2019 Jay Flight SLX 174BH Tow Bar Thoughts?

[Noobsack]

My tow vehicle is a 2014 Nissan Xterra Pro 4X with factory tow package. I'm towing a 2019 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 174BH and after a lot of forum reading, google searching, youtube watching im completely lost. Looks like i went in over my head to the point I no longer know what im even looking for.

Considering the smaller size of the tow vehicle and smaller trailer I don't need the biggest WDH/Sway control out there but at the same time because it's such a small vehicle im thinking the bigger the better?

I certainly want something that will do the trick, keep it level but also I hear so many stories(and watched videos) of sway being a huge issue that I want whats best for my vehicle, trailer and safety of my family.

Anyone with tons of experience or a similar TV/Trailer set up that can provide some help. Yes i read forums, yes i googled, yes i watched videos but never similar tow vehicle and trailer so its hard to tell how it will perform, looking for real info from others in the same boat(so to speak)

[RogerR]

My setup is not to far from yours. My Jeep Grand Cherokee tows my 195RB very nicely with the Andersen hitch. It provides needed return of weight and safe steering to the front wheels, it also provides great sway control to the point that even in high winds I have not had sway. And it does not weigh nearly as much as most of the other hitch types (about 52 pounds). Additionally, easy to set up and great customer service (PS I don't work there or own stock). I had the bar types and hated them. And unless you added sway control most have none.

[ttavasc]

I agree with RogerR - look at the Andersen. I towed a 195RB for 5 years/25K miles with an Andersen and it worked great. Lightweight, quiet, clean and very easy to install and adjust. The sway control is excellent too.

[Noobsack]

Originally Posted by RogerR

My setup is not to far from yours. My Jeep Grand Cherokee tows my 195RB very nicely with the Andersen hitch. It provides needed return of weight and safe steering to the front wheels, it also provides great sway control to the point that even in high winds I have not had sway. And it does not weigh nearly as much as most of the other hitch types (about 52 pounds). Additionally, easy to set up and great customer service (PS I don't work there or own stock). I had the bar types and hated them. And unless you added sway control most have none.

Ive looked on etrailer as lots of users on this forum recommend that site. When I google them it appears amazon is just a good a place as any to order it from or do you have a recommendation of where to order from

[Noobsack]

Originally Posted by ttavasc

I agree with RogerR - look at the Andersen. I towed a 195RB for 5 years/25K miles with an Andersen and it worked great. Lightweight, quiet, clean and very easy to install and adjust. The sway control is excellent too.

Thanks. Appreciate you confirming his recommendation. Thoughts on where to pick on up? Amazon is showing a "Andersen Hitches No-Sway Weight Distribution Hitch 4in Drop/Rise, 2in Ball, Universal Frame Brackets" for $620.00

[DocBrown]

Give Etrailer a call. They are excellent and know what they are doing. They will be able to make a recommendation. My trailer is only about 500# more than yours. I have a Fastway E2. Excellent hitch for a smaller trailer. Built in sway control, no chains and super easy to hookup and detach.

[mass-hole]

Im towing an x213(24’ total, 5500 lb gvwr) with my Lexus GX, which is the same frame as the 4Runner, so similar in size to the Xterra. Admittedly, this trailer is at the upper limits of what my HX should tow. I run an Equalizer hitch and it has been solid. Handles crosswinds and passing semis extremely well and have had zero issues.

For your trailer i would think the 600/6000 lb one would be good. You dont want it too stiff or it will make the ride crappy and put a lot of stress on the trailer frame.

Also, check Craigslist for used hitches. You can usually score a nice deal. Most of the hitches are just a chunk of steel so its not like it could be broken. I got my equalizer on CL for $275.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Noobsack

Thanks. Appreciate you confirming his recommendation. Thoughts on where to pick on up? Amazon is showing a "Andersen Hitches No-Sway Weight Distribution Hitch 4in Drop/Rise, 2in Ball, Universal Frame Brackets" for $620.00

I love our Andersen and recommend it. I bought ours from the dealer when we bought the TT new. But you can buy it for under $600 directly from Andersen. Or check with one of their local dealers and see if they won’t sell it even cheaper. Here’s the link: https://shop.andersenhitches.com/col...ribution-hitch

[Noobsack]

Originally Posted by mass-hole

Im towing an x213(24’ total, 5500 lb gvwr) with my Lexus GX, which is the same frame as the 4Runner, so similar in size to the Xterra. Admittedly, this trailer is at the upper limits of what my HX should tow. I run an Equalizer hitch and it has been solid. Handles crosswinds and passing semis extremely well and have had zero issues.

For your trailer i would think the 600/6000 lb one would be good. You dont want it too stiff or it will make the ride crappy and put a lot of stress on the trailer frame.

Also, check Craigslist for used hitches. You can usually score a nice deal. Most of the hitches are just a chunk of steel so its not like it could be broken. I got my equalizer on CL for $275.

I'll take a look on CL and FB marketplace as that usually does well for me. I do appreciate the 600/6000 as that's what i was leaning towards.

Is yours Bars, Bar/Chain, Straight chain?

[Noobsack]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I love our Andersen and recommend it. I bought ours from the dealer when we bought the TT new. But you can buy it for under $600 directly from Andersen. Or check with one of their local dealers and see if they won’t sell it even cheaper. Here’s the link: https://shop.andersenhitches.com/col...ribution-hitch

So curious your thoughts, a lot of people recommended etrailer for other stuff as well as 1 person in this post and so I called them and they tried to steer me away from andersen because they believe it doesn't hand sway as well as other WDH do due to the all chain set up. Is the one you have all chain?(i personally like that look more and the details say prevents sway, controls sway.)

[Noobsack]

Originally Posted by DocBrown

Give Etrailer a call. They are excellent and know what they are doing. They will be able to make a recommendation. My trailer is only about 500# more than yours. I have a Fastway E2. Excellent hitch for a smaller trailer. Built in sway control, no chains and super easy to hookup and detach.

I did call, they did make some good recommendations. I was bummed that their recommended unit was the blue ox and the mounts that attach to my tongue are the bulky mounts.

I was hoping for the 2" flat bar style because the bigger(wider) mounts are like 5" wide and doesn't give my propane tank cover enough space and really squishes it.

No chains you say, so bar style, do you notice it being louder at all? that was the big downside to all bars I was told...

No personal experience just going off peoples input so I could be wrong.

[Kim Gass]

Remember your trailer frame is lightweight and not that robust
We hauled our 195 with no WDH because Honda didnt recommend one to be used with the Ridgeline. We had the old Jay command anti sway system which of course is reactive to sway rather than proactive to prevent it.
Nevertheless five cross country trips and several to the Maritimes we had no issue with that lightweight trailer. 100 k miles
When we moved up in truck and trailer we got the Andersen
Still a comparatively light trailer and though only 2 k miles towing it seems to work well
I would not go for bigger is better as some of the systems add a lot of weight to your tongue weight and can stress your frame
In these lightweight trailers every pound counts

[mass-hole]

Originally Posted by Noobsack

I'll take a look on CL and FB marketplace as that usually does well for me. I do appreciate the 600/6000 as that's what i was leaning towards.

Is yours Bars, Bar/Chain, Straight chain?

Equalizers are bars that rest on L-brackets mounted to the trailer frame.

I think the Andersen is probably a bit easier to adjust due to the fact that it uses the chains and nuts, but unless you are towing a trailer that varies a lot from one pull to the next I don't see a lot benefit to that. I know a guy who got the andersen for his flat bed trailer that he uses to haul cars and his Kabota but his trailer could be 2000 lbs one trip and 8000 lbs on another. A travel trailer is gunna vary maybe a few hundred lbs trip to trip.

I can't comment on which is better with regards to sway control as I have only ever towed with my Equalizer. I have pulled in 30-40mph crosswinds with my F150 doing 65-70mph and 25mph crosswinds with my GX and the trailer pulls nice and straight, no drama at all.

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by Noobsack

So curious your thoughts, a lot of people recommended etrailer for other stuff as well as 1 person in this post and so I called them and they tried to steer me away from andersen because they believe it doesn't hand sway as well as other WDH do due to the all chain set up. Is the one you have all chain?(i personally like that look more and the details say prevents sway, controls sway.)

Having used an early Andersen model on our 195RB for 5 years/25K+ miles I can say that the sway control is exceptional - works every bit as well as the Blue Ox that we are using with our larger and heavier ORV. Our 195RB was always very stable and I never had an issue with feeling like the Andersen wasn't doing its job. The Andersen design is not traditional and I think at times that leads to recommendations against it from folks who've never used one. But in my experience, as with many others, it has been found to be reliable and effective.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by Noobsack

I was hoping for the 2" flat bar style because the bigger(wider) mounts are like 5" wide and doesn't give my propane tank cover enough space and really squishes it.

No chains you say, so bar style, do you notice it being louder at all? that was the big downside to all bars I was told...

I have the Fastway e2 trunnion style hitch and I'll never go back to chain style. Does it make some creaking noise in turns as the trunnion bars rub? Yes, but I'll bear that all day long in exchange for the advantages:

• More ground clearance
• Anti-sway and weight distribution built into one device
• No need to ever disconnect the trunnion bars while back up.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R29XUH...SIN=B01MDMEUJM

[SAMM Kinder]

I searched high and low for a reasonable hitch assembly for my 185RB and found Harbor Freight had great prices as well as the same as others with different labels on them

[lonestarcamper]

Love my Recurve R3! Simple, reliable and cost effective. 2020 Tacoma pulling a 2021 Jayco SLX 195RB. Sway control built in and no need to unhook when backing, quiet too!
https://www.camco.net/recurve-r3-wei...nch-ball-48770

[serge90]

The best for me, Touareg and Jay feather 6000 lbs empty, https://rvpartshop.ca/product/weight...QaAiWjEALw_wcB

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Noobsack

So curious your thoughts, a lot of people recommended etrailer for other stuff as well as 1 person in this post and so I called them and they tried to steer me away from andersen because they believe it doesn't hand sway as well as other WDH do due to the all chain set up. Is the one you have all chain?(i personally like that look more and the details say prevents sway, controls sway.)

Sorry for the late reply. Whoever you talked to at etrailer should work somewhere else or learn about the Andersen. The chains aren’t what controls the sway. It is friction cone inside the hitch housing — the more downward pressure from the tongue, the tighter the fit inside the cone and the more sway reduction.

I’ve towed our 5,000-lb-plus rig through 30-40 mph crosswinds and felt comfortable. In fact, I’ve never had any kind of sway even with semi’s passing me closely. For a small to medium trailer, I’ve found it to work great.

Check out the videos on the Andersen site for more.

[deepsea5]

I'm running a Fastway E2 Trunnion WDH/sway control setup I purchased from etrailer. 600 pound tongue/6,000 pound trailer rated hitch.

2018 Toyota 4Runner towing a Jayco JayFlight 175RD.

I'm very happy with my setup.