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Old 03-07-2019, 08:40 PM   #1
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WD Hitch for a T2363

What is a good wdh that wont be overkill for this t2363 of mine.if it matters i tow with a 2010 silverado 1500 crew cab 5.3 v8 6 speed auto 4x4 with 3.42 gearing.also have a tekonsha p3 brake controller installed.

Thanks
Rob
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Old 03-08-2019, 03:56 PM   #2
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I like Reese Dual Cam system. WDH and anti sway. Also, you can back up without having to disconnect sway controls.
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Old 03-08-2019, 06:24 PM   #3
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Hi Rob,

Your T2363, is it a 1999 model year camper?

Assuming it is, a 99 T2363 has an empty camper "dry" tongue weight of 520#. When you add the battery, LP gas and camping gear in the camper, the "loaded" tongue weight I would estimate to be 700# range. The only way to know for sure, is to load it and then weigh it.

At some Sunline Meet and Greets over the years, I would offer members to weigh their tongue weight. This post lists some of those campers. http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...hts-10765.html

The 2, T2363's that I did weigh came in around 650# loaded with the gear they had.

We need to know a range of what the loaded tongue weight could be so we can select a closer match on the sizing of the weight distribution hitch and spring bars. We also do not want to size the WD hitch spring bars too strong as that can create a harsh ride and in some cases and damage the trailer A frame which has happened before.

I'm going to suggest a spring bar rating of 750 to 800# as a place to start. This lets us start to size up a WD hitch and narrow down the brands.

Next comes features of the WD hitch and what might be important to you. As far the weight distribution (WD) part of the hitch, there are lots of choices to pick from. On a travel trailer the size of yours, a WD hitch that has an anti sway control feature is a recommended thing to have. The anti sway helps when bad towing days happen such as, high cross winds, fast panic manoeuvres due to other motorists, potholes etc. Some brands have integrated anti sway control others have add on features.

If you happen to have brand of WD hitch in mind that you have heard about, we can discuss them and see if they will mate well on a Sunline T2363.

I'll make a few suggestions and we can go from here. Knowing the T2363, it is a low tongue height camper. Trailer ball height pending model year can be in the 16" range. Meaning the tow ball is down there (lower to the ground) compared to other brands and style of camper. And a lot of standard WD hitch packages offer a somewhat standard hitch shank. It may mean you have to buy a separate longer WD shank. On your Chevy, assuming you have the standard GM truck receiver, you will need a drop shank to lower the hitch head down so the camper will tow level. Most likely a 6" drop shank but we have to check that. Towing level is a need to help make a stable camper and to load the trailer axles more even. A lot of nose high or nose down towing is not good.

I happen to have some pics of 2007 T2363 hitched to a Silverado most likely similar to yours. The truck maybe not as new as yours. This is a Reese 800# rated trunnion style WD hitch with the Dual cam anti sway. It is the best Reese makes for anti sway. The trunnion style hitch does not hang down as far as the round bar style and will help on setup.



And the names of some of the parts


Reese also offers that same trunnion style hitch with an add on friction anti sway bar. It looks like this


The add on friction sway bar system is offered by several other brands too. The add on single friction sway bar regardless of brand, is the basic anti sway control. It does help but does not work as well as the integrated hitches with
anti sway built in or if they had double friction bars.

Another brand hitch that comes in the 800# spring bar range trunnion bar that has integrated anti sway is the Fastway E2 WD hitch. This one https://www.fastwaytrailer.com/e2-hitch

They offer the trunnion style as well.

And another brand that comes in 800# spring bars, trunnion with integrated anti sway is the Husky Centerline TS. I'm recommend the TS part as they do offer Centerline version that has springs in the hitch head and is not the TS version.
https://www.huskytow.com/product/husky-centerline-ts/

Those are some of the WD hitches that would work on your camper. I myself prefer the Reese with the DC for a few reasons. The Reese trunnion style WD hitch comes in 600, 800, 1,200, 1,500 and 1,700# spring bar ratings all using the same WD hitch head and some other parts of the hitch system. That means I can upgrade the bars if I get a larger camper some day and not have to replace the entire hitch.

The Reese trunnion bar head has a serrated washer fine adjustment to it that I prefer over the changing of washer spacers many of the other brands have. Reese has a lifetime warranty on their hitches. The Reese Dual cam is the most effective of any of the hitches I linked above in anti sway performance. However, to be fair, it does take more effort to set the hitch up at first. Once set, it is not a problem. It is a trade off of effectiveness verses setup time.

I can link in places that sell all of those hitches and help you size up the correct hitch shank if wanted, once you have time to review this and sort out which you think would be best for you.

Hope this helps, ask away on any and all questions. Taking the time to sort this out in advance and learn about your WD hitch, will pay off big time in years to come towing a camper.

John
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Old 03-08-2019, 08:18 PM   #4
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John,
Thanks for the reply.it is a 1999 t-2363.it is low to the ground,i brought it home with a 4 inch drop hitch but forgot to toss a level on the trailer to see how close it was.eye balled looked pretty close to level.i do want a wdh with anti sway and the tounge weight is probably going to be pretty close to 650.i do have the battery and dual propane tanks on the tounge.as for my truck it is a factory receive.that silverado pictured is the same body style i have so i would say 99%sure its identical.i do like the idea of being able to change out the bars if i upgrade to a heavier tt.the reese dual cam sounds like a good choice,prior to asking here i was checking out the fastaway e2 in my research for a wdh.this is a big step up and big difference from towing my old 3500lb pop up with just a 2 inch ball and 3 inch drop
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Old 03-10-2019, 05:22 PM   #5
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Hi Rob,

Here are some options,

The Reese 800# trunnion style WD hitch with the DC. Reese calls this the "Straight Line" hitch. It is packaged that way by name only. It is a kit made from their HP trunnion style WD hitch with a HP Dual Cam kit sold as a unit. You can get them seperate too if wanted.

I picked one "without" the WD shank as the standard shank will not be low enough for you. That way you do not have to double buy the shank and not use the standard one. Reese at least offers them that way.

I'm going to link you to the Etrailer web site. I have bought from them many times and had good experiences. They are often the cheapest, but not always. They have good writeup on the product they offer. They offer free freight on over $99 and shipping raw steel weighs a lot, so consider this if you find the same parts cheaper somewhere else.

The Reese 800# WD hitch with the DC
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...e/RP66073.html

You will need a tow ball to go with it. Needs 1 1/4" shank and 2 5/16" ball. Standard height. This is the raw finish. I normally get the raw as I do grease the ball and it has not been a problem. It is not good to leave the hitch exposed outside when not camping anyway.
https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Ball/Curt/C40085.html

In case you want a chrome ball, here is one they just cost more. Again the ball needs to be greased to not wear the ball or the trailer coupler but the chrome does off a little more rust prevention.
https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Ball/...BWHB94050.html

And now the shank. Before you buy this, we should check the heights. More on that below. Odds are high you will need the 6" drop shank when used with a trunnion bar hitch.

A Reese one https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...se/RP3215.html

A Curt brand one
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...rt/C17123.html

Reese use to make a drop hitch with more adjusting holes in it on the drop configuration. The extra holes help for the future if you change campers. But they are not offering it now a days. The Curt shank has more holes, but it also is closer to the truck and 1 1/4 longer down towards the ground.

The Reese will stick out behind the truck 9 3/4" from the 5/8 pin hole in the truck to the end of the shank

The Curt will stick out 8" from the 5/8 pin hole.

So what does that mean, this 1 3/4" difference? With the extra 1 3/4" the tow ball hangs out a little more with the Reese. And that allows the truck to turn a little sharper before the tail light corner of the truck will hit the side of the camper or the LP tanks. The goal is to not hit the truck or the camper when turning hard like backing into a campsite. I cannot say for sure that the Curt at 8" and your truck will not hit, all I know is the longer of the Reese allows more options in turning setup. We would have to do some measuring to sort this out. The Reese does cost more.

Here is the Fastway for comparison. It comes with the standard shank and you have to buy an extra shank.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...2-00-0800.html

It needs the tow ball and the longer 6" drop shank.

And the Husky, It comes with the standard shank and you have to buy an extra shank. It states the tow ball comes with it but you still need the longer 6" drop shank. https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...y/HT32217.html

If you want to buy them locally, that is an option too, Just search for those part numbers.

If you end up getting Reese, let's talk before you mount it. There are some things with the Sunline A frame that the instruction may not point out when mounting the DC. We can show you what to look out for and how to overcome.

More in the next reply on the shank length check.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 03-10-2019, 06:01 PM   #6
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Hi Rob,

To check and verify the amount of drop shank needed for a WD hitch, you need to find these 2 numbers.

1. You start with the truck bed loaded with camping gear the way you are going to camp. This sets the natural stance of the truck, loaded. And loaded is what we need to know as the loading lowers the truck to start with to it's towing height.

Once loaded, then go in the back and measure from the ground up to the top of the 2" receiver pin box. Tell us that number. Like this


2. Next is to find out the camper ball height. Find a "level" spot to park the camper on. Then level out the camper with the tongue jack front to back. A heads up on camper level. Over time the main frame rails do sag and sometimes the A frame tongue of the camper was welded on uphill or downhill. So, do not use the camper A frame to determine level.

You need to find a happy medium of what level is for your camper.

Using the siding as a place to start for 1 point of reference.
Use the bottom of the main camper frame as a 2nd reference point.
Go inside and place the level on the floor above the axles as a 3rd point. In your T2363 this would be by the fridge and the bathroom.

Odds are high, all 3 of them may be different. If 2 or them are close to the same, then pick one of them. If all 3 are different, then pick the floor over the axles as a good average declaration of level camper.

Once the camper is level, level out the campe and then measure from the ground up to the inside of the ball coupler. Like this.


From those 2 dimensions, then we can sort out how much drop shank you will need. I can help you but it will look like this. This is on a GMC Envoy/Trailblazer, but it is the same approach, just different numbers.



We also will account for 1" t 1 1/2" truck squat when we adjust the WD hitch.

Let me know 2 dimensions, truck height loaded and trailer ball height when level and we can confirm what you need on the shank.

Hope this helps

John
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Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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Old 03-20-2019, 10:12 AM   #7
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John,
Thanks again for a your insight youve been super helpful and informative. I believe im going to order the dexter axle kit to do the flip and give me more clearance. Then ill order the wdh and get it set up.ill be sure to take plenty of pictures of the axle flip and post in the modification section.
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Old 03-21-2019, 07:12 PM   #8
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Hi Rob.

You very welcome. Glad to help. If you do the axle flip, it might be that the standard 2" drop shank might work. They are cheaper the the longer 6" drop shanks. Have to check the new ball height once you get the camper changed.

Good luck with the axle flip. Let us know if you need anything.

Thanks

John
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Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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