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Old 08-10-2022, 03:40 PM   #1
Jstach
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looking for wd hitch on 219bh

Hello all. I am hoping that someone can help with some thoughts about a weight distributing hitch with sway control for the Passport SL 219bh. I am new to the forum and hoping to purchase this trailer in the next couple of weeks or so and I was wanting to get the hitch before I pick up the trailer. I know there are lots of WD and sway control set ups out there with lots of features and price points and I have been looking at a Reese (amazon link to product here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0071XQ4V8...v_ov_lig_dp_it ). I am looking at this model because I like the fact that no holes have to be drilled into the frame and that it integrates WD and sway control into one, bolt-on and affordable unit.



My main first question about this set up is a concern about the placement of the brackets on the frame. The installation instructions state "Sway control bracket positioning: 24-1/2" - 27-1/2" back from center of coupler" and I was wondering if others with this model know if there might be anything in the way at that measurement on the frame rails for the 219bh? As I said, I do not have the trailer yet so cannot just go out to measure it myself and I was hoping others might have this info they can share.


After that question, my next is just to ask for the experience of others towing this trailer and what hitch set ups seem to work well or if folks have learned about ones that do not work as well.



Looking forward to joining the ranks of Keystone Passport owners and to any information that folk can share!


Finally, in case it helps folks to offer suggestions, the tow vehicle is a 2018 Ford Expedition with the factory tow package with a 9200lbs towing weight and a 600lb tongue weight without a WD hitch and up to a 930lb tongue weight with a WD hitch.
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Old 08-10-2022, 04:01 PM   #2
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To start, what's the payload Expediton posted on the yellow/white tag stating "occupants and cargo must not exceed XXXXlbs" on the drivers door jamb?
That rv has a GVWR of 5400+ lbs which equals 700+ lbs of tongue weight, average 13% of the GVWR.
From that posted payload subtract that 700 lbs + 100+ lbs for the WDH + the weight of everyone/everything in/on your Expedition that wasn't on it when it left the factory. Being it's an SUV towing a bunkhouse I'm guessing there's more than 2 people onboard, the weight of ALL those people & their "must have" travel stuff begin to add up quickly & every pound comes off that payload.
SUVs were/are designed as great people movers but don't typically make very good tow vehicles.
In your case you want the absolute best WDH system available not necessarily the most economical.
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Old 08-10-2022, 04:33 PM   #3
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Have never used that hitch, but it’s definitely going to be better than one with the external strut for sway control. I know a lot of people like the E4 hitch which is a square bar instead if round bar. It’s also one of the best sway control hitches on the market. Personally, I like the blue ox sway pro because of the ease of changing the tension and fine tuning to your vehicle/trailer combo. I used to transport RVs and can say pretty much every one is built with the thought process that WDH saddles/brackets will be installed. I also sold Passports for 4 years and never had one with an issue installing the WDH.
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Old 08-10-2022, 06:16 PM   #4
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I have installed that hitch a number of times and never had a customer complain about it. About the only thing that might be in the way will be the break away switch, which can be moved easily.

The equalizer E4 is the best IMO, but the one you linked to is very good. Set up properly it will do the job.
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Old 08-11-2022, 04:31 AM   #5
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When we still had our bumper pull trailers, we started out with a Reese WD hitch that had the bars with the chains on the end and tensioning was done by shortening or lengthening the chain by counting the links. It also had a friction sway bar. As our trailers changed over the years, we ended up switching to the Equal-i-zer 4 point system and it worked great! It was so much easier, and like the one you are considering, no drilling. The square bars slid into a slot, you don't have to lift them up and snap them in. (much easier). By jacking the trailer attached to the car high, the bars slid easily on the L-bracket and the pin is connected. Those pins are easy to find and any RV dealership parts store should have extras. I always kept a couple extras in the event I lost one. (never did loose one though, but I was prepared). Equal-i-zer also makes a foot pad for the L-bracket so the sliding of the bars and the popping sound is quieter, or stopped completely. I purchased them with the hitch and it was a good decision. They last forever and never need replacing.

Although the Equal-i-zer cost a little more, they are about the best you can get for the money. They are positioned similar to the one you are looking at.

If you are purchasing your trailer from a dealership, have them install the hitch system. They will get it set up right, get your trailer and tow vehicle level. You may have to pay for their services, but they will get you a base-line start. They hit mine (4 trailers) right smack on the head! I didn't have to make any adjustments.

And here's another thing. What is more important to you, your safety or the cost? When purchasing any kind of RV, you are not purchasing a new toy. You are purchasing a house that is being dragged behind you on the road and something that, if not set up right can seriously injure you or the passengers in your vehicle, or even others on the road. Safety is the absolute most important thing. Your weight distribution hitch system you select is just as vital and critical as the tires on your tow vehicle and trailer. It's an interictal part of safety. You do not want to cheap out here. Same as tires. RV's are expensive, they cost, the maintenance on them is never ending, the expenses on them never ends, and safety with them should never be let down. You and your family are in that vehicle with thousands of pounds being drug behind you. You are not simply driving the family sedan to the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon any more. Here's something to think about:

In light of what travelin_texans stated above:

“You really need to think in terms of what is the ultimate extreme usage you'll be experiencing with your tow vehicle, not what is the lightest usage and hope it's OK when the extreme happens."

“Once on the road, your tow vehicle and trailer are not a game or a toy any more. it's reality. And reality does not give you a second chance if you screw it up.”
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Old 08-11-2022, 06:00 AM   #6
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If you plan to purchase your own hitch and have the dealership install it, check with them first. Some won’t install a hitch not purchased from them. The dealership I worked at was that way, they claimed liability reasons, which is bull, it’s just a way to get you to buy from them and pay $800 for a $600 hitch. I installed several hitches in the parking lot across the street from the dealership. They weren’t happy about me doing that, but there are things you can get away with when you’r sales numbers are good. lol.
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Old 08-11-2022, 06:24 PM   #7
Jstach
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Appreciate the input!

Thanks to everyone who has weighed in on this issue. It helps me to work out all of the details in my own thinking. Gather information, evaluate it, and then make the best decisions we can is all any of us can do in a process like this!


I do have an additional hitch I added to the mix, especially when thinking about overall weight issues like travelin texan mentioned (which will be good if we are sure to load all of our gear in the trailer and not in the truck with 1700 cargo capacity and then 700 tongue weight, 100 hitch, and 600 people getting us to 1400 leaving 300 lbs to work with as my 2 kids will grow a bit! - plus I removed the middle portion of the bench seat so that additional weight savings is not even included in the above numbers).


I looked at the Andersen WD hitch. It uses a completely different system and no spring bars of any sort which brings the weight down to nearly half that of other wd hitch systems so saving an additional at least 40lbs of hitch weight.


Anyone have experience with that one? It is very different from the others so it would be great to hear from anyone who used one. Seems to do a good job with sway and bounce from reviews I have read but things were a little less clear on the weight distribution part. Also folks loved the lighter weight, quiet operation, and easy connections (plus no need to remove anything for backing up!).


I do not want to just keep firing off questions, but the hitch thing is tough to navigate. Some have pointed out that you do not want to go cheap on safety, but the other side of that is why would I want to pay $400 more for a very comparable hitch - both of which will safely do the job? I do not want to go "cheap", but I cannot afford to pay more than I need to, right? Unlimited budgets are simply not part of my life and knowing that owning a trailer is costly is part of why I have to manage my budget well!


Anyway, thanks again to those who have responded and thanks in advance for those who will respond to this!
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Old 08-11-2022, 06:33 PM   #8
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I have never used the Andersen, but have watched a video on it and the hookup seems a bit of a pain to me. The way I understand it if you have to use wrenches to attach the chains each time. That’s more complicated than others. As for not disconnecting anything when you back up, all of the hitches with built in sway control are that way. The ones that have the external strut that attaches to the trailer frame are not. The strut needs to be disconnected when backing up.
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Old 08-11-2022, 06:55 PM   #9
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I have installed the Anderson twice in my career, and both customers swore by it. I wasn’t impressed with the “rubber” bushings and often times wonder how long they really last.
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Old 08-12-2022, 11:35 AM   #10
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Personally, I’d get 800 lb bars with your current trailer. There is such a thing as too much. Although 1,000 isn’t far off, it could be a little too stiff and that can creat added bounce. Most hitches will use the same head for several different weight ranges, just need different bars. At some point down the road, if you upgrade to a larger trailer, you can always get a heavier bar. I’d just make sure that’s the case for the hitch I buy.
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Old 08-12-2022, 11:42 AM   #11
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I’m with Danny, 835 tongue is pushing 800 bars.
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Old 08-12-2022, 11:50 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
I’m with Danny, 835 tongue is pushing 800 bars.
I know people like to calculate weight based on GVWR, but I just don’t see anyone adding 1700+ to a 219 passport. Heck, I’ve only added a little over 1500 to my Alpine and I have 10x as much storage. I think a realistic figure for a small TT like this is probably in the 1000-1200 range (if that) which will put his tongue weight in the 700-750 area. Not a huge difference from 1000, but I have seen some ill handling trailers because of too much hitch, it’s probably just as bad as not enough hitch. Granted those had a bigger spread, 500-600 lb tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars. I just don’t know where the tipping point is.

BTW, bars are rated for how much weight they have the ability to transfer, you’re not going to break anything if you exceed the weight rating on the bar.
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Old 08-12-2022, 12:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bsmith0404 View Post
I know people like to calculate weight based on GVWR, but I just don’t see anyone adding 1700+ to a 219 passport. Heck, I’ve only added a little over 1500 to my Alpine and I have 10x as much storage. I think a realistic figure for a small TT like this is probably in the 1000-1200 range (if that) which will put his tongue weight in the 700-750 area. Not a huge difference from 1000, but I have seen some ill handling trailers because of too much hitch, it’s probably just as bad as not enough hitch. Granted those had a bigger spread, 500-600 lb tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars. I just don’t know where the tipping point is.

BTW, bars are rated for how much weight they have the ability to transfer, you’re not going to break anything if you exceed the weight rating on the bar.

I think we all have our thoughts on how to figure what kind of bars/bar weight we want but; what if the op puts 15% on the tongue? What if he DOES carry the full amount of gear in the trailer? Like anything else it is better to be prepared and able to load up like you want vs limiting yourself up front by going light because you "don't think you'll need it". I've towed with bars rated for under my tongue weight and bars rated for over. I did know when the bars did not transfer enough but I never knew when the bars were heavier. Unless it was several hundred pounds over I would much rather have the heavier bars than the lighter personally.
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Old 08-12-2022, 03:44 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bsmith0404 View Post
I know people like to calculate weight based on GVWR, but I just don’t see anyone adding 1700+ to a 219 passport. Heck, I’ve only added a little over 1500 to my Alpine and I have 10x as much storage. I think a realistic figure for a small TT like this is probably in the 1000-1200 range (if that) which will put his tongue weight in the 700-750 area. Not a huge difference from 1000, but I have seen some ill handling trailers because of too much hitch, it’s probably just as bad as not enough hitch. Granted those had a bigger spread, 500-600 lb tongue weight with 1,000 lb bars. I just don’t know where the tipping point is.

BTW, bars are rated for how much weight they have the ability to transfer, you’re not going to break anything if you exceed the weight rating on the bar.
It's odd you ask about tires that are an extreme overkill above your already upgraded tires yet you recommend WDH bars at under the possible tongue weight for the OP.
So which is it? Is overkill better? Or is barely enough better? IMHO more is always better!!!
Every rv I've owned & weighed during our time as fulltimers were within a few pounds of the GVWR so now you can say you know at least one that's loaded the full amount. I'd suspect that the majority of folks that use their rvs with any regularity will also be closer to max CCC than not, particularly those with families onboard.
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Old 08-12-2022, 04:55 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
It's odd you ask about tires that are an extreme overkill above your already upgraded tires yet you recommend WDH bars at under the possible tongue weight for the OP.
So which is it? Is overkill better? Or is barely enough better? IMHO more is always better!!!
Every rv I've owned & weighed during our time as fulltimers were within a few pounds of the GVWR so now you can say you know at least one that's loaded the full amount. I'd suspect that the majority of folks that use their rvs with any regularity will also be closer to max CCC than not, particularly those with families onboard.
Big difference between tires and spring bars. Spring bars move weight they don’t carry it. The hitch head still carry’s the weight. The bars just transfer some from the hitch to the truck and trailer. How much they transfer depends on their rating. I’ve seen trailers that do not handle very well because the owner had too much bar, moving too much weight off the hitch is not a good thing.

As for maxing out the ccc, I spend a lot of time in my RV, just finished a 30 day trip. I have almost 3000 lbs of ccc and I’m still 1200 lbs under that, so using 1800 lbs. I find it difficult to believe anyone with a small pass through, small wardrobes that go alongside a Murphy bed and 22’ of a very compact trailer and 40 gallon fresh water capacity could come close to putting 1700 lbs into it, unless they’re loading bricks. There just isn’t the space to load that much stuff.

I have at least 3-4x the pass trough, plus the front basement compartment and a full closet, a ton more cabinet space inside, and a 60 gallon fresh tank. I barely exceed the ccc of the 219BH. A few years back there was someone on this forum that full timed in their 5er. They bought a new 5er, unloaded everything from their current one, it took up a full stall in their one car garage and the weight difference was 1600 lbs.
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Old 08-13-2022, 09:54 AM   #16
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I've got a 219bh and I'm pulling it with a F-150 with a bit higher payload than your Expedition.

I bought an Equal-i-zer 4-point sway control hitch with the 10,000 lb. springs just because I knew I was approaching the top end of what I thought my truck would comfortably handle.

I was able to locate the brackets per the instructions on the trailer frame.

Everything seems to work well for my set up.

Ran last year from the south east to Colorado and back. I'm satisfied with the set up. I wouldn't want much more trailer or much less truck, but was comfortable. I've noticed no hint of sway.

Run the numbers, make a decision.

YMMV.
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Old 08-21-2022, 04:14 PM   #17
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Hensley Hitch

I know this choice is a pricey one and a bit on the heavy side but I use a Hensley Arrow simple to hook up and absolutely no sway.
After being in a serious accident with this hitch I recognized the value of it... rear ended and if not for the hitch I would have been pushed into oncoming traffic. Beside the damage to the back end of my trailer one of the 1 inch thick sway bar was folded.
But like I said pricey and heavy.
Take a look at their website. They have a few models and a refurbished program.
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