weight distributing, anti-sway hitches

[Yossarian]

Also understand that this is an old thread, but will add my remarks anyway. The Basecamp is a relatively light trailer, and so is likely to have a fairly low tongue weight. My guess is that a WDH is not only not needed, but may also even be undesirable. That said, there are more than few variables that impact towing stability, with some, like the wheelbase of the tow vehicle and the axle placement of the trailer, not very apparent.

I no longer have my T@B 320, but at under 2,000 lbs, I found that the tongue weight, or more accurately, the lack of weight, made for unstable towing. Any cross-wind or even the wake of a tractor trailer would induce some level of sway. This was true with both of the vehicles I used, a Volvo XC-90 and a Kia Telluride, and even with the added weight of two additional small cargo boxes at the front of the T@B. Towing stability was actually improved when I added a large Yeti cooler loaded with ice and food (about 50 lbs) on the trailer tongue. The measured tongue weight without the water tank filled (it as the rear of the camper, behind the rear axle, so actually decreased tongue weight, though of course adding to towing weight) was still under 400 lbs.

Don't what the specs or loading for the Basecamp are, but would be surprised if it turned out that you really need a WDH to comfortably tow it with an R1T.

Sponsored

 

[jeepfreakedc]

The only difference between your rig and ours is that ours is a 2015 Flying Cloud 25FBT. We only switched to the ProPride last year. For the prior eighteen years, we used a Hensley Arrow hitch system. The ProPride sets up with the Rivian well. It is a little difficult to install the hitch bar as the Rivian's receiver is so far inset. I would recommend setting up the ProPride hitch bar with the vertical adjustment bar in the down position. We have ours in the up position and it almost touches the license plate

The R1T pulls the Airstream as well as our Silverado Duramax. It's only downfall is its 125 to 150 mile range. Our Airstream uses a 30 amp shore power plug. We have been able to plug the Rivian into the campsite's 50 amp outlet overnight. These charge the R1T at between 15 and 18 mph.

Brian

Good to know! Our AS uses the 30 amp shore power as well, so planning to use the 50 amp to charge. You don't need an adapter to plug straight into the 50 amp right? I've heard most people doing that will limit charging to 24 amps. Is that what you've done as well? Thanks for all the great info!

 

[moosetags]

Good to know! Our AS uses the 30 amp shore power as well, so planning to use the 50 amp to charge. You don't need an adapter to plug straight into the 50 amp right? I've heard most people doing that will limit charging to 24 amps. Is that what you've done as well? Thanks for all the great info!

That is correct. While at campgrounds, we plug our R1T directly into the 50 amp outlet at the campsite using the portable charging cord that came with our Rivian. The charging rate varied at between 15 and 18 mph.

Thus far. The campgrounds that we visited have not charged for the extra electricity. I believe that as EV tow vehicles become more common, there will be an extra cost involved.

Brian

 

[Deezel]

For a trailer that small and lightweight I would use an Anderson anti sway hitch:

https://andersenhitches.com/product/weight-distribution-hitch/

I actually used this for my Ford Raptor towing a 8k lb trailer and was able to greatly reduce the tongue weight. The raptor has lighter sprung rear suspension, so the truck needed it badly.

One advantage to this hitch is you can adjust tension in very finite amounts (using the threaded peices.) For those torsion bar type WD hitches I believe you only have a few preset positions. With that type of hitch you may end up reducing the tongue weight too much which is even worse for towing stability. To repeat the same tension levels with the Anderson I would just use a torque wrench to run down the nuts to the same value.

Also. the anderson is WAAAY lighter than a traditional WD hitch, and way quicker to hook/unhook. It's compact and easy to store. The install/removal is much safer too. I watched a buddy of mine nearly fracture is tib/fib removing his WD hitch when the torsion bar shifted off the pin. Scary stuff especially when you're out camping.

Lastly the Anderson hitch uses a friction plate on the ball itself, which will always give you some level of anti-sway. Anti-sway is probably what you need more than the weight distribution mechanism for a trailer that light. Also when turning/backing the trailer it did not seem to bind up as badly as a normal WD hitch.

Keep in mind a Raptor is ~6k lbs. The R1T is an additional 1k lbs (with a similar but shorter wheelbase), and your trailer is much lighter so I would not expect any issues. The R1T will help self level with the air suspension as well.

I tow a small offroad aluminum camper with a RTT that is about ~2000 fully loaded with gear with my R1T. I don't even notice it's there. I have no plans at all to run WD on there. If you keep your towing speeds reasonable, I would not expect you to need a WD hitch at all, but if you do want some level of anti sway protection AND the ability to adjust the tongue weight then the Anderson is the best bet.

 

[rhumbliner]

That is correct. While at campgrounds, we plug our R1T directly into the 50 amp outlet at the campsite using the portable charging cord that came with our Rivian. The charging rate varied at between 15 and 18 mph.

Thus far. The campgrounds that we visited have not charged for the extra electricity. I believe that as EV tow vehicles become more common, there will be an extra cost involved.

Brian

Keep in mind that many campgrounds have older electrical systems and the 40-amp draw may be too much for those systems. I typically reduce my charge rate to 30 amps for this reason. If you’re pressed for time and truly need to draw 40 amps I’d keep checking the receptacle and watch for overheating.

 

[beatle]

Keep in mind that many campgrounds have older electrical systems and the 40-amp draw may be too much for those systems. I typically reduce my charge rate to 30 amps for this reason. If you’re pressed for time and truly need to draw 40 amps I’d keep checking the receptacle and watch for overheating.

Good tip. I'm not sure if Rivian will automatically decrease current draw based on observed voltage droop like Tesla. This is also a good opportunity to wish that Rivian would display the actual volts/amps of the current charging session. This info isn't needed most of the time, but it can come in handy if you're troubleshooting or if you're getting less power than you anticipate (like if it's a 208v circuit and not 240v)

 

[jeepfreakedc]

Being that this is an old thread, I’d still like to add my comment.
I have the R1T and tow a 25’ AS. Everyone will agree that towing with the Rivian is fantastic (except for the range). I do use an Andersen WDH and really like the simplicity, ease of use, and simple storage needs. The chain method vs the bars is much better, IMO.

Loving seeing all the AS / Rivian combos! Any issues with sway at all?

 

[Mickey]

Loving seeing all the AS / Rivian combos! Any issues with sway at all?

ZERO! I love it!

 

[Tucker74]

The Ridgeline manual is due to it being unibody as others stated, you need a frame to use a WD hitch which your R1T has. A good WD setup makes a world of difference towing, boat trailers typically don’t have the tongue weight for them to be needed. I like the chain style, find them easier to hook up than the bracket needing tools. My current hitch is a Curt w/ 1k bars, it works well for my Airstream 23cd (I’ve got an Aircrafters Onan onboard genset that adds to tongue weight). Make sure you measure at the height you want to tow at unladen when setting up the hitch, the suspension will level the truck once you hook up and throw off the geometry. It tows like a dream, I don’t run the anti-sway cams.

 

[JamuJoe]

Getting an Airstream Basecamp scheduled to come in around the same time as the R1T. The Airstream dealer recommends the SwayPro ( SwayPro Weight Distributing Hitch | Blue Ox | Blue Ox )...well, also sells it.

There are lots of others out there, of course.

New to trailer towing and would like some advice.

Did see from my old Ridgeline manual: <<Weight Distributing Hitch A weight distributing hitch is not recommended for use with your vehicle, as an improperly adjusted weight distributing hitch may reduce handling, stability, and braking performance.>>

This may be CYA from Honda, but wondering if the R1T will come with similar cautions. Don't suppose anyone has seen a manual or any documentation. If so, please share.

Thanks!

I use an Equalizer WDH for towing my 28’ Airstream with my R1T. Set it up for mid suspension height, then lowering the truck will increase weight distribution. - useful in high crosswinds. Raising the truck will lessen weight distribution, a real plus when entering rough ground or steep driveways. Shorter trailers are more prone to sway, and a good WDH will help with that. After 13 years of towing three different trailers with four different tow vehicles, I would not do so without a WDH. The R1T is the best tow vehicle that I’ve ever driven.

Sponsored