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Old 02-07-2015, 11:58 PM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BCnomad View Post
Looks like I chose wisely in also ordering an Andersen.
And a Hemi
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Old 02-08-2015, 08:11 AM   #42
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Reese SC another alternative

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Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy View Post
I kind of have the same setup in my GMC and Reace looked it over and recommended the Anderson for the same reason. To eliminate "galloping" as he put it though I am more concerned about crosswinds. Loren
We used the Reese 66151. It bolts on and ETI set it up. It was a new one for them. It uses friction pads on the bars for sway control. It is heavy. There is no issue with brackets moving since the geometry is conventional and the loading on the ball is conventional as well. The length allows the tailgate to open on our 2014 Silverado Crew Cab. Pulled great, no gallop, no sway even with a quick lane change. No issue with sharp turns or backing up like a separate friction sway control and no adjustment once it is setup.

Reese SC Weight Distribution System w Sway Control - Trunnion - 10,000 lbs GTW, 600 lbs TW Reese Weight Distribution RP66151
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Old 02-08-2015, 09:03 AM   #43
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Originally Posted by Oregonian View Post
I've been following this thread with interest. I will be towing a 21 with my 2014 Ram 1500 truck. It's a 4x4, Crew Cab, 6'4" bed, with the Hemi motor and factory tow package. I was leaning toward just a standard ball hitch due to the ample length an towing capacity of my truck. I ended up ordering the Andersen hitch from ETI primarily to mitigate trailer 'bounce' due to the stiff suspension of my truck. This will be my first trailer and I haven't picked it up yet so I can't give any first-hand reports yet.
Having towed both my Escape 19 and now BlackJack with the Andersen I can say it allows the Ram to perform flawlessly. My 20009 Ram hemi only got 12 towing or not whereas the newer 2014 with the 8 speed get 15 towing and 18 around town. My only issue with the Andersen or any hitch was the tailgate clearance until I found the removable tongue jack set up. Now there is no obstruction to access to the bed.
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Old 02-08-2015, 10:18 AM   #44
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Stiff suspension

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Originally Posted by Oregonian View Post
I've been following this thread with interest. I will be towing a 21 with my 2014 Ram 1500 truck. It's a 4x4, Crew Cab, 6'4" bed, with the Hemi motor and factory tow package. I was leaning toward just a standard ball hitch due to the ample length an towing capacity of my truck. I ended up ordering the Andersen hitch from ETI primarily to mitigate trailer 'bounce' due to the stiff suspension of my truck. This will be my first trailer and I haven't picked it up yet so I can't give any first-hand reports yet.
If your counting on your 2014 Ram 1500 to have "STIFF" suspension you will be greatly disappointed . I have owned both a 2011 & 2014 Ram 1500 and they have a great ride quality but soft . If you want to feel stiff suspension ,drive a Ford F-150 heavy 1/2 ton . The payload of the Ford heavy 1/2 ton is around 3000 Lbs while the Ram' s is around 1500 Lbs , mainly due to the different suspensions We chose our Ram because my wife and I like the smoother ride. .
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Old 02-08-2015, 01:50 PM   #45
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I think the softer suspension helps keep things in place inside the trailer, when using a stiffer w/d set up with another tow vehicle everything inside was amiss. Now I find things still left on the table......soft is good.
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Old 02-08-2015, 02:01 PM   #46
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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
I have owned both a 2011 & 2014 Ram 1500 and they have a great ride quality but soft.
Although I don't have experience driving these specific vehicles, this makes perfect sense. Manufacturers of pickup trucks are stuck with a compromise between the suspension characteristics required to make these vehicles work effectively as trucks, and the characteristics to make them desirable as passenger cars (which is how most people use them).

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Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
If you want to feel stiff suspension ,drive a Ford F-150 heavy 1/2 ton . The payload of the Ford heavy 1/2 ton is around 3000 Lbs while the Ram' s is around 1500 Lbs , mainly due to the different suspensions.
The term "heavy half" was widely used in the past to describe a "half ton" pickup with a payload capacity heavier than half a ton, and this is exactly that situation.

During the recent discussion in this forum of selecting an F-150 (F150 2with 6.5' box. Regular cab or super cab?), I noticed that (in some configurations) Ford offers a "payload package" which actually changes the entire axle from the base configuration to a stronger unit, and it seems likely that stiffer springs are used as well.

I think the best thing about air suspension (which is optionally available on the Ram 1500, and not available from the factory for Ford, GM, or anyone else in the North American market) is that it adjusts to the load, so you can have a soft comfortable ride when lightly loaded, and the stiffness needed for control when heavily loaded. The same thing can be achieved (usually without automated adjustment) with add-on air springs.
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Old 02-08-2015, 02:02 PM   #47
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
I think the softer suspension helps keep things in place inside the trailer, when using a stiffer w/d set up with another tow vehicle everything inside was amiss. Now I find things still left on the table......soft is good.
Absolutely - too stiff is not good. But you still need adequate stiffness to control the load. Neither extreme is desirable.
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Old 02-08-2015, 03:24 PM   #48
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Originally Posted by skiman View Post
We used the Reese 66151.
..
It uses friction pads on the bars for sway control.
...
There is no issue with brackets moving since the geometry is conventional and the loading on the ball is conventional as well.
This has rigid bar end brackets similar to the Equal-i-zer, but with brake pad material (like the Andersen No-Sway) instead of just metal-on-metal. Equal-i-zer says that the friction at the bar ends is a minor part of the damping friction, with most occurring in the head; the Reese uses their normal trunnion-type WD head, so all the damping friction is at these bar-end brackets. Like the Andersen, the friction force depends on the force applied to the hitch; however, while the Andersen friction is proportional to the trailer's tongue weight, the Reese friction is proportional to the weight distribution force.

For those wanting to add friction for sway damping, I think the Reese design is better than a conventional two-bar WDH (with chains at the bar ends) plus a sliding-bar add-on device, primarily because it does not require guessing at a setting. Also, the crude ball joints used at each end of the sliding bar devices must have some free play which would keep the device from being as effective as it should be (comparable to steering a car with free play in the steering) while the Reese design acts through the spring bars which are in firm contact at all times with no free play.

Reese > Weight Distribution >Trunnion WD > Trunnion Bar w/Sway Control

Quote:
Originally Posted by skiman View Post
It is heavy.
Since everything but the spring bars is the same for all Reese trunion-type hitches - which have a capacity of a trailer weight of 12,000 pounds and tongue weight of 1,200 pounds - it's not surprising that it is very heavy.

Most Escape models are pretty light, so they can use the Reese Light-Duty WD (in "400 lb" and "600 lb" versions). Strangely, it is almost as heavy according to the Reese specs. It is very similar to Carl's system in design, including the use of rigid brackets and friction pads.
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