Darrylmda7

[Darrylmda7]

I have a 2007 casita 17. I have one small sway bar connection ball on one side of the trailer tongue assembly. A: Should there be one on each side? B:do I need to have them at all? C: do I need to buy a whole new hitch assembly under my truck? My trailer weighs @ 2350 lbs and @. 2500lbs loaded for travel. I’m new at trailering. I’m also brand new to these forums so please be gentle.

[thrifty bill]

[What is your tow vehicle? I didn’t need them with my F150. The key on hitch is getting your tongue at the right height. If it’s too high you won’t have enough tongue weight. Take your setup to the nearest truck stop and weigh it. Is your weight actual or “someone told me”. Sounds light for a Casita 17.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Darrylmda7

I have a 2007 casita 17. I have one small sway bar connection ball on one side of the trailer tongue assembly. A: Should there be one on each side? B:do I need to have them at all? C: do I need to buy a whole new hitch assembly under my truck? My trailer weighs @ 2350 lbs and @. 2500lbs loaded for travel. I’m new at trailering. I’m also brand new to these forums so please be gentle.

Welcome to the forum where folks generally get it sorted out mostly amicably!

A: The small sway bar connection balls are only required on one side.

B: Someone insisted that we have a sway bar for our trailer and I've only used it on the way home from the factory. It was noisy, it seems to bind, and I decided to try living without it. For you it will depend on some numbers and your personal comfort level. In our case, our tow vehicle is rated for 7,200 lbs, while the trailer is rated at a maximum weight of 5,000.

C: It would be simplest to plan around your trailer weighing 3,500 lbs as that is the maximum it is rated to weigh when fully loaded.

This is closely related to the question regarding whether you should use a weight distributing hitch (WDH). That question does bring out a great number of opinions.

Start out by assessing your truck's actual nameplate capacity. If you post information concerning your vehicle, folks can sometimes help figure that out with you.

Hitches come in different weight "Classes". Chances are that yours is adequate if it has a 2" receiver tube (as opposed to a light-weight Class 1 or 2 hitch with a 1-1/4" receiver tube.)

You might just need a new ball mount in order to tow level; see the diagram below.

[Jon in AZ]

Casita 17’s average around 3000-3200# fully loaded with gear. The 2300# sounds like the base dry weight, which doesn’t include options, water, propane, or any of your gear. More important, tongue weight typically runs high: 400-425# is pretty typical.

That’s the bad news. The good news is they are very stable towing trailers. As long as your truck can handle the 400# of tongue weight and has a Class 3 or higher hitch receiver (rated 5000/500# minimum), most people find they can tow a Casita 17 without weight distribution or sway control.

As Bill says, get a ball mount that puts the ball at the right height so the trailer sits level when you’re towing. Remember the back of the truck will drop a little when you hitch up.

If you do decide to add the sway control bar later, it is fairly easy to add the other attachment ball to your current ball mount. On smaller trailers, only one is used.

You will need full 7-pin trailer wiring and a brake controller. Most full-size trucks and many mid-size trucks have the wiring, and if your truck doesn’t have a built-in brake controller, it likely has an under-dash port to connect an aftermarket controller.

What truck do you have? I’d highly recommend reading everything it says in the towing section of your owner’s manual. There’s a whole new vocabulary to learn, but lots of support along the way. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Congratulations on your new trailer, and best wishes in your soon-to-come travels!

[Darrylmda7]

Hi. I have a 2005 Dodge Durango with the smaller V-8 4.7 not the 5.7 hemi. Truck weighs @ 5200lbs. I have a large hitch frame with a 2” receiver. Very heavy shocks. I was told by the rv/marine repair company that I shouldn’t have any problems. I was concerned that my transmission cooler might not be big enough but they said it should be good. Yes the dry weight on the 2007 freedom deluxe is @ 2340 something lbs. we’re planning to hit campgrounds with water hookup so we don’t have to travel with full water tanks. Just the two small propane tanks. I figure we’ll have @ 200lbs in the trailer and the same in the back of the truck. The rv place installed the good wiring harness and brake system @ $500. Is there a stamp somewhere on the receiver with the towing weight? I’ve towed an old tri hull fiberglass and wood 16’ boat and an 8’ enclosed steel cargo trailer Both were heavy when loaded without any trouble. I still want to be sure I can get over the passes without too much trouble. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks for letting me ramble. Lol

[Steve Hammel]

What you have is a ball for a friction sway control bar. Do you have a ball on the side of your hitch? If you do and you need/want extra sway control you will need to purchase a friction bar. I had an old Trillium 4500 that liked to wander when driven over 50 mph. I put one of these on and never had another problem regardless of speed.



This kit at Harbor freight is less than $30.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Darrylmda7

Is there a stamp somewhere on the receiver with the towing weight?

I can't imagine anyone putting a low-capacity Class 2 hitch on that vehicle. Chances are that you have no worries. There's typically a stamp or label on the hitch or receiver indicating Class (such as Class 3 or III) and the rating in pounds. And check the ball mount and the ball's weight ratings. Yep, every piece has it's own individual rating.

That Durango with the 4.7 V-8 and a tow package was rated to tow over 5,000 pounds when it was built, but you should verify from your manual and labels what yours was rated for when new.

Four-Wheel-Drive Towing Capacity
The 4.7-liter engine was offered in several Durango trims in 2005. There was some variation in towing capacity between models. The four-wheel-drive ST and SXT models had towing capacity of 5,850 lbs., while the four-wheel-drive SLT, Adventurer and Limited models were capable of pulling 8,650 lbs.

Two-Wheel-Drive Towing Capacity
The two-wheel-drive version of the Durango SXT could pull up to 6,000 lbs. The SLT, Adventurer and Limited each had towing capacity of 8,950 lbs.

https://itstillruns.com/2005-durango...y-7296056.html

Even at 15+ years old, if the Durango is well-maintained it should have more than enough spunk to handle the Casita. As mentioned, the Casita 17's run high on tongue weight, but probably not over 500 pounds at the outside. You can manage this by packing heavy items towards the middle or back of the trailer.

By the way, the water in the water heater is 50 pounds, and propane is also additional to dry weight. It all adds up. Our Casita 17 FD ran around 3,000 pounds fully loaded as best I recall. 38 Casita 17's in the "real world" spreadsheet based on weigh-ins at rallies ranged from 2,680 to 3,960 pounds, with an average of 3,296 pounds.

My somewhat-similar Jeep Grand Cherokee is rated to tow 7,200 pounds and our current trailer is heavier than the Casita; we have hit almost 4,600 pounds fully-loaded. I've been towing with no anti-sway and no weight distribution hitch, though I am considering a WDH which Jeep recommends when you get up to 5,000 pounds. I'm looking at the Blue Ox with integral anti-sway. But, that's just me. I suggest you try it out and see how it goes. I don't think you'll be anything near marginal.