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09-07-2019, 08:44 PM #1
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Towing a Travel Trailer without a Weight Distributing Hitch
I'll be picking up a 2020 Imagine 2800BH next week.
To avoid paying the Dealer $1,000.00 for a $500.00 hitch, I plan on buying & installing the hitch myself.
The Dealer is 300 miles away and I'd prefer to install the hitch when I get home, instead of carrying a bunch of tools and doing it the dealer's parking lot.
My truck is a 2015 Ford F250 4WD Crew Cab with the 6.7 Powerstroke. I've upgraded the rear suspension with the Roadmaster Active Suspension system, which worked wonders, as far as the "squat" that most Ford Super Duties suffer from. With my previous 5th wheel, the squat was reduced from 5" to 1 1/2".
The factory trailer hitch is rated for an 850# tongue weight, if I use a 2 1/2" ball mount, instead of adapting down to 2", which us only good for 600#.
My question is whether or not it would be safe and uneventful to tow my trailer home with the receiver hitch? The drive is all on divided highway, on flat terrain. The only problem I might encounter is the wind, which tends to blow at times in West Texas.
Being a new Forum Member, I humbly await your insight & opinions.
- WTR
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09-08-2019, 03:20 AM #2
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You would probably be fine and as you stated, sway could be an issue, not only with the wind but with trucks passing you. You could take your tools and install the hitch at the dealer.
2019 F250 Lariat
2020 Solitude S 2930RL
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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09-08-2019, 04:39 AM #3
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I towed our previous TT with out a weight distributing hitch before , one time , I had a lot of bouncing and sway. I do not recommend this. Not sure what hitch you are using but generally only requires two brackets bolted to trailer tongue. The hitch on the truck set it up so the top of the ball is about 18" from the ground. Being as the trailer will be empty the weight adjustment does not have to be that close.
Brian
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09-08-2019, 06:18 AM #4
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When I bought my first travel trailer, a 2800BH, I installed the Blue Ox WD hitch myself in the parking lot of the dealership. I was towing it with a 2016 F150. It’s not that hard and it was my first time installing a hitch.
Jerry & Linda
Emma & Abby our Mini Golden Doodles & JR our Amazon Parrot
2017 Reflection 337RLS, Build Date 01/2017, Titan Disk Brakes, Goodyear G614s 235/85/16 G Rated tires
2022 F-450 King Ranch Ultimate, 4,868 lb Payload, Bedrug Bedliner, Andersen Ultimate II Aluminum 5th wheel hitch
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09-08-2019, 07:59 AM #5
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I'm going to be using the Reese Strait-line hitch. The installation is a little more complicated than a Blue Ox or Equal-i-zer. Folks who've installed the Strait-Line say that it takes 3-4 hours to do the job Right, including the fine tuning. I prefer not to lay or sit in a hot parking lot (95 degrees) for that length of time. I'm delicate.
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09-08-2019, 09:07 AM #6
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You'll be fine. Many peeps move TTs around without equalization/sway control.
I did same as you are contemplating with my first trailer. The trip home was no problem and it gave me a feel for what it would be like without the equalization/sway but wasn't bad at all. The Imagine isn't that heavy and your truck isn't undersized so you should be fine.
Good luck and enjoy the new rig!Jim (& Sharon)
2015 GD Momentum 385TH - SOLD
For Sale - 2015 Ford F-350 DRW 4x4 Lariat w/ AirLift bags, Titan 65 gal. OEM replacement fuel tank.
The toy:
2017 RZR XP 1000 EPS SE
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09-08-2019, 09:18 AM #7
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Hello, WTR. I towed my 2800BH home behind a 2018 F150 5.0 from the Central Coast in CA to the Central Valley using a Curt #1400 WDH. Trip of about 175 miles. I didn't set up the sway control as I didn't want to drill into the trailer frame. I took my time and got it home safely. Installed a ProPride Hitch and am really happy with the whole rig. Good luck and travel safely.
Bob and Betty
Lilly, our Old English Sheepdog
Penny, our Shitz Tzu/Maltese mix
New Owners 2019 Imagine 2800BH
2018 F150 CREW 5.0 V8
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09-08-2019, 01:47 PM #8
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rbrown597:
Can you tell me the distance from the ground to the inside of the coupler on your 2800BH, with the trailer setting level on level ground?
I need to get a ball & mount with the proper offset/height to match my new trailer.
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09-08-2019, 01:54 PM #9
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- May 2014
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Just take the truck and trailer to the nearest Walmart parking lot and install and adjust your hitch. About all it takes is an open end wrench and a tape measure to install most WDH's. It's the sway control that interests me the most.
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09-27-2019, 06:20 PM #10
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This thread is getting stale, but FWIW, I took delivery of a 2670MK last week and drove it home without incident and without anything but the stock hitch. I had an Anderson adjustable (up/down) ball mount. Empty bed. The trailer did have a full tank of potable water thanks to the dealer but was otherwise "unloaded". I'm used to having a camper in the back of my rig and towing a TT seemed easier. The route home was about 65 miles and had both flat and mountain driving. Worst grade was 6%. Weather was dry with temp around 70. We had no problems at all. Our rig is a 2018 Ram 3500 6.7 which is 100% bone stock. The springs on the back of this pickup seemed pretty unimpressed with the tongue weight of this setup. I'm sure that'll change with a loaded trailer.
Re-pack bearings necessary?
Yesterday, 09:29 PM in Axles, Brakes, and Suspension