Need some expert advice concerning towing a trailer camper. My 2011 Super Duty has arrived with sway control and trailer brake control. I will be towing a trailer camper that is 27'+ long and weighs 5000 to 6000 lbs loaded with around a 500 lb tongue weight. The truck is all setup from the factory for towing. Besides a trailer ball, does anyone think I will need any thing else like a rear stabilizer bar etc to properly tow this camper. Thanks! I know the camper dealer will try to sell additional hitch components.

 

I am in an identical situation, but with different components. My trailer is an '08 Keystone Springdale specs:

Length 28'11"
Hitch Weight 675 lbs
Dry Weight 6,284 lbs

My hauler is an '07 Expedition EB with HD tow pkg. I'm looking at the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 brake controller recommended by a friend of mine that tows quite a bit. The salesman says the Reese WD hitch will be whichever one that will be necessary to tow correctly. Will I need sway control?

I am taking delivery on Monday, March 7th. I'd like to be able to get questions and issues taken care of this week so there will be no problems when I pick it up.

 

Reese Dual Cam Weight Distributing Hitch - Can't be beat unless you go with a Hensley Arrow. You don't "need" weight distributing for those kind of tongue weights, but if you tow identical trailers with and without, you will become a believer, "if it is set up properly". Chances are your RV dealer does not know how to set it up properly, and this I believe is why people don't think they make that big of a difference.

 

If the RV dealer doesn't set the hitch up correctly, how will I know and how do I fix it?

 

Postman - I don't want to seem like jimmyv and I are hijacking your thread, but my opinion on hitches applies to you as well, although you have a heavier tow vehicle, lighter trailer and less tongue weight, the benefits of having weight distributing and sway control far outweigh the initial cost of the components. I have had to panic stop twice with the trailer, and both times the trailer stayed where it belonged, as well as the better it pulls the less "cranky" you are when you get to your destination.

If it scares the crap out of you pulling it home from the dealer, it was not set up correctly. Seriously though, your trailer is probably going to weigh more than the truck once it is loaded, so setting up correctly is extremely important, even if it pulls well on the way home from the dealer, I would still reset everything before pulling it for any trips, simply because the weight transfer is going to be different in a panic stop than for a regular stop, and if you have to do a panic stop with the trailer, you will need every advantage that you can get to keep the trailer behind the tow vehicle, not catching up or passing the tow vehicle. Here is a couple of articles that show setup procedures -

How to Setup a Weight Distributing Hitch | eHow.com

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Towing: Travel Trailer Hitch Set-up Procedure

As well as an article that explains about the parts and their functions -

Common Weight Distribution and Sway Control Questions | etrailer.com

Once you go through the proper set up procedures, you will have a better feel for what "feels right" and what doesn't in the future.

I am in no way an expert on the subject, but I went through all this when I bought my first TT, as the dealer had no idea how to set up the hitch, and/or do not want to spend the time, as it takes a couple of hours to do it properly, unless you happen to nail all the settings on the first try, which doesn't usually happen.

It is also worthy to note that if you change tow vehicles, you really need to go through the same process again.

If you have any other questions, I will try to help if I can.

 

Always need a weight distr hitch on anything over 5K.

 

The salesman said it would take 4-6 hours to get everything ready to go on the day of delivery. I'm assuming a bullk of that time will be setting up the hitch. Thank you for the links, they are greatly appreciated!