Weight Distribution System on a 2005 Suburban 1500 Did not Completely Level Vehicle and Rides Poorly

Question:

I recently purchased a 31 ft 7800 lbs trailer that I towed using a reese straight line dual cam system with 12,000 lbs bars behind a 2005 1/2 ton suburban with autoride.The front end of the sub went up three inches when i put on the trailer ,after i put on the bars i got the front end back to 1 inch up.it didnt tow well,is it to heavy for the 1/2 ton....Thanks

asked by: Wally O

Expert Reply:

It is possible that the trailer is simply too large for a 1/2 ton SUV. The weight is borderline of what I would be comfortable towing with a 1/2 ton, but the length I think is a bigger concern. That is an awfully long trailer not to be use a 3/4 or 1 ton tow vehicle.

We can do some digging and testing to see if we can improve your ride, but I will need some more information from you.

1. What is the towing capacity of the Suburban? See the Vehicle Owner Manual for this info.
2. Is 7,800 pounds the dry weight or is that what your trailer weighs loaded?
3. What is the loaded tongue weight of the trailer?
4. What is the model number of the WD System?

The 3rd and 4th questions are of the most importance. If you have the 66073, I imagine you just have the wrong spring bars. Though you are under the 12,000 pound GTW of the bars, you are probably over the 800 pound tongue weight limit. When selecting a WD system the tongue weight capacity of the bars is as important, if not more important than the gross capacity.

expert reply by: Patrick B

Question:

Thanks Patrick, I have some answers but probably not all 1.the tow capacity of the Suburban is between 8,100 and 8,400. 2.7,800 is dry weight ,I dont know what it weighs loaded and wouldnt know where to take it to get it weighed. 3.the unloaded tongue weight is 910,dont know loaded but I but a fair amount of firewood in the front storage,but I do hang 4 bikes on the back on a 80lbs carrier(dont know how to weight loaded tongue weight) 4. Hitch bar part # is 54970 I bought this setupslightly used where I bought the camper,they usually install the Equallizer and a friend of mine really doesent care for it(not sure why)They didnt really adjust anything they just put it on( But I had my heavy 3/4 ton extracab longbox and not my wifes Sub when I picked it up) I borrowed a friends 3/4 ton Sub and downloaded the instructions from your site and watched some vids U had,and made a few adjustments to the set up it was better but I'm not sure if I should (A) tilt the ball more so I can pull up more chains to get the front end back down to were it started( I was about 3/4 higher on the sixth chain down).(B) drop the ball down a notch-its about 1 1/4 higher than the camper sitting level,and then do (A) or(C) should I add a sway bar. Your site was the most informative I found,any help would be greatly appreciated THANKS

asked by: Wally

Expert Reply:

I think with the weight capacities of the 1/2 ton Suburban and the 7800 dry weight of the trailer, you are probably just too heavy for the Suburban and would probably be better off towing with your 3/4 ton pickup. By the time you add the wood, water in the tanks, propane, food, etc. you could easily pass both the 8100 and 8400 towing weight figures.

I wish I had better news, but I do not think you could get this set up to ride nice and level with a 1/2 ton Suburban. You are closer to the towing weight limit of the 1/2 ton Suburban than I would be comfortable with. Your 3/4 ton would be a better option.

expert reply by: Patrick B