Originally posted by 77 Sunset Strip Thanks- will look up your articles.  Couple of questions - how critical is it if you are trying to ascertain tongue weight that you are on a perfectly level surface to start with (my driveway area slope downhill slightly), 2)  I bought a digital scale that has a limit of 396.8 lbs thinking that with a dry weight of 281 lbs. adding full propane tank, group 27 battery, and electric tongue jack - I would have room to spare, but the scale immediately went to 395.8 lbs (so that may be accurate or could be over that and only reads to that point) and I have not yet added water to the water tank.  Where does one get a scale that goes higher than 396 lbs ??

Get this scale if you want one that is accurate and will measure up to 1000 pounds.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007REJTGI/

But your other scale might be accurate based on your description. Have you loaded any gear into your camper?

 

When talking with CURT we did take into account added battery and propane weight to the tongue weight - but did not think to mention to them that the water tank is forward of the trailer axle.  Best to call them again after I fill with water and then weigh.

If we use Advanced Search to look for your posting on this - what should we put in the search box?

Had an interesting conversation with CURT the other day about a recommendation for one of their equalizer/stabilizer setups.  After reviewing specs on trailer (2019 -189) with dry weight of 2792 and dry tongue weight of 281 and my truck (2022 Nissan Frontier)- tow capacity 6330 lbs. - they said NOT to use equalizeer hitch on it as you would not want to lift the back of the truck given my specs.

I have only towed home on freeway from dealer 100 miles without any add-ons it seemed to handle fine even with some wind.

We have had a 177 for 11 years (37,000+ miles) and have only used a Curt friction bar for sway control.  Towing vehicles have included (8 years) '08 and '13 Explorers and the last 3 years '11 and '17 F-150 which would be comparable to your Ram 1500.  Although the tongue weight is significantly less for us (325# with a full FW tank) the truck doesn't even begin to sag in the rear or lift in the front.  If you experience the same you can probably safely get by with a simple friction bar.

A lot depends on your tow vehicle. If you have an F-250, for instance, your hitch needs will be different than if you have a Frontier or Ranger, for example. I use an Equal-i-zer 4-point sway control hitch with 600 lb bars. It is what I got when I got our RP179. I tried a Hensley hitch, which was very good, but a pain to hitch and unhitch on unequal ground, so I sold that back to Hensley and went back to using the Equal-i-zer. Some people like using similar hitches such as the Fastway E2 which is 2-point sway control. Some like using the Andersen No-Sway hitch because of its light weight. The common thing is that all of these offer at least some form of sway control. Sway control is something that you don't normally need -- that is, until you do, so it is better to have and not need than to need and not have.

Weight distribution is a different matter. Some vehicles may not need it, but it will still improve the ride as it controls the porpoising that can happen as you go over road dips. All the ones I mentioned are weight distribution hitches. Again, if you have a heavy duty tow vehicle, you may not need it, but you will need to make sure you have at least 10-15% of the trailer weight on the tongue to reduce the risk of trailer sway. If you don't need or want WD, then you can get electronic sway control such as the Hayes Sway-Master or the Tuson Sway Control.

Please let us know your tow vehicle and we will be better able to advise on what would be suitable.