Bought a Camper! Sequoia + Coachmen TT = What WD Hitch?

[Jettix2]

I emailed RockyMtnRay, but I think he must be out RV-ing someplace

My wife and I just bought our first travel trailer last weekend and I need to get set up for towing it safely...I've never towed anything LARGE before.

Vehicle is a 2001 Sequoia 4WD w/ factory tow package (reciever hitch, 4-pin harness, trans cooler)....GVWR is 6600lb, CGVWR is 11800. Truck weighs about 5400 empty, leaving 6400lbs for trailer & gear. The stock reciever hitch doesnt have any stickers on it for weight capacity.

Trailer is a 2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite 249QB....base weight was about 3800#, but with optional equipment it is sitting at about 4300lbs. Tongue weight was about 400 base, but with 2 30# LP tanks on the tongue, I'm around 500lbs.

(PO gave me his two 800# Reese round bars, but I dont have the shank/head/ball/anti-sway and it is cheaper to just buy a whole package).

I need a weight distribution setup AND anti-sway, because I'm not pulling this trailer across the Mackinac Bridge without anti-sway

I don't have the $$ to take it to the local RV store, pay their inflated price for the parts, and have them do a sloppy install job.

Here' what I've found so far:

1) Putnam round bar weight distribution hitch with shank, etc (Made in USA)10,000lb Max /1,000 tongue with 2 add-on friction sways for about $335.00 to my door.

2) Equal-i-zer hitch with built in friction sway control 10,000 max/1,000 tongue with shank for $400.00 to my door.

3) Reese weight distributing hitch with Dual Cam anti-sway for $435.00 from the nearby RV store. Not sure if it is a round or trunion bar (is there a performance difference?) or what capacity...

(I'll be running a Prodigy brake controller).

Can anyone give any advice/guidance/opinions on which hitch to choose? I read that some of these are a PITA to hook up, and have to be removed for backing them up??

This is the price range I can afford (I've avoided the Curt Mfg hitch, because I called them today and they said the WD hitches are made overseas, and I don't want something that is going to fail on me).

I also need to know if the standard adjustable shank is going to work on the truck or not.......the rear end of a stock Sequoia 4WD sits fairly high up.......is there something I can measure to check?

Thank you!

[j4x4ar3]

My vote is for he Reese Dual-Cam setup. Wanted to run that on my trailer but it wouldn't fit with my battery case and propane tanks without some modification so I'm running standard friction sway. I don't have sway issues either.

Check to see what will work on your trailer first before making the purchase.

Prodigy brake controller is a very good choice. Myself and many others recomend it.

[Jettix2]

I will check it out. Thank you!

Ben

Originally Posted by j4x4ar3

My vote is for he Reese Dual-Cam setup. Wanted to run that on my trailer but it wouldn't fit with my battery case and propane tanks without some modification so I'm running standard friction sway. I don't have sway issues either.

Check to see what will work on your trailer first before making the purchase.

Prodigy brake controller is a very good choice. Myself and many others recomend it.

[NJMikeC]

You can probably get away with the Equalizer if money is strictly a concern.

Since the Sequoia is a short wheel base a step up to the Reese DualCam is also a good thought.

You can find a Tekonsha Prodigy Controller for $99 on the internet. I think I got mine from PPLXXXXX. Just Google Prodigy Brake Controller and you will find it.

Don't trust the weights as published. Go to RV.net and see if you can't find that trailer's real weight. The Real weight is probably 600lbs more then what they say the dry weight it.

The Sequoia should toe that rig adequatelly with about 1200lbs of GCWR to spare. That is about where you want to be because you can almost never completely drain your tanks. Also you can carry anything you want and never worry about 10 lbs here, 15 lbs there, etc. Lastly you should always do all the calculations on GCWR, GVWR, and GAWR yourself. An education is a good thing and also makes you a responsible tow vehicle operator. Since you have a Sequoia and that is heavier then a Tundra then you maybe pushing your GVWR a little.

[NJMikeC]

Just noticed something else. You don't have a 7 PIN connector so you may have to start posting a lot more of how you get that Prodigy wired to a new 7 Pin Connector. If the 7 Pin connector is there you get a simple connector Block under the dash to which you connect the Prodigy to.

[Herbicidal]

Congrats on your purchase! You'll have tons o' fun I'm sure. I would also recommend the Reese Dual-Cam, Prodigy and tow with overdrive OFF. Don't worry about letting that 24 valve V8 rev! Check your local yellow pages or do an internet search for truck scales and at your earliest opportunity have the trailer weighed (if possible with all the gear you would expect to take in it). Then you will know what YOUR trailer weighs. I don't know if you have considered aftermarket mirror's, but the McKesh brand is excellent! Here's a link: http://www.hensleymfg.com/mckeshmirrors.html

Most importantly of all, drive safe and have fun!

[Jettix2]

Ray has emailed me back, and I think I'm going to go with the Reese Dual Cam.

There's some info here on the board that I ran across yesterday (just need to find it again!) about converting the 4 pin to a 7 round on the pre 2003 Tundras/Sequoias, which do NOT have the harness under the dash to make a quick installation. It requires running 2 power lines from the battery.....

Thanks! Ben