Weight distribution hitch recommendations

I am getting a new toy hauler Boost XLR 27QB. Tongue weight is 1050 unloaded. dry weight is 6400. I will be carrying 600-1000 lbs with bikes and generator, 150 gas, 400 water, another 200-500 misc. Total weight 8,000-8,500+ I am not sure what my tongue weight will be but debating on a 12,000/1,200 or a 14,000/1,400 hitch. Going with a Reese. What are others running and what weight? I am towing with a 2016 silverado 1500 crew cab.

 

I have a Hyperlyte XLR 24 and use a 3/4 ton chevy to pull it. I use weight distro and a sway bar. Either get a weight distro that does controls sway or buy a sway bar for your set up. That trailer will move around without some sort of anti-sway set up. I use Curt stuff...

 

Sorry, the hitch is weight distribution and anti sway. More concerned if the 14 is over kill or if the 12 is enough.

 

I have used an equal-I-zer in the past and loved it.

I actually have one rated for 10k that I need to sell since I don't see me getting another enclosed anytime soon. pm me and I'll make you a great deal on it.

 

What were you towing with it? I want to make sure it is rated high enough for the tongue weight.

 

Your tongue weight can be adjusted based on where you place the load inside the trailer. I'm sure the 12k/1200 would be enough, but the 14k/1400 would be better, especially if the price difference isn't too much. What's the max trailer load rating for your truck? That's quite a bit of weight for a 1500. Figured I would get that in here before the "you have to have a dually to pull my bass boat" crowd shows up

 

Truck rated at 10,500 towing with towing package, proper gearing and tranny cooler. I have been towing a 7000-7500 lb toy hauler loades before this I just upgraded to one that is 1000 lbs heavier dry weight. Price difference is not too much between hitches, not sure where the water tanks are yet so that will have a significant impact on tongue weight once I find out where those are. My last tanks were half way between axles and tongue so they added a bit of tongue weight. Thanks for the info I figured the 14 was the way to go for the $40 difference but wanted some input from a group I know tows a lot during the summer.

 

First things first....the published tongue weight and empty trailer weights means absolutely nothing....no one travels unloaded, except to bring it home from the dealer or return it for service. The GVWR of the trailer is almost 10k, which is a considerable weight for a 1/2T truck. So, my first suggestion is to check ALL of the tow ratings for Your truck.....do NOT go by a brochure or what a salesman tells you. You need to know the GVWR of the truck, the actual payload of YOUR truck (located on the driver side door post and is usually a white sticker with some yellow print). You also need to know the GCVWR (truck weight and trailer weight combined), the front and rear Axle weight rating (GAWR). Many 1/2T truck's, depending on how they are equipped, may have payload capacities in the 1400-1500 lb range....which doesn't leave much left for passengers, cargo, tools, ect., when you've already used most of that for trailer tongue weight. Trailer tongue weight on a tow behind trailer needs to be in the 10-15% range. Sometimes as little as 10%-will cause trailer sway, which is a serious and dangerous issue. I would try to be at least 12% and 13-14% will certainly go a long way to reduce trailer sway....so trailer load placement is critical.

Now, to toy haulers in particular. As you start loading the garage area with bikes, tools, generator, ect., you will DECREASE your tongue weight, which of course will affect your tongue weight a lot, which in turn will affect trailer sway if it gets to light. Loading toy haulers can be quite a challenge, I know, I have a 34 1/2' T. H. that comes in at 12.5K loaded the way I travel. I have struggled with NOT enough tongue weight and have fought with trailer sway because of it. I have finally got it worked out, but it has involved adding weight and more weight to the front of the trailer, then going to the CAT scales each time to see the results.

So in summary, you really need to find out if you have enough truck to safely tow that size T.H. before you commit to it, checking the payload, GVWR, GAWR, GCVWR, etc. In my personal opinion, that is probably?? too much trailer for your truck, but then again, I can't say for sure because I don't know the specifics of YOUR truck. PM me if you have any further questions, I'd be glad to help.

PS....the 12K WDH would work nicely for your application. You always want the hitch to be as close as possible to the actual load without being undersized. If you go too heavy on the WDH, you are going to have to deal with a very stiff/bouncy ride while towing. In my case (1360 lbs of tongue weight) I'm using 1500 lb spring bars on a Blue Ox brand Sway Pro WDH.

 

I have a Blue Ox hitch and really like it.

 

Thanks for the info, seems like the 12000 will be the best bet for me. I'll check everything on the truck when I get home.

 

The weight ratings on 1/2 ton trucks sure has gone up recently.

 

Another fan of the Equal-I-Zer hitches here.

The first thing you need to do is take your toy hauler to the scales and find out what it actually weighs, the number the manufacturer sticks on them is usually worthless. Anything you do without doing that is guessing.

 

They have, to some extent, but many of the the newer truck's have a lot more "stuff" on them...amenities if you will, which also decreases the payload capacity. It's a "catch 20" situation!

 

russomf...........Did you ever find out the weight capacities of your truck?

 

I have a 2006 Chevy 1500. I believe the trailer weight limit is 7k, Russo said his 2016 limit is 10,500 lbs, that's quite a difference. I know gearing, tranny cooler, etc affects the total, but that's a huge number.

 

Coming from a 1500 watch that tranny temp..... When I pulled my 18 ft enclosed with mine it would get hot quick up hills and drink the gas... I would plan on a 2500 upgrade ASAP if I were you... Made a huge difference .. bTW I considered a sway hitch but my truck pulls the trailer fine without it.... Load Balance is key as well...

 

I had a 2011 F250 4x4 CrewCab Diesel until recently. The towing number on it was 14,100 lbs. With the 4x4 option, the CrewCab option, and being an XLT, the payload on that truck was only 2148 lbs. After buying my T.H., which has a GVWR of 13K (my scaled weight was 12,400 lb going down the road), I soon found out it really wasn't enough truck for a trailer that big. Rear loading of toy haulers really lighten up the tongue weight, which was originally rated at 1340 lb empty and it lightened it up even more when loaded. Then the trailer swaying issues started because the tongue weight was right at 10%, instead of a 12-13% T.W. I kept adding weight to the front of the T.H......sand tubes, barbell weight, I replaced the one battery up front with two 6 volt deep cycle batteries, and I started carrying a full fresh water tank...106 gallons which was over 800 lbs of H2O. Not all of that was direct tongue weight, as the tank is just slightly ahead of the axles. Then I got to the point of adding weight that I had reached the GVWR of my 3/4Ton truck...10,000 lbs. I ended up buying a F350 Dually (overkill, I know), but the Dually adds some stability because of the width or footprint in the rear, and it gives me a lot of extra payload capacity (5270 lbs on yellow/white sticker) if I ever decide to buy a larger trailer/5ver. I'm not suggesting a 1Ton Dually by any means for the O.P., just suggesting that he be very thorough with researching and KNOWING what his truck is capable of before committing to a larger T.H. I ended up getting a Dually when a SRW 1Ton truck would have been plenty for my T.H., but as I said, I now have plenty of room for expansion/upgrades if I desire.

 

Upgrade to a 2500 and not worry as much with Tonque weight. I have a 21 foot toy hauler and upgraded from a f150 to a ram 2500.... best thing I ever did and never realized how crappy my f150 towed.

 

occupants and cargo is 1687lbs.

 

New transmissions must be really good, and I know brake sizes keep going up. My 98 GMC 1/2ton has small 12" rotors, rated at 7500lbs towing. 99+ trucks got 13" rotors, and 14 or 15+ trucks are running 14" rotors from the factory. Thats ALOT of braking ability and surely helps with the tow rating.