# Suggest Hitch Equipment For 28rsds/suv



## whatdayasay (Feb 27, 2007)

what hitch equipment do you recommend for a 2006 or 2007 28RSDS towed with a EXPY 5.4 V8 with a hvy duty tow pkg?

equilizer ? brake controller ? etc ?


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## drose (Jul 26, 2005)

whatdayasay said:


> what hitch equipment do you recommend for a 2006 or 2007 28RSDS towed with a EXPY 5.4 V8 with a hvy duty tow pkg?
> 
> equilizer ? brake controller ? etc ?


The SUV and 28RSDS question comes up a lot. I towed our 28RSS 4 times to many with our Tahoe with the tow package. There are those that say they don't have any porblems with the set up I just believe there isn't enough wheelbase on the EXPY or Tahoe to tow it safely.

I don't have a Hensley but if I still towed my with our Tahoe I wouldn't do it unless I had one.

Just my 2 cents.


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

I use a Valley WD hitch with 1000lb bars and a Endeavor Brake control. Neither are top of the line but they have worked well for me through three TT's. We towed with an Expedition for a while but its CGVWR and Tow Capacity sealed its fate. The units we liked exceeded both figures.

Old set up was 2003 Sprindale 29BHS, 2000 Eddie Bauer Expedition with air ride suspension, Tow Capacity was 8800. I utilized the Valley Weight Distribution Hitch with Anti-Sway Bars and 1000 lb Load Levelers (Bars) set on the sixth link up from the bar. Sway was minimal except on windy days or when the occasional truck blew by us. (We normallly taveled at 60-65 so they were really zipping along.) where it was noticable.

The Expedition did do a decent job on our other TT's. Still not a bad TV just have to know it's limitations. A 28 is going to put you "up there" in the numbers. Sway control is highly recommended because length is an issue due to the wheel base.

Most people I think would agree that a Ford F-250, Chevy 2500, Dodge 2500 are good places to look for TV's. SUV's aren't bad but they have thier draw backs when it comes to large tow capacities. For example.... An Expedition is essentially an F-150 with a different body on it. *THOUGH* there are many units that fall into the tow capacity ranges of these vehicles.

Wolfwood tows with a SUV and uses a Hensely which she loves. A Hensely does great things for you while towing. But for a lot of people the price tag is a limiting factor.

The Brake controller was $60? a few years ago. I forget. I do remember that the dealer we bought our first TT from (A HTT) threw in the Valley Hitch with set up for 200.00. It was a good deal. We swapped bars out when we moved up to our Springdale and kept them for the 31RQS. Brake Control Harness for the Ford was 15.00, The Silverado we had about 15 dollars too.

I think for everything you're going to spend a few hundred $. One thing to consider is E-Bay. There have been some super deals on hitches and associated equipment there from reputable sellers. Shipping can be steep but if your good with a ratchet and can tinker to adjust the hitch set up properly you could save yourself some doe. And there maybe one close enough to you to pick up.

If you haven't recieved the trailer yet, you may want to talk to the dealer to see if there is some sort of deal they can work out with you. If they offer you a particular brand ask about it here. You'll get answers you'll need.

I have even tried to get a used one from the dealer in the past. They had a pile of hitches in the back. A large portion of them looked barely broke in. Wish they would have given one up. They said they could not have the liability of giving someone a used set up and having those individuals have an accident because of it. I was waiting for the "But" (But it's all scrap metal we're going to throw out so if you were going to use it as "scrap" then...no problem... help yourself. ) But the "But" never came. oh well. I am happy with what I have for now.

Look into (lower end) Valley/Husky Weight Distribution Hitch with Load leveling bars that well exceed your estmated tongue weight. Having bars that do more than what you need now will provide you the option of having something heavier later should you move up to a heavier unit.

If you get this sort of WD hitch invest in Anti-Sway bars. These will help steady your tow, especially in wind and where you may encounter truck traffic.

You may decide to go into a Reese Cam or Equilizer set up which is better. There is Blue Ox grouped into the Cam Type WD set up and then from there it goes up into the Hensley price Range.

I know for you that are experienced this is sort of an over simplification. Thanks for bearing with me.

Hope that is some help.

Eric


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

My choice would be the Reese WD trunnion style with dual cam sway control or the clone Drawtite product. The recent thread concerning the "special socket" needed for the Equalizer Brand hitch kind of turns me off due to the price issue. I am not "tool cheap" by any means, I own Snap-on, Matco, Cornwall, Craftsman OTC, etc, but the equalizer socket issues stinks.

Ah Nuts! Revisted

Map Guy


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

If you are looking to tow a 28rsds with an expedition I would spend the money on an hensley. The WB on your vewhicle is only 119" which is very short for a trailer that messures out over 30'. If you follow the tow standards you can tow a 20' TT with a 100" WB and then add 1' for every 4" of WB. that would put you at about 25'. you would need another 20" of WB to tow a 30'er.

The 28rsds is also a heavy TT with a max load of 7875 and a toungue weight on the low side of 800lbs. It would most likely be over 1000Lbs once you put in propane and a few materials in the under storage. add fuel, passengers and supplies and you will be at 100% capacity for your payload 1875 and near your max tow capacity of 9000 if you have all the right options for that capacity. (4.11 rear, smaller tires).

I know others may agree or disagree and others might tow with this setup, but I think your pushing the safety line with an expedition and a 28rsds. Just my .02


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

I tow with a F150 SC (longer wheelbase) and a Reese Dual cam hitch. I don't have a lot of miles on the setup, but it feels stable.

Definetly invest in a good hitch with the shorter wheelbase, but also according to sites like Trailer Life, the IRS in the Expedition greatly improves handling and allows for stable towing with a shorter wheelbase vs a solid axle. Just a thought for everyone.


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

map guy said:


> My choice would be the Reese WD trunnion style with dual cam sway control or the clone Drawtite product. The recent thread concerning the "special socket" needed for the Equalizer Brand hitch kind of turns me off due to the price issue. I am not "tool cheap" by any means, I own Snap-on, Matco, Cornwall, Craftsman OTC, etc, but the equalizer socket issues stinks.
> 
> Ah Nuts! Revisted
> 
> Map Guy


You beat me to it!
Ed


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I had a Suburban when I had my 28RSDS and used a Dual Cam set up with no complaints and always had confidence in the set up going down the road.

John


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Now kids! Let's not start bashing the Equalizer just because of a socket









There are plenty of us here that were able to install them without a hitch







and are very happy with our setups.

I love my Equalizer Hitch!!!


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## freefaller25 (Mar 19, 2006)

I guess I am one of those others but that's ok. I do agree that there is less room for error in hitch setup and driving style with our combination. You definitely need to know how to setup the hitch correctly or learn from someone who does. A truck or other Â¾ ton machine would increase the margins. With that said, the setup described in our signature works very well for us with 1000lb bars and a correct hitch setup. The hitch ball on our SUV is very close to the rear axle and I have the belief that this does also help wrt sway.

You must certainly weight the situation and come to an informed decision about your TV and setup. This is a great place to get lots of information from good people.

Tony


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## TLC+3 (Oct 11, 2006)

I am more on the conservative side. We tow a 25rss with the Expedition (Tow Package, 3.73) and Reese Dual Cam. The 25rss was longest trailer I was willing to go with given the wheelbase of the Ford. We don't have a lot of miles under our belt just yet, but most of the trips we have taken have been in awful weather (driving rain, 30 to 40 mph winds). The Reese did pretty well in the wind. I did find myself hitting the manual on the brake controller every so often to straighten things out. But then again, that is a lot of wind. All in all I'd recommend Reese. As far as a brake controller, ours is a Voyager that came with the trailer. It is a basic unit, no display, manual everything. An upgrade is defintely in the future.


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## ARzark (Aug 9, 2005)

skippershe said:


> Now kids! Let's not start bashing the Equalizer just because of a socket
> 
> 
> 
> ...










Well said Dawn. While we use many different hitch set ups around here, the Equalizer is a fantastic hitch too. One that I had nearly 30,000 miles of trouble free service with on our old 28BHS.

I attached my ball in a rather unconventional way. Used a wedge on the bottom to keep the nut from spinning, then used a large vise grips just under the ball head and tightened the begeezus out of it. Right or wrong, it worked just fine for me and the Equalizer served me well... after I figured out to lube up the hitch head and "L" brackets to keep the noise down.


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## ee4308 (Aug 23, 2005)

skippershe said:


> Now kids! Let's not start bashing the Equalizer just because of a socket
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*WD HITCH POLL*


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

I put my money into a Hensley Arrow and a Brakesmart controller. Installed them myself. I liked the design and quailty of these products. Much has been written about the HA. About brake controllers: the BrakeSmart controller and Jordan's BC have a direct link to the TV's brake system. Made sense to me.

Happy Hunting,
Scott


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

When we had our 28RSS and Avalanche/F350 I really grew to love our Equalizer. Felt it was the best setup for the money for us and at $399 it was well worth it. If I had more money and wanted more peace of mind I'd go with the Hensley.

You can't go wrong with a Prodigy Brake Controller and for $99 its a great deal.


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

I LOVE my Equal-i-zer / Prodigy Combo, but confess that this is all I have ever used so I canot offer any comparisons.

I must have missed that 'special socket' thread, but the dealer installed the ball, and I have not had any need to change it. Non-issue for me.


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

Understand the love for a well functioning WD / sway control system.

The reason I have heartburn over the socket issue is that I don't believe that the trailer ball mounting nut is a tighten it once and forget about it item.  Call me anal but I check my ball mount nut before any long distance tow as part of my pre-trip safety check. I always finger check the ball mount nut prior to hitching on my utility trailer around town. In my previous occupation -equipment rental business I saw first hand, on the side of the freeway picking up the pieces, the carnage possible when a trailer hitch system failed. Yes, the ball mount nut was the cause a few times. So to me the inconvenience of traveling to the dealer or the use of a monkey rig system to check the tightness of this nut is a problem.

Map Guy


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

Good point Marc.

I guess I have always worried more about the GM hitch being the weak link in the system. I did completly re-adjust (fine tune) my hitch set up at the beginning of last year. I had a heck of a time getting everything loose to adjust the hitch, but didn't mess with the ball. Guess I should check it before towing this year.


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

Humpty said:


> Good point Marc.
> 
> I guess I have always worried more about the GM hitch being the weak link in the system.


You are wise to worry about the round tube OEM GM hitch if you use a WD / Sway control hitch system. Many instances of failures and people who cannot get their sping bars to actually transfer weight to the front axle throught the frame. The Putnam brand hitch -XDR series is a very competitively priced product. For my 06 2500HD it was $137.00 delivered to the door from Performance Center dot com. Took about 30 minutes to remove old unit and install new unit without the use of a lift or floor jack by myself.

Map Guy


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