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Old 04-21-2019, 12:55 PM   #1
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T 2570 weight distribution

Hi all I was wondering if anyone can tell me what size WDH I need. I have a t2570 solaris . it says unloaded weight is 4355 lbs and GVWR is 7000lbs. I have a 2013 f150 5.0 liter with tow package and integrated trailer braking. Truck says GVWR of 7350lbs . I cant seem to figure it out. Thanks in advance.
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Old 04-22-2019, 08:40 PM   #2
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Hi Craven,

I'll see if I can help but I need to you confirm a few things to help give you better answers.

1. What model year is the T2570?

2. Please confirm the the vertical height of the camper tongue A frame rail by the LP gas tanks? Is it 4" channel iron or 5" channel iron?

3. Look on the weight sticker inside the camper. It should be in a top cabinet either in a kitchen cabinet or the bathroom cabinet. Give me the 5 sets of numbers in pounds only on the sticker or take a pic and post. Here is mine, just yours is not where this heavy but it will give us closer weights then the brochure.


4. Do you plan to travel with full fresh water tank to camp all the time or some of the time?

5. If number 5 above is a yes, please tell me where the fresh tank is located on the camper? Pending the answer to no. 4 I may need some dimensions after.

6. Do you know the rear axle ratio on your truck?

7. Look on the truck receiver for a rating sticker. There should be 2 ratings. Weight distributing and weight carrying mode. It should say max trailer and max tongue weight in both the weight distributing and the weight carrying mode. Need both sets of numbers or a pic. Looks like this or use to on Fords. This is from my 2005 F350


Sorry for all the details, I'm trying to match the truck with the camper and see if there are any areas that conflict with what size WD hitch you can get to match the camper and the truck.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 04-23-2019, 03:04 PM   #3
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Thanks for the replay John b . it is a 2003 solaris. It has a 5" channel iron and I will only do full tanks some of the time. My truck has the 3.55 gear ratio. I dont have the truck home today so I can't give you the hitch rating at the moment. It does have the tow package installed tho I do know that. I would attach a picture of the door sticker if I could figure out how. TT says 7000 GVWR , minus UVW 4708 , freshwater of 32 gallon at 266 , LP at 68 and CCC 1958.
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Old 04-23-2019, 09:10 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by craven32 View Post
I would attach a picture of the door sticker if I could figure out how.
Great, the info you sent is a good start. We need to help you get pics up on the forum, they help so much.

There are a few ways to get pics to view. This thread will help explain some/most if it.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f1...html#post86041

The are 3 ways to get pics to show up in a post.

1. You can upload them to the forum from your phone or hard drive as an attachment at the end of your reply.

2. If your pics are stored on a public viewable web server, you can link them to show up where ever you want them displayed in the text of your reply. You use the picture icon in the advanced post toolbar, and insert the pic web address where you want the pic to show up.

3. You can upload pics from your hard drive or phone to your forum picture album. Then, link them from the album to the post you want to use them in.

Try it and and let us know if you need more help.

I will look over the info you sent and create a response and maybe a few more questions so we can make sure all lines up right.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 04-24-2019, 04:40 PM   #5
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John B the hitch is weight distribution tongue weight 1050 trailer weight 10500 and weight carrying of 5000 and 500. Sorry it took so long to respond.
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Old 04-24-2019, 10:13 PM   #6
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Hi,

No worries on getting back to me. Thanks for the info. Your F150 has a higher receiver rating then the older F150's. They use to be in the lower to mid 900# range. And in the case of this 2003 T2570, that helps having the 1,050# rating in weight distributing (WD) mode.

Sunline was really good about making sure the floor plans had good tongue weight per the gross vehicle weight. Having good tongue weight helps the camper tow more stable naturally, a good thing. And different floor plans affect the loaded tongue weight more than others.

Your floor plan, a rear kitchen, loads weight at the back wall as that is where the cabinets, fridge and kitchen is. But, there is a good amount of storage up front, the bathroom has some weight and the front bedroom cabinets, under the bed and the front cargo hole helps balance out the heavier rear kitchen.

By the 2003 brochure and by the UVW sticker in the camper, I am estimating the unloaded camper tongue weight to be approx. 720# which is 14.9% tongue weight per 4,821# camper weight. This includes the LP gas in the tanks and a battery but does not yet include cargo in the camper.

Most camper folks end up adding an average of 1,000# of cargo by the time they have food, clothes, pot/pans, camping gear, spare tire, LP gas, battery etc. It sounds like a lot, but really is not. With your floor plan you could come in with a "loaded" tongue weight in the 900 to 1,000# and at the moment, that is without filling the fresh water tank to tow it to camp. More on the water in a moment.

Assuming the 1,000# of cargo added, to the UVW of 4,708# from the weight sticker, that can estimate out to a camper towing weight of 5,708#. You still have more capacity in the camper before you reach the 7,000# GVWR, but loading it all the way to the limit will be a lot (too much) for your truck.

If you want to know what adding fresh water in the tank when towing will be, tell me these dimensions and I can calculate what the water weight will add or subtract from the loaded tongue weight.

I would need these 2 dimensions. Approx within 1 to 2 inches. Place a tape measure along the ground and try to be as accurate as you can.

1. Distance from the center of the tow ball coupler (at the ball) to the center of the front axle of the camper.

2. Distance from the center of the tow ball coupler (at the ball) to the center of fresh water tank as you would be looking at it down the center of the camper.

I have the tank gallons capacity and can create an estimate on the tongue weight change when water is added. Then you can see if you can haul full fresh water or only partial.

Granted, all this is estimated. The only real way to know for sure is to weigh the camper once you load it all up. But I can get you in the ballpark at least.

I would say you need a WD hitch rated for 1,000 # and manage the camper to not exceed that loaded tongue weight. That fits with your truck receiver and most likely your truck rear axle limit & GVWR. You will need to limit your weight in the truck bed as with a 900 to 1,000# tongue weight on the camper, you can run out of truck rear axle capacity before you run out of room in the truck bed. Hopefully you do not have a truck cap, as they can be 300# by themselves.

If you would like, I can suggest several brands of WD hitches that would work with the camper and line up with your truck receiver. Let me know if you have any brand preferences.

And if you want me to size up the WD hitch, I need these 2 dimensions:

Ball height: I need the ball height now (before you do the axle flip) so I can get the right size WD shank on the hitch. Ball height of the camper is, have the camper on level ground, level out the camper (using a level of some kind on the inside floor of the camper over the axles) with the tongue jack, and then measure from the ground up to inside the ball coupler. I suspect on that year and model, it is between 17" to 18". Like this:


Truck receiver height: Put the limited number of must have things in the truck bed, bikes, lawn chairs etc. but leave out lots of firewood. That will settle the truck height to start from. Try to be conservative as you can't haul a lot and fill the bed. Then with the truck on level ground, full tank of gas, measure from the ground up to the top of the 2" truck receiver. Like this:


I will take into account you might do an axle flip. If you know for sure you will flip the axles, let me know and it will save 1 calculation. I can calculate with and without the flip as needed. The way WD hitches are packaged and pending your truck and camper heights, you may need a seperate WD shank to level out the camper when towing. Knowing the heights before you start hitch shopping helps make better decisions when buying.

I took some time to explain all this, sorry for the long post. It was to help guide you and so you can learn about your truck and the WD hitch on how to set them up optimally, the first time.

Hope this helps.

John
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Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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Old 04-25-2019, 05:18 PM   #7
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First I would like to say WOW are you very good and knowledgable . I am in awe at how detailed you were .Hard to find a site with such good people as yourself. Thank you for taking the time to explain all that you did. I am looking into 1000lb hitches shopping around right now. Eaz lift seems to have fair prices on amazon so I think thats the route I'm gonna take. I can't thank you enough for your willingness to extend your knowledge.
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Old 04-26-2019, 10:23 AM   #8
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Hi,

Thanks for the good words. We have a lot of good folks with lots of different backgrounds and all very willing to help.

When it comes to towing, hitches and such, there are lots of choices out there and it can be somewhat confusing trying to sort it all out. Some brands fit one camper and truck better then others "depending" on your exact situation.

A heads up, many standard hitch packages come with a hitch shank that has very little drop, 1 1/2" to 2" is common. Drop meaning, how far down the tow ball can go so that you can level out the camper and not be towing real nose high. Sunlines are low riding campers in most cases. And often, if someone buys a standard hitch package on cost, they later find out they need a longer drop shank (~ $100 to $150) to level out the camper which adds to the cost. The ideal is, know what drop shank length you need before buying the hitch. We can help you sort that out if needed.

You mentioned your were looking at EAZ Lift hitches, as far as weight distribution goes, that brand will do a good job. Their standard hitch then needs an add on friction anti sway bar and some of the EAZ Lift hitch heads accept 2 friction anti sway bars. Again buying the total hitch with the anti sway system most times is less cost then doing add on's later. There are also other brands which have integrated anti sway control and have higher anti sway performance characteristics due to the way they are made.

This post can help explain some on how to set it up and why of the standard EAZ lift hitch with some pics. http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...tml#post136560

Hope this helps and ask away what you need help with.

John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

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