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Old 02-03-2020, 04:22 PM   #3
Bill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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First we need to be sure we know the difference between sway bars and spring bars. Spring bars are part of many weight distributing hitches (WDH). They distribute hitch weight, but by themselves, don't do anything for sway. The Equalizer brand (with a capital "E") is actually a combination of anti-sway and spring bars, so if you are using one of those, you are good. But the word "equalizer" (small "e") is usually a generic term used to indicate any WDH.

You have a reasonably long truck, and with the hemi, the towing capacity is spec'ed at a bit more than 5000 pounds minimum (usually much more), depending on a bunch of things like what kind of cab, bed length, transmission, etc. So you may not need either a WDH or spring bars. Again, if you have an Equalizer and know how to adjust it, you don't need anything else.

One thing to check is the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) of the rear axle. This is the maximum allowed value of the total weight on the rear axle. It includes the rear axle weight of the truck itself, most of the weight of the cargo you put in the bed, and the hitch weight of the TM. Hitch weight of a loaded TM generally runs 400-500 pounds, so if that causes you to exceed the GAWR, you will need a WDH. Again, an Equalizer is an excellent WDH for this situation.

Incidentally, Trail Manors are designed not to sway. This is done by moving the axle back toward the rear of the trailer. This increases hitch weight from the commonly-mentioned 10% of the trailer weight, to something like 14%. The result is that Trail Manors don't really need any kind of sway control as long as you don't have a very small, short vehicle - although if you want to add any kind of sway control, that is fine.

This is more than you wanted to know, I imagine. You might learn more if you look up the online Towing Guide for the 2017 Ram 1500, and find your particular truck in the listing.

Bill
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