Weight distributing hitch ratings - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

fish56 · 11-01-2010, 10:04 PM

What would be a properly rated weight distributing hitch for the 24T trailer I just bought? The owners manual says that it has a 400# tongue weight. I've seen hitches with arms rated at 500, 600, 800, and 1000 #s.
Thanks,
Bill

RCREYES · 11-01-2010, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish56

What would be a properly rated weight distributing hitch for the 24T trailer I just bought? The owners manual says that it has a 400# tongue weight. I've seen hitches with arms rated at 500, 600, 800, and 1000 #s.
Thanks,
Bill

I read a good article on this but do not remember where. It may have been on the JC Whitney or the Curt website. The higher the rating, the more rigid the WDH. You won't get more or less out of the rating. If your tongue weight is 500 than all you'll ever get is 500 no matter what the rating is of the hitch. It confused me too until I did the research. I am using a Curt Trunnion style WDH that has a tongue rating of 1000 and max trailer weight of 10,000. I thought bigger was better and more expensive was better. The bars are replaceable so you can always step up or down on the weight for whatever you purchase.

JackandJanet · 11-02-2010, 12:21 AM

While I agree that bigger is not always better, the WD hitch DOES need to be rated to transfer the largest hitch load the trailer can produce.

In my opinion, the trailer weights for HiLo as shown on the "specs" are a bit lower than you actually see in practice. I would use the trailer's max gross weight and multiply it by 0.15 to get an estimate of the tongue weight the WD hitch has to handle.

So, if your trailer has a MAX gross weight of 6000# (what I just found it could be for 24Ts in the sales brochure I have for the 2006 models), it might have a tongue weight of 900# when fully loaded. I would use a WD hitch rated at 1000#.

My 1707T actually had a tongue weight of 630# with a full fresh water tank and full propane tanks. And, the trailer itself was about 3820# in this configuration (almost at MAX gross weight). So, MY tongue weight was actually 16.5% of the total weight of the trailer. I had the axle moved forward 3 inches to bring the tongue weight more in line with what it should be. And, I have a 600# WD hitch, so it was potentially overloaded in the "factory" configuration.

- Jack

boater454 · 03-31-2011, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCREYES

I am using a Curt Trunnion style WDH that has a tongue rating of 1000 and max trailer weight of 10,000.

I use this same hitch for my 24TD. How do you determine how many links to use? Should I just park somewhere level and try to pull the back of the truck up a certain amount? I have a 2' long piece of pipe I use so I could put a lot more pressure on the bars than I do. I usually hold it at about 1' pipe length and pull as hard as I can. I'm not a real big guy. Maybe I should grab the end of the pipe and put more pressure on the bars? Thanks for any suggestions.

JackandJanet · 03-31-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boater454

I use this same hitch for my 24TD. How do you determine how many links to use? Should I just park somewhere level and try to pull the back of the truck up a certain amount? I have a 2' long piece of pipe I use so I could put a lot more pressure on the bars than I do. I usually hold it at about 1' pipe length and pull as hard as I can. I'm not a real big guy. Maybe I should grab the end of the pipe and put more pressure on the bars? Thanks for any suggestions.

You don't need to do that. Just attach the trailer to the ball and lock it in place. Then, use the tongue jack to lift the hitch and the back of your tow vehicle until you can put the correct link in place. Retract the jack and see if it rides level.

To unhitch, reverse the procedure. Lift the hitch and back of the tow vehicle until you can pull the chains off, then retract the jack so you can release the ball from the tongue.

- Jack

RCREYES · 03-31-2011, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackandJanet

You don't need to do that. Just attach the trailer to the ball and lock it in place. Then, use the tongue jack to lift the hitch and the back of your tow vehicle until you can put the correct link in place. Retract the jack and see if it rides level.

To unhitch, reverse the procedure. Lift the hitch and back of the tow vehicle until you can pull the chains off, then retract the jack so you can release the ball from the tongue.

- Jack

That is exactly how I do it and it works out great.

boater454 · 03-31-2011, 02:21 PM

Sounds great. I'll do that.

RichR · 03-31-2011, 02:35 PM

Boater454,

Setting up the hitch should be done using the proper procedure. First you need to fine a hard and level surface for doing the setup. Next, use the prescribed method for your particular hitch. I looked up the instructions for a Reese trunnion type hitch to use as an example: http://reeseproducts.com/content/dow...ion/N66541.pdf

You have to pay attention to the hitch height, the ball mount angle, and the tow vehicle front and rear heights. Doing this on the level surface is a must in order to get your measurements and adjustments done correctly. It may take a few tries before you get it right.

boater454 · 03-31-2011, 02:46 PM

Thanks RichR, I didn't get any instructions with my hitch. Good to know about lubricating every time also.

RCREYES · 03-31-2011, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boater454

I use this same hitch for my 24TD. How do you determine how many links to use? Should I just park somewhere level and try to pull the back of the truck up a certain amount? I have a 2' long piece of pipe I use so I could put a lot more pressure on the bars than I do. I usually hold it at about 1' pipe length and pull as hard as I can. I'm not a real big guy. Maybe I should grab the end of the pipe and put more pressure on the bars? Thanks for any suggestions.

These are the instructions for the Curt WDH.

http://sitepro12.sitepro.com/masterl..._17302_INS.pdf

RCREYES · 03-31-2011, 03:08 PM

More good info.

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