable they generally wouldn't install junk. I have no idea if that is the case with your dealer, you'd have to research that.

Good luck!

[mwkersh]

By the way, ultimately you will need to tow the trailer a few times and see how the Husky performs. If you tow a lot and feel like there is too much sway, you can always invest in a better/more expensive hitch later. If your Airstream dealer won't work with you to install a better hitch, you could always look locally at a big trailer dealer. Someone who sells car and/or horse trailers. Those would be similar in loaded weight and those type dealers should have plenty of experience selling/installing weight distribution hitches. You will need them to setup the new hitch properly weighing your tongue weight and then the weight on the truck and trailer axles to get the hitch tuned in correctly.

But again, you can probably use what the Airstream dealer installs and see how it pulls for you. Some hitches are better than others for sure, but there is a trade off you have to be comfortable with in cost vs performance. That is a really individually trade off IMO.

[crispyboy]

Originally Posted by HeikeET

Thank you so much for all the info �� The local airstream dealership only installs the center line TS by husky ... the equalizer seems more popular /or well known
Do you have any input on the difference ?
Thanks
Heike

I found the Husky Centerline TS on-line.
http://www.huskytow.com/product/husky-centerline-ts/

This hitch is advertised as this is both a weight distribution and sway control hitch - these attributes are what your looking for.
You are hauling a 25' Airstream trailer with a very heavy tongue weight but the truck you are using will handle it fine - take the time to have the hitch set up correctly. As another said earlier it can be tricky to setup the truck with the air suspension but done correctly the truck/trailer combo will work great together.
I have set up my sisters 25' Airstream on an F150 with a different hitch (Hensley Arrow) and the ride is very smooth and the rig is level.
There are many brands of hitches with different price points. Some will perform better than others. My suggestion is to stay away from hitches that have a separate friction sway bar as they are more trouble than what they are worth. Look for a hitch that has both weight distribution and sway control combined into a single unit.
PM some of the folks who own the same truck you do for some pointers.
Here are a few names to consider:
- Equalizer
- Blue Ox sway pro
- Reese strait line
- Propride
- Hensley Arrow

[Boxite]

Heike, Don't German Mothers still teach their daughters to ignore most Men's advice?

(DKB_SATX, the 5.7 is a hemi, btw.... not that your comment has anything at all to do with whether or not a WD hitch is advisable.)

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by Boxite

Heike, Don't German Mothers still teach their daughters to ignore most Men's advice?

(DKB_SATX, the 5.7 is a hemi, btw.... not that your comment has anything at all to do with whether or not a WD hitch is advisable.)

At the time the I made that comment, it was not yet definitively established that the RAM in question was a 1500, but it HAD been stated that it had the 5.7. That gave me some reason to assume it was a 5.7 1500, since as I stated most of the HD gasser RAMS use "the bigger HEMI" as opposed to the 5.7, which would be the smaller HEMI. I wasn't saying that it's not a HEMI, just that it made it more likely that the truck in question was a 1500 and therefore could do with some WD towing a modern 25' Airstream.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

At the time the I made that comment, it was not yet definitively established that the RAM in question was a 1500, but it HAD been stated that it had the 5.7. That gave me some reason to assume it was a 5.7, since as I stated most of the HD gasser RAMS use "the bigger HEMI" as opposed to the 5.7, which would be the smaller HEMI. I wasn't saying that it's not a HEMI, just that it made it more likely that the truck in question was a 1500 and therefore could do with some WD towing a modern 25' Airstream.

That clarifies it a bit. Thx.

[smsmith50]

Heike, be sure your hitch is easy to use. I'm a girl, too. . My first hitch/sway control system had chains to set the bars in place; now I have an Equalizer brand with the brackets and find it so much more manageable.

[Mergatroyd]

Originally Posted by smsmith50

Heike, be sure your hitch is easy to use. I'm a girl, too. . My first hitch/sway control system had chains to set the bars in place; now I have an Equalizer brand with the brackets and find it so much more manageable.

I thought that 80 lb Equalizer hitch would be difficult for a girl to handle. You must be strong.

I would recommend getting an electric hitch jack instead of the hand crank. Available from Amazon for about $100. Saves a lot of work going up and down to get the spring bars in place.