I've been researching into a hitch for my incoming F250 and would like a recommendation/confirmation based on my tow plans from those who're more experienced towing.
To start we've had class B RVs so I do not have first experience towing. I've been in a few F150/RAM 1500 while friends were towing their 7k lbs trailers and I came away thinking I'd like a SD for towing personally.
We're planning on renting different (mainly 25', may be up to 30' at times) trailers instead of owning so the tongue weights/heights will change. So far B&W tow and stow 7" drop may cover pretty much every trailer we may rent. But not sure if I'd need a WD hitch.
As the truck has a anti-sway system built in, I do not need to worry about sways (as much) but just need to worry about heights which will even out weights, is that correct?
TIA.

 

I paid $900 for my Curt WDH installed at the dealer.

IMO, your best bet is to buy a brand name WDH off Marketplace. An excellent condition hitch can be had for under $200, at least in my area.

In my case, I was under a time constraint, so I went with the easiest option, which was also the most expensive.

 

I went with a Rhino several years ago. Towed an enclosed loaded with a seamless gutter business and a fair amount of tongue weight with no issues ever. Easily height adjustable as I have 3 other trailers. All are 2 5/16 coupler so I've never used the other included ball.
I never had a need for weight distributing so it's been a good fit for me.
Not cheap but fell under the "buy once, cry once" doctrine for me.
https://rhinohitch.com/products/2-5-...r-2-5-receiver

 

The truck’s built in sway control is pretty much designed to keep you from wrecking during a major trailer sway event, not to keep a TT with poor weight loading from swaying around some behind the truck. A WD with built-in sway control helps keep that TT to be better behaved.
Not sure how the rental units owners feel about folks adding WD setups to their trailers, you may want to investigate that some.

 

When you get longer than 25ft or so, sway will be something you need to manage. The sway stuff, baked into your 250, does work but boy you need to understand when it will activate. I was towing a friends loader and we were in a rush and did not load it in optimal position on trailer. The tow would be about 3 miles, no roads above 50mph. Once we got to main rd the trailer really started swaying, I looked in rearview mirror and trailer was scarry swaying and I gave it gas to pull it thru, only then did the onboard sway system activate. No-where near early enough. In short, you cannot depend on the onboard sway system for regular driving, it only activates when things get bad, not before so you need to include anti-sway and weight distribution on your design. Before we moved to 5th wheel, we had several tow behinds and found the Reese anti-sway hitch to work very well. The one we never tested was the Equalizer which I think is most popular.

 

This. Because I'm not aware of any WDH that does not need hardware added to the trailer.

Personally, I'd get a Weigh Safe height-adjustable ball mount. I like knowing how much tongue weight I have right from the get-go, and adjust (as much as possible) if/as needed. With a TT there's not going to be the range as an equipment trailer, but you can shift carge and make a meaningful difference.

 

You need some experience towing. Riding with someone that was towing is not the same as hands on. When you get around the 30ft in length with a bumper pull swaying can get real very fast. The f250s sway control is more for a major event. To settle the trailer down from sway I manually engage the trailer brakes which stops it immediately. At that point you redistribute the load or slow down. You need experience and start small and work your way up.

 

ProPride P3. Worth every penny.

 

While I agree that the PP and original Hensley Arrow are worth every penny, but I don’t know how that is going to work on rental trailers for the OP.

 

The built in anti-sway is only for extreme circumstances, it is not a replacement for a WDH with sway control.
While you can tow "naked" with proper loading, care and a heavy enough truck (1 ton plus), in some states anything recreational over 3k lbs, a WDH is required.
One hitch to look at in your case is the B&W Continuum. It is easily installed with no drilling on the trailer, and is infinitely and easily adjustable via hydraulic ram, you don't have to rebuild the head every time you switch trailers/heights.
As with any hitch though you need to spend some time in a level spot setting it up on every trailer. But it is a fast process.

 

I agree, a 30' trailer without a WDH is likely going to be hands full regardless of having a Super Duty.

You mentioned renting trailers... have you visited the rental place to see if they are equipped with WDH's? If not, are they going to let you add one?

Owning just the truck and using someone else's trailer without proper loading, scaling and equipment setup is no way to begin a journey, having never towed previously.

 

I was going to recommend the pro pride 3 or Hensley arrow, but as you say, you plan on renting, not owning. This changes some things as neither of these systems are easy to setup/transfer very easily. First, I would go to the place you plan on renting from and ask what, if any, anti-sway systems they have installed on the trailers. I would hope they insist on an anti-sway system. This may solve your issue right then. However, you will want something, so even if they don’t have one (and they probably should). Have one of your own.

the easiest to own and install yourself (and adjust/remove when done), is the equal-I-zer. Buy one with the weight rating you need (you might need a second set of spring bars if your trailer rentals are too far apart weight wise, but they are fairly cheap). It installs quickly and if you get the 2.5 inch shank with the 12 inch drop (which also translates into a 15 inch rise), it will fit any trailer and allow you to tow the trailer level (towing with the truck and trailer level is a critical piece of towing. Even if your truck is level, if your trailer is dipped down or tilted up, you are setting yourself up for problems.

The equal-I-zer is decent. It’s not the best, but 1) it works, and 2) is easy to install/adjust on a trailer. The pro-pride 3 and Hensley arrow are superior setups, but they require more extensive setup on the trailer. If you had your own trailer, PP3 or Hensley all day every day and twice in sundays,

as others have said, it’s easy to ride along with someone and say yeah…this seems simple enough. Thing is, experienced people just make something difficult look easy. They already have the weight distribution of the trailer dialed in, and they also know the subtle signs of when things start getting out of hand. As a novice trailer tower, you don’t have those skills yet. I’ve seen too many idiots out there with bad towing setups that are accidents waiting to happen. Please don’t be another one of them.

I was once like you. I had a family boat, I learned to tow that boat with the family vehicle, but I found out the hard way that towing a 3k boat and a 5k box trailer are two very different things…especially if you don’t have sway control, the trailer is not level, and it’s just a little too light on the tongue, What is fine at 45-55 on a two lane road is a wreck at 65 or 70 on the interstate.

Pay attention to the people above. They are not saying it because they love spending other people’s money, but because they too have the “been there, done that, and have the scars to prove it” that you don’t. Learn from their shared experience so you don’t have to learn/gain that experience first hand. It’s not a fun education to acquire first hand.

 

#1, if you don’t know what you will be towing each time you venture out, and you are in the 25’ plus range, trailer weights can be all over the place. IMHO, go 3/4 ton so you are not limited because you may find yourself wanting 2 feet more the next time. Based on what you are saying, you need flexibility. As to weight distributing hitch with sway control, it can never hurt. A lot of trailer accidents stem from an out of control sway, particularly if you get forced into a sudden stop. Most of those hitches require components you clamp onto the frame so not like it would be something permanent.

 

Have you found a rv rental that actually lets you tow their trailer? Everyone I’ve come across they tow it for you to your destination and pick it up when you are finished.

 

I would be surprised if the rentals did not have their own WDH.