Advice on which hitch system to get?

[CowboyCoffee]

I am looking at buying a Jay Flight 224BHW. It has a dry weight (yellow sticker on the exact trailer) of 4579 and GVWR of 6000. The "published" dry tongue weight is 455lbs.

What WDH capacity should I be looking at with this? I have never owned a TT so I am a newbie at this, but my gut/research is telling me that a 600/6000 hitch would not be enough for a loaded trailer.

[oldmanAZ]

Tongue weight for travel trailers is in the 12% to 15% of the trailers GROSS weight. That puts you at... 6000lbs*15%=900lbs tongue weight.

You didn't mention your tow vehicle. Find your tow vehicle's PAYLOAD capacity (everything and everyone in and on the vehicle plus the trailer's tongue weight). It is usually on a yellow sticker on the driver's side door frame and is significantly less than the 'towing capacity' that salesmen use to sell you vehicles and trailers.

[wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Jaybro

What WDH capacity should I be looking at with this? .

I highly recommend Equai-i-zer WHD and here is a link to calculate the size you need. If you have any questions their Customer Service is the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS3oeM9sIGM

[Midnightmoon]

As mentioned above, a lot will depend on your intended tow vehicle. Post that information here and we can be a lot more specific on our suggestions.

With that said, I am using the Anderson WD hitch on my 22BHM that has a listed dry weight of 4265# and a GVWR of 5500#. As I currently have it loaded for camping, it weighs almost on the button at 5000# and a hitch weight of just over 700#. The Anderson works great with mine and I think generally well with trailers of this weight category.

Hope this helps.

[CowboyCoffee]

I should have mentioned the TV. I already went through that whole towing/payload/tongue weight educational experience that all newbies do... including the purchase of a truck that was not an adequate tow vehicle, and trading it in for a better one a short while later.

Anyways, my TV is a 2017 F150 crew cab/short bed, 3.5 ecoboost. The payload capacity according to the sticker is 1844lbs.

[CowboyCoffee]

I was interested in the Equalizer WDH because it seems to have a very strong reputation.

My Jayco dealer has told me very confidently that the Fastway e2 WDH is more than enough for this trailer. I know they are made by the same company. I kind of want the Equalizer anyways because of the additional sway control. They also say that I would get the 600lb/6000lb model. It just seems to me that I could easily surpass the 600lb tongue weight.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

If there is any chance of you getting a larger trailer in the future, get the 1k/10k. The 600/6000 is going to be at or near the limit on tongue weight once you get all packed and loaded up for camping.

A much better option if there is ever a chance of going to a larger TT, is to spend the money up front and get a ProPride hitch. You absolutely can't get any better than that. They are pricey but worth every cent.

[Demiles]

The e2 and the Equalizer are similar in design except the e2 has 2 points of friction and the Equalizer has 4. You will get better sway control with the Equalizer with 4 points of friction. About the only down side to the overall design is those bars don’t have much flex and can make for a stiffer ride then tapered bar designs. I’m very tempted by the Husky Centerline with tapered bars for my next hitch.

[FeatherFam]

Originally Posted by Jaybro

I was interested in the Equalizer WDH because it seems to have a very strong reputation.

My Jayco dealer has told me very confidently that the Fastway e2 WDH is more than enough for this trailer. I know they are made by the same company. I kind of want the Equalizer anyways because of the additional sway control. They also say that I would get the 600lb/6000lb model. It just seems to me that I could easily surpass the 600lb tongue weight.

Having owned both, I disagree with your dealer on the e2 and the weight rating. I got sold the same way on our first unit. Progress makes both of them. If it were me, i would go with the 4 point Equalizer WDH. Get the 10k and rest assured. You will be glad that you did. Personally, I do not want a hitch that is at or near my weights in its capacity. The 10k is an excellent choice for your set up.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Jaybro

snip..... but my gut/research is telling me that a 600/6000 hitch would not be enough for a loaded trailer.

I agree.

Taking your "as shipped" UVW of 4,579lbs + (75lbs dealer battery, etc.) + (600lbs cargo, no fluids) = 5,254lbs (moderately loaded)

Recommended loaded tongue weight range of 5,254lbs = 683lbs - 788lbs (12% - 15%).

IMO a WDH rated at 1,000lbs and adjusted properly would be ideal for a 6,000lb GVWR TT.

Bob

[RichP]

I ended up going with the eaz lift trekker which is a slightly newer version of the hitch in the video it uses cams in the head of the hitch to make the sway control adjustable as was as the ability to disable it if you wanted too. The max gvw on our trailer is 7,000 lbs the hitch is rated for 14,000 lbs and I went with the 1,000 lb load bars. You could also order it with 600 or 1200 lb bars as well. Here's a link to the details

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Eaz-Lif.../dp/B00ED7ZXIU

[ShawnR]

If you're on a budget you won't regret buying the e2. I have run one for 5 years and it works fine. My weight is distributed properly and I don't have issues with sway. As others have said, get the 1k/10k so you are supporting 15% tongue weight of the 6k gross.

[need-a-vacation]

Jaybro,

Welcome and congrats on the (possible) new rig!!!

As for what wd bar rating to go with, know that the “brochure” dry tongue/hitch weight (tw) does not include the weight of the propane tanks or a battery on the tongue. Those add ~120lbs for 2-20lb tanks and a battery, or ~160lbs for 2-30lb tanks and a battery. For new rigs it is sometimes tough to estimate the loaded tw, not knowing how the rig will be packed. A 800lb bar may work, ut as others have mentioned it would probably be best to go with the 1000k rated bars to be safe.

As for which model wdh, that’s a loaded question!!! Lol

I would also agree to go with the 4 way Equal-I-Zer system over the lower model. Know that when (not if! : you get a bigger rig, the wd bars are not able to be swapped out on the 4 way system. So if higher rated wd bars are needed, a complete system will need to be purchased.

The Reese SC system, or Dual Cam system are both excellent models. The trunnion style head (both models) does allow a little more fine tuning for the hitch head tilt vs the 4 way system. And you can buy different rated wd bars for a new rig down the road, keeping the rest of the system.

You won’t go wrong with any of those three models!!! They are all very good!!!

The Husky CenterLine system seems to be a good system as well. A buddy has been happy with his, though it’s his first wdh so he has nothing to compare it to.

The Recurve R6 also has good reviews.

Blue Ox is an interesting system that some are happy with.

Depending on what your loaded tw ends up being, the Anderson system had good reviews. But reports for rigs with a higher tw, the Anderson may not be able to transfer enough of the required weight back to the front axle.

If needed, follow my signature links for a ton of wdh info.

Don’t hesitate to ask any other questions, both before and after the purchase, even if it’s regarding accessories.

Good luck on the new rig purchase!!!

[KCSA75]

When we purchased our camper, Camping World wanted almost $800 for an Equalizer. I went with the Curt TruTrack Trunion Bar WDH. CURT Manufacturing - CURT TruTrack Trunnion Bar Weight Distribution System #17500

Some may disagree, but in my mind the TruTrack has all the features of the Equalizer for less money. I bought from e-Trailer for less than $400 and I didn't have to pay sales tax which saved me another $40.

I've still got some adjusting to do, but the camper is put up for winter so it'll have to wait till spring.