aaronsti Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 so this year i'm going to start towing my car in an enclosed 20 foot trailer. the tow vehichle is a 2007 gmc Yukon denali. do I need to get a weight distribution hitch and swaybars or not? I already have a brake controller installed. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerkat Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What is the GCVW of your setup? Also, you will want to know what your tongue weight is. You should also get a weighted tag for your tow vehicle that is equal to the GCVW. A weight distribution hitch will add about 50-60 pounds to the rear of your truck. I know that this does not answer your questions, but these things will help you figure out what you need to do. With my rig now I use air helper springs in place of a weight distribution hitch. I have never needed an anti-sway bar, but I tow an open trailer. Hope some of this helps you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJo Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Good information here: http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm Notes: 1. He tows a race car. 2. He is trying to sell a product. On my F-150, the owner's manual says use an Equalizer hitch for anything over 5,000lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobra4B Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I tow a 20' V-nose ATC with my Titan with only a weight carrying hitch. I have Firestone aribags to level it out. I can't use my Equalizer hitch with the V-nose setup. Previously I towed my 18' steel open trailer using an Equalizer hitch (overkill) from when I had a smaller truck. Towing my father's steel 24' enclosed I use the bags and a 10k equalizer hitch. So the answer depends on the gross weight of what you'll be towing. A Yukon is a short wheelbase and would probably benefit a bunch from sway control. I think those also have factor self-leveling air bags. Not sure how those work for towing, but I know that if I had to choose one (bags or sway control distribution hitch) I'd pick bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Phillips Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 so this year i'm going to start towing my car in an enclosed 20 foot trailer. the tow vehichle is a 2007 gmc Yukon denali. do I need to get a weight distribution hitch and swaybars or not? I already have a brake controller installed. thanks Manual should tell you. Or there is actually a label right at the hitch. I used to tow with a 2008 Denali and I am pretty sure it said over 5000 lbs use a weight distribution. Also be advised that the Denali air system will cost you thousands when it fails. I had multiple failures and repaired the system. 11 months later it failed again, luckily covered under the warranty. A week laterit was gone for a truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t500hps Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I have owned and tow all kinds of rigs, currently have 3 boats, 4 jetskis, and a toy-hauler for the racecar. Denali's have air bags but they are made for leveling the truck, not heavy towing. (wife has a 2011 Denali XL) Some states require weighted tags, others never check (In VA I towed a 15K boat for years without ever getting checked) So, have you towed much in the past and comfortable doing so? What is the weight of your car.......and weight of the trailer/gear? You will need to load the car to effect tongue weight for the amount of weight you want on the truck.....can you measure it? with the truck off (because of the airbags) I'd like to see a 1.5-2 inch squat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dspxr4ti Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Its not a problem towing with your Denali with 600 lbs tongue weight with out the weight distributing hitch for local events but if your going to drive long distance events your air bags could be the weak link if your in the middle of no where, plus I feel you maybe maxing out your towing capacity of 8000 lbs not knowing what your car weigh in at with spares. From driving to Lincoln Neb and Topeka Kansas for the last 12 years a real truck is a real peace of mine. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronsti Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 thank you everybody. I have a lot of towing experience with a boat. but its a light combo at about 2700lbs. i'm not sure what my gcvw is. i'll look into that. I don't really have a way to measure tongue weight. the trailer weighs 3000, the car weighs 3200. I figure i'll probably be adding about 300 lbs of random things and back ups. so that puts me around 6500. it does have the factory air suspension. ill look into replacing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
427R Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 You've probably got this figured out by now, but what I found is the following; Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 5000 lbs Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 500 lbs Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 7900 lbs Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 1185 lbs Maximum Payload Capacity 1704.00 lbs Gross Combined Wt Rating 14000 lbs Gross Axle Weight Rating 7650.00 lbs Curb Weight 5396.00 lbs Gross Vehicle Weight Rating 7100.00 lbs From etrailer.com When Is Weight Distribution Needed? You would likely benefit from a weight-distribution system if: Your trailer weight (GTW) is more than 50 percent of your vehicle's weight (GVWR) The rear of your tow vehicle sags when the trailer is hooked up You experience trailer sway Your tow vehicle headlights point upward You find it difficult to steer or stop your rig You want to tow to the highest capacity allowed by your vehicle's trailer hitch setup I have a Ford Expedition with tow package etc, and use a 10,000lb rated WD to haul a 2500lb trailer and a 3600lb car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRallo Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 sway bars are obnoxious and their effectiveness is negligible... proper loading and hitch height help/hurt much more! Get the distributing hitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 You need the whole deal. Your setup is likely pushing the max tow limits even with a WD hitch, on a relatively short wheelbase vehicle. You should get the tongue weights correct through car positioning, *and* get a sway control device. You need all the help you can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbrew8991 Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 You need all the help you can get. like a bigger/badder truck - I wouldn't do an enclosed with what you're pulling with. But if you are, belt & suspenders yourself as best you can AND take it really easy getting to/from the track. I've done this stuff for 10+ years and never *needed* an enclosed trailer. YMMV though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.