I received a weight distributing hitch and sway control system from Equal-i-zer.
I installed this system myself and tested it out. All opinions are my own.
Trailer Towing Basics
There is so much that we have learned over the years as we have traveled with different size trailers and motorhomes. Towing any size rig can be intimidating at first. I want to try and break it all down for you as simply as possible. There is a lot that goes into towing a trailer safely: Proper hitching, weight distribution, sway bars and speed to name a few.
The Tow Vehicle
Let’s start with the tow vehicle. When we first started camping, we were pulling a tiny 16′ vintage trailer that weighed under 2,000 lbs, with a mini van. As we have upgraded our trailers, we have upgraded our tow vehicles. The bigger the trailer, the more important it is to have the proper vehicle. The vehicle that is towing a lightweight pop-up or vintage camper, for example, may not need to have wiring for electric breaks or automatic transmission cooling system and tow package. As long as the vehicle is rated to tow the weight and has the proper electrical hookup for lights, you should be good to go.
Once you move onto bigger travel trailers, you will want to look for a vehicle that is specifically built for towing. Rather than adding on a hitch, look for vehicles that come with a factory installed tow package. This may include a hitch, special tow button that shifts the transmission into towing mode, electric break control for the trailer, and a transmission cooling system. When a vehicle has had these features built in at the factory, it increases the towing capacity considerably.
Our Current Vehicle
When we decided to purchase a travel trailer after owning a motorhome for a few years, we knew we would need to upgrade our vehicle. At the time, we owned a Chevy Traverse with factory installed tow package that could tow 5,500 lbs. Because of having 5 kids, we wanted a large trailer, but also needed a vehicle that could hold 7 of us (which automatically ruled out a pick-up truck). We settled on a Chevy Suburban, but not just any Suburban. We wanted a Suburban with the Max Trailering package. This meant it would come with a factory installed hitch, electric break control, towing mode, transmission cooling system, and sway control. The most important thing we looked for was a rear axle ratio of 3.42. This allows us to tow up to 8,300 lbs. We settled on a trailer that has as dry weight of 7,000 lbs, hoping that would give us enough wiggle room for loading it up with supplies and people.
Weight Distributing Hitch and Sway Control
Having the proper hitch and sway control will make a world of difference for your trailer towing ability. We have had great success with Equal-i-zer brand sway control systems. We have owned both the E2 hitch from Fastway Trailer for our smaller trailer and the Equal-i-zer 4-point Sway Control hitch with our current trailer. With a larger trailer, you will probably still feel the effects of wind and speed on your ability to drive safely, but a sway control system will dramatically improve your experience.
Sway Control
Think of your car and trailer like a hinge. When wind pushes your trailer from one side, the hinge-like connection (the hitch) will naturally want to swing open and closed, causing sway. The smallest amount of sway can quickly get out of control. The high tension that a sway control system creates, will make it harder for your trailer to swing back and forth with every gust of wind. We have noticed a remarkable difference in the quality of the Equal-i-zer hitch and the amount of tension it creates compared to other models.
Weight Distribution
The other thing that a weight distributing hitch does, is transfer the weight from the tongue, to the car’s front axle. This allows your car to handle and break better while towing. The Equal-i-zer system has 4 points of friction that help distribute the weight, while dramatically cutting down on sway. A weight distributing hitch does NOT decrease the weight of your trailer or allow you to tow more weight. It DOES improve your overall towing experience.
Installing an Equal-i-zer Hitch
We have had weight distributing systems installed by dealers in the past, but my husband and I recently installed one ourselves for the first time! I talked at length with an Equal-i-zer representative to get tips and advice before starting this project. He explained that while dealerships used to be the main source of sales and installation, they have seen a considerable increase in the number of people wanting to DIY their own installation.
We were a little intimidated at the beginning, but after watching several YouTube videos and reading through the owners manual, we felt pretty good. The owners manual was actually incredibly helpful and Equal-i-zer has a reputation for having great customer service and support. We really liked having the opportunity to install, go for a test drive, make adjustments and then test it out again. This attention to detail wouldn’t have happened at a dealership where time is limited.
Here are a few pointers:
- Read through the owners manual thoroughly before starting
- Borrow the tools that you don’t have from a friend
- Begin installation once your trailer and car are loaded for a trip
- If you car has an automatic leveling system, allow it to run and do it’s thing – except for when you are connecting the sway bars (otherwise it will be working against you)
- Our Chevy Suburban sits very high and needed a larger shank to drop the hitch lower
- Make sure the tire pressure on your vehicle and trailer are correct before installing (don’t ask me how I know
See the video below for our installation experience!
How to Pack Weight Correctly
Keep your vehicle’s weight limit in mind, as well as where you place heavy items within a trailer. As a general rule, 10-15 percent of your gross trailer weight (GTW) should be over your tongue. Another way to look at it would be to keep 60% of your weight towards the front, with 40% over the axle. Most travel trailers are designed with weight appropriately distributed between the axle and tongue, with the main storage compartment located in front by the tongue. This storage compartment is where your heaviest items should go. You should never load heavy items in the back of your trailer, or on the back bumper. Some travel trailers come with storage racks on the back, and have fresh water tanks located near the back as well. Be cautious not to overload these with heavy items, and you may not want to travel with a water tank completely full.
Key Terms
When shopping for a new trailer, you may notice a lot of stickers with different numbers and abbreviations on them. These can be a little confusing, and it’s hard to understand what they all mean. Here are a few of the key terms to keep in mind.
- Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR)
This is the maximum operating weight of a tow vehicle and anything it is towing, loaded. - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
This is the maximum operating weight of any vehicle on the road and is set by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). All tow vehicles, towed vehicles, motorhomes and trailers have a GVWR. - Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
This is the maximum amount that can be placed on any one axle of a vehicle, evenly distributed across the axle, and includes the weight of the axle. - Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW)
This is the weight of the tow vehicle, as shipped from the factory. - Gross Trailer Weight (GTW)
Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) is the same as Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) when referring to a trailer. While GVW can be applied to tow vehicles and trailers, GTW makes it clear that we are speaking of a trailer.When connected, a portion of the trailer’s weight is transferred to the tow vehicle through the hitch. - Dry Weight
Dry Weight is the actual weight of a vehicle or trailer containing standard equipment without fuel, fluids, cargo, passengers, or optional equipment. - Tongue Weight
Tongue Weight is the actual weight pressing down on the hitch ball by the trailer. The recommended amount of Tongue Weight is 10-15% of the GTW.
Safety Tips
When hitching or unhitching a trailer, there are a few key safety items we always try to remember.
- Place wheel chocks behind wheels before hitching or unhitching
- If using a cinder block under your tongue, position it with the holes facing up and use a pressure treated piece of wood on top
- Always crisscross chains between your trailer and vehicle while towing
- Test break lights and turn signals before travel
- Always insert a pin through the coupler hole before travel
- Make sure a breakaway wire is in good condition and secured to your tow vehicle
Pin-It!
Glen Taylor
This will be our first time using it so I’m learning more about the sway bar. Thank you for sharing this useful information.
Glen Taylor
After installing it, we felt the car was much less wobbly when going into bumps or turning roads.
Dalton Bourne
Do I Need a Sway Bar for My Travel Trailer? the answer is have because even if you observe preventive measures, there is always the risk of unknown forces causing your travel trailer to roll. Having a stabilizer bar under your travel trailer’s chassis can minimize the threat of sway and improve road safety. A sway bar for travel trailer is an aftermarket accessory that RV owners install in their travel trailer’s suspension to improve its handling characteristics. Sway bars work by controlling wheel suspension action, keeping the travel trailer’s wheels in constant contact with the road surface.
Steve Kolbe
So… How is the suburban holding up with that large of a trailer? We have a similar Suburban and are thinking of getting a trailer about the same weight as yours. I am concerned it is too close to the GCWR however – especially when considering the human weight and gear added onto the dry weights.
WestB87
This is a great question that I was also wondering. Our Navigator has an 8500lb towing capacity. Our camper has a 6120lb unloaded weight (but includes weight of batteries and loaded propane tanks). We considered a 7000 unloaded weight camper, but it was close enough to our tow capacity that I wasn’t comfortable with that. We are a family of 6 and I factor approx. 800lbs worth of people alone and our Navigator has a 1510lb payload, meaning I’m at 710lbs of usable tongue weight, which also means keeping my GTW at <7100lbs.
There are definitely more factors to towing than straight towing capacity of the vehicle. I’ve upgraded the struts (to include heavier duty springs and valving), installed heavy duty Hellwig swaybars front and rear, and upgraded the braking system of our Navigator. None of this raises my towing capacity, but does help when we are close to the limit.
Brianne
How did you guys figure what your vehicle could safely tow? We have an SUV as well and are trying to figure out the numbers but it’s so confusing! We have similar towing capacity, but we thought because of the tongue weight we couldn’t tow anything over 4,500-5,000 dry weight? I’m wondering if we are calculating wrong?
Ian
You do not want your trailer to be at your max tow capacity. You want to leave a 10% to 20% margin for hills and mountains. I live in the west so I go with a 20% margin. This is for basic tow weight. Then you need to think about payload capacity for the SUV. For that, you need to add up how much your passengers, stuff, gas, and tongue weight and ensure it is not over the payload capacity of your vehicle. Here is how it works our for me. I have a F-150 with max tow.
F-150 tow capacity = 10,700lbs
Safe Towing with 20% margin: 10,700 x .8 = 8,560lbs
F-150 Payload Capacity = 1,860 lbs
Passenger weight = 450lbs
36 fuel tank @ 8lbs a gallon = 288lbs
Total remaining payload capacity for max tongue weight: 1,860 – 450 – 288 = 1,122lbs*
*Keep in mind, this is what remains if all we cary in the truck is people and gas. The max tongue number will decrease when we start to put things in the truck like firewood, bikes, etc…
Now we know what the MAX tongue weight can be for the payload capacity of the F-150. We can now see how big of a trailer that can be. Remember tongue weight needs to be 10-15% of the total trailer weight. Let’s use 13% as general rule.
1,122 / .13 = 8,630 lbs.
So as you can see here – the MAX trailer weight we can use for safe towing capacity AND payload capacity is 8,600lbs. Remember the disclaimer I put there for payload capacity and keeping everything else in mind? Let’s assume I have 300lbs of other things in the bed of the truck. That drastically changes things. My max tongue weight has now been reduced to 822lbs and thus the max trailer weight is only 6,300lbs. Even though I have a HUGE tow capacity, many other factors indicate I should really stay well below that to ensure everything else is safe and within margins.