Input Needed on Travel Trailer

[Panther88]

I tow a 38ft Sporttrek. The truck does great. You will average 8-10mpg depending on terrain, speed, and wind. A WDH IMO is required, there are many different options. I use a Husky centerline which is similar to the Weighsafe. The other option is pricey but nothing beats it, that is the Pro Pride. You will feel some sway with the husky or weighsafe, the Pro Pride you will not

The dealer the trailer is at suggested the husky centerline hitch as well. Does it provide sway control as well?

 

[Jrflyin]

The dealer the trailer is at suggested the husky centerline hitch as well. Does it provide sway control as well?

Yes it does! i don’t know anything about the weighsafe but looking at pictures, it see,s to be the same wdh sway control design as the husky except it has a load scale on it. You will still have some sway in high winds with the husky. Pro pride will eliminate all sway.

 

[Supercup]

Yes it does! i don’t know anything about the weighsafe but looking at pictures, it see,s to be the same wdh sway control design as the husky except it has a load scale on it. You will still have some sway in high winds with the husky. Pro pride will eliminate all sway.

I have the weigh safe and love it - best features

1. Scale on the ball - gives you a good indication of actual tongue weight
2. Sits back about 1' so you can open your tailgate and not hit trailer tongue or jack .
3. You have a bolt on top, that allows you to adjust load, after hooked up, based on calcs from their app which you will have on your phone.
4. Provides excellent sway control in high winds - if you load is dialed in correctly it has very little sway - far less than any prior WD hitch I have used in past.
5. On their website they have a spot you can go and they have "seconds" or "returns" that they sell at a large discount - most of the seconds are simply scratched - which is going to happen anyway! So you can buy one at 10%-50% off retail price.
6. Their customer service is outstanding - my first one the scale on hitch did not work - they overnighted me a new one, and sent me a shipping label to return the one not working - no questions asked. I have a number of other items from them and all have been great.

Dial in - you hook up - look at tongue weight - then put in app tongue weight, est. trailer weight and then it gives you a target weight for scale dial - you tighten/loosen bolt on top, to move weight up to target weight - putting more pressure on your load bars and moving more weight back to front of truck.

 

[Modman]

I have the weigh safe and love it - best features

1. Scale on the ball - gives you a good indication of actual tongue weight
2. Sits back about 1' so you can open your tailgate and not hit trailer tongue or jack .
3. You have a bolt on top, that allows you to adjust load, after hooked up, based on calcs from their app which you will have on your phone.
4. Provides excellent sway control in high winds - if you load is dialed in correctly it has very little sway - far less than any prior WD hitch I have used in past.
5. On their website they have a spot you can go and they have "seconds" or "returns" that they sell at a large discount - most of the seconds are simply scratched - which is going to happen anyway! So you can buy one at 10%-50% off retail price.
6. Their customer service is outstanding - my first one the scale on hitch did not work - they overnighted me a new one, and sent me a shipping label to return the one not working - no questions asked. I have a number of other items from them and all have been great.

Dial in - you hook up - look at tongue weight - then put in app tongue weight, est. trailer weight and then it gives you a target weight for scale dial - you tighten/loosen bolt on top, to move weight up to target weight - putting more pressure on your load bars and moving more weight back to front of truck.

Agree with everything you said @Supercup

One thing I like about the ease of adjustability is the flexibility it provides with the turn of a wrench. The app is helpful but I have also measured the change in front height as an indicator of proper setup and I felt I didn't quite have enough distribution to the front axle. Consider the app is only as good as the measurements and loaded weight you input. This Spring I will be taking a trip to the scales and get a good, accurate, baseline with known weights.

I haven't adjusted for this reason yet, but if things are slick it would be easy to return weight to the rear, if needed, without defeating the WDH and sway functions all together.

 

[RedZilla]

I have the weigh safe and love it - best features

1. Scale on the ball - gives you a good indication of actual tongue weight
2. Sits back about 1' so you can open your tailgate and not hit trailer tongue or jack .
3. You have a bolt on top, that allows you to adjust load, after hooked up, based on calcs from their app which you will have on your phone.
4. Provides excellent sway control in high winds - if you load is dialed in correctly it has very little sway - far less than any prior WD hitch I have used in past.
5. On their website they have a spot you can go and they have "seconds" or "returns" that they sell at a large discount - most of the seconds are simply scratched - which is going to happen anyway! So you can buy one at 10%-50% off retail price.
6. Their customer service is outstanding - my first one the scale on hitch did not work - they overnighted me a new one, and sent me a shipping label to return the one not working - no questions asked. I have a number of other items from them and all have been great.

Dial in - you hook up - look at tongue weight - then put in app tongue weight, est. trailer weight and then it gives you a target weight for scale dial - you tighten/loosen bolt on top, to move weight up to target weight - putting more pressure on your load bars and moving more weight back to front of truck.

That's the best synopsis I've ever read of the WeighSafe True Tow. Usually sway is very much effected by, if not caused by improper tongue weight on the hitch. With the WeighSafe you take all the guesswork out of hitching up your trailer. You know exactly where you stand before you start to drive.

I'll second the great customer service. I have a standard WeighSafe 6" drop hitch and the pressure gauge is accumulating moisture inside. I'm 20 months out from purchase but I figured what the heck. I sent a message via their web site messaging page and they immediately emailed me explaining that the gauge would be covered under warranty and they would send a repair kit out at no charge. I could have sent the hitch back for repair but I would have to cover the cost of shipping both ways since it is technically out of warranty. I opted to do the repair myself and they said they would ship the kit out immediately. This type of coverage is lifetime for the original owner with purchase verification. I really like this company and their products.

 

[TremorHopeful]

If you're willing to spend the $$$ on it...I HIGHLY...repeat HIGHLY recommend the propride 3p hitch. It makes a bumper pull trailer pull almost as good as a fifth wheel.

 

[Panther88]

I have the weigh safe and love it - best features

1. Scale on the ball - gives you a good indication of actual tongue weight
2. Sits back about 1' so you can open your tailgate and not hit trailer tongue or jack .
3. You have a bolt on top, that allows you to adjust load, after hooked up, based on calcs from their app which you will have on your phone.
4. Provides excellent sway control in high winds - if you load is dialed in correctly it has very little sway - far less than any prior WD hitch I have used in past.
5. On their website they have a spot you can go and they have "seconds" or "returns" that they sell at a large discount - most of the seconds are simply scratched - which is going to happen anyway! So you can buy one at 10%-50% off retail price.
6. Their customer service is outstanding - my first one the scale on hitch did not work - they overnighted me a new one, and sent me a shipping label to return the one not working - no questions asked. I have a number of other items from them and all have been great.

Dial in - you hook up - look at tongue weight - then put in app tongue weight, est. trailer weight and then it gives you a target weight for scale dial - you tighten/loosen bolt on top, to move weight up to target weight - putting more pressure on your load bars and moving more weight back to front of truck.

Thanks for the info. I’ve pretty much decided this is the hitch to go with. How’s the setup/installation process?

 

[Panther88]

That's the best synopsis I've ever read of the WeighSafe True Tow. Usually sway is very much effected by if not caused by improper tongue weight on the hitch. With the WeighSafe you take all the guesswork out of hitching up you trailer. You know exactly where you stand before you start to drive.

I'll second the great customer service. I have a standard WeighSafe 6" drop hitch and the pressure gauge is accumulating moisture inside. I'm 20 months out from purchase but I figured what the heck. I sent a message via their web site messaging page and they immediately emailed me explaining that the gauge would be covered under warranty and they would send a repair kit out at no charge. I could have sent the hitch back for repair but I would have to cover the cost of shipping both ways since it is technically out of warranty. I opted to do the repair myself and they said they would ship the kit out immediately. This type of coverage is lifetime for the original owner with purchase verification. I really like this company and their products.

That’s great to hear. How do you determine how much drop you need? The trailer we are looking at is just standard height. No flipped axles or anything. I think it has the 16in tires though for a little height

 

[Jrflyin]

So y’all have me thinking about the weigh safe now. Along with Panther’s question about installation, I have another. Is the tongue weigh gauge accurate if you aren’t parked level when you hook up the trailer? How do you account for that and adjust?

 

[Modman]

That’s great to hear. How do you determine how much drop you need? The trailer we are looking at is just standard height. No flipped axles or anything. I think it has the 16in tires though for a little height

In my TT specs they list tongue/ball height. I compared that the hitch height on my truck and accounted for some of the hitch head itself using some of the drop holes. 6in worked fine for me with room to spare. I have 4.5 holes visible with the hitch installed.

 

[Modman]

Thanks for the info. I’ve pretty much decided this is the hitch to go with. How’s the setup/installation process?

Easy and straightforward imo. They provide a hardcopy of the instructions and the phone app walks you thru it step by step. It helps to have an assistant to make some of the measurements but not totally necessary.

 

[RedZilla]

Thanks for the info. I’ve pretty much decided this is the hitch to go with. How’s the setup/installation process?

They used to have a full install video that was pretty long. I can't find that now but they do have a series of videos that play in order at this link. If you do some searching you may be able to find the full install video.

 

[Supercup]

They used to have a full install video that was pretty long can't find that now but they do have a series of videos that play in order at this link. If you do some searching you may be able to find the full install video.

You will set up brackets on your trailer - they provide measurement range - check that out before you buy, if you have a bunch of stuff on your tongue - as they want the hanger for the sway control bars to be a set distance (they give you ideal and a range) from the tongue.

Otherwise easy install - if you are mechanical will only take 30-45 minutes to get all set up, including the measurements you will take to put in the app as your baseline.

Note - their brackets for the frame are 6" - so if you the trailer is an Aluminum Trailer - like an ATC - those rails are 8" and they do not recommend you drill a hole through your rail (trailer mfg.) - I have an ATC - so I took their 6" and went to a fab shop and had them make me a set 2" longer to meet the needs of my trailer. That was the only issue I ran into.

Enjoy your trailer!

 

[Gatorbait]

Trailer falls within your truck specs
Since the spec sheet you included had a VIN I presume it is a built trailer - ask the dealer to take a photo of the "sticker" on the trailer that shows the "actual" weight of that trailer - vs the Mfg. generic specs - be sure you know what you are getting - mfg. weight for shipping - sticker should be on trailer (see example photo).
You will want to add a WD hitch - like a weigh safe - to help offset squat and control sway - link https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/true-tow-weight-distribution-hitch/
Trailer itself - is heavy empty - 2,1xx cargo capacity is not that much - can use that up pretty quick.
Water - 40 gallons is very limited - would expect in a trailer that size 80 gal +
Gray - 39 gal - pretty typical
Black 39 gal - pretty typical
Not a lot of water - unless you are always at a RV park with water and dump on-site, so you can cycle water quickly - for dry camping that is good for a two days with a full trailer at best - or no showers!
13,500 BTU is not enough 15K BTU is better but trailer that size needs 2 units to be comfortable in warm weather - Know it is ducted?
8 cu ft. fridge - ok for the weekend - but for week or longer is small - even going 10 cu. ft. helps
6 gallon water tank - small - 10 gal would be better for larger trailer - also always look at pump flow rate - how many gallons per minute is flow - 3 is typical with water heater
30 amp vs 50 amp - on a trailer that size I would want 50 amp - especially if you plan to add solar and another HVAC unit.
Insulation - not noted - be sure you know what your are getting - R7 in walls etc - keeping you cool or warm pending outside weather
Total length - 38' +/- - long for a bumper pull - I prefer a 24' to 28' trailer - which will be 30' - 34' overall length - just much easier to manuever - over 30' I would prefer to move to a gooseneck/5th wheel - they trailer much better than a bumper pull. But with your truck pin weight may make that not feasible.

GLWD


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Great post here. I have had many different types of RVs and agree with everything Supercup said. Most importantly, I would never consider a bumper pull longer than 34 feet unless I was only going to travel short distances and largely use it as a park model. Your truck will pull it. I doubt it will be enjoyable.

 

[1FORDy3rd]

Shocker HD Max Black Air Drop Hitch & Sway Control Towing Kit (4-1/2″ – 8-1/2″ Drop)

4-1/2" - 8-1/2" Drop. Textured black frame. 2" or 2-5/16" hitch ball w/ welded sway tabs & sway arms. 20,000 lbs GTW. Choose 1 or 2 friction sway bar kits.

shockerhitch.com

I’ve been considering this company for a standard drop hitch. I don’t have a need for a WDH style but thought I’d share as I just stumbled onto these after seeing on my neighbors truck.

 

[911Tremor]

And looking at the spec sheet it has two AC units but only 30amp that I can see. We will almost always be at state parks or corp of engineer parks here in Texas. We usually try to find full hookups when possible.

Cant speak for your rig specifically, but I’ve noticed at the recent RV shows that some MFG’s are running the much preferred dual Rooftop A/C units but instead of bumping up the rig to a single 50 amp plug-in system, they have two 30 amp plug-ins (Very common in boats). The second cord would be for the second (and probably the larger output) A/C unit, whereas the other A/C unit would be a smaller output unit to be used along with the microwave, fridge, etc...
Some RV resorts have dual 30 amp outlets, but most have single 30 OR 50 amp connections.
You‘ll need to plan your stays at an RV resort that can accommodate your needs. Or, if you can get by with just the single unit during the mild climates, you can go to just about any fully equipped RV resort out there.
I’ve been camping (And boating) of all sorts since I was a kid in 1970. It’s a great way to experience the country with all the benefits of a very comfortable hotel on wheels. And when I run out of roads, I hop into my cruiser and camp on the wonderful waterways of Northern and Southern California. Literally, the best of both worlds!
Enjoy!!

 

[weatherherk]

Frankly I suspect many do if being honest. Plenty of trailers roll out of the factory over listed unloaded weight (mine did), then people load all kinds of crap into them, add full tanks (if someone doesn't know better or situationally needs to, water and other "liquids" are heavy) and yeah I expect folks are over GVWR when many trailers don't have that much payload built into them. Now well built trailers and fifth wheels often have much more payload built into them so far less an issue there but the bulk of travel trailers are a bit lean on capacity.

Having more weight built into the until dosent count for anything if you are over GVWR with whatever number your label has. The number is the number but hey..people roll the dice everyday being over and that ultimately rides with the driver.

 

[pods8]

Having more weight built into the until dosent count for anything if you are over GVWR with whatever number your label has. The number is the number but hey..people roll the dice everyday being over and that ultimately rides with the driver.

Certainly. It’s like F150 vs F350, if you are over GVWR then you are over, but it takes less stuff/weight into a F150 before it’s overloaded. Lotta people don’t think things through or ever run their loaded trailer over scales to see just how much weight they packed into it.

 

[Pompey]

Edit: Looking at the following travel trailer. I have a 2022 F250 Tremor 7.3 gas. What should my concerns be? Is the trailer doable for hitch weight? What item would you recommend if it is doable as far as maximizing towing safety?Have read some of the trailer/camping threads but thought I need more info for this specific trailer. Thanks for any input/suggestions.

Interesting comparing it to mine. Yours is about a metre and a half longer and 600kgs heavier at max weight. So you’ll need a lot of room to park the thing. Mine has almost 4 times the water capacity so you will need to be close to water. Enjoy it when you get it.

 

[Bnpeace38]

Edit: Looking at the following travel trailer. I have a 2022 F250 Tremor 7.3 gas. What should my concerns be? Is the trailer doable for hitch weight? What item would you recommend if it is doable as far as maximizing towing safety?Have read some of the trailer/camping threads but thought I need more info for this specific trailer. Thanks for any input/suggestions.

I haul a trailer with similar specs. Same length and weight. My 7.3 and it handles it like a beast! I do use a weight distribution hitch. The Equlizer hitch. Very little sway.