Reflection 297RSTS

[Calbar]

Just curious why you decided on Reese 1,500 lb Strait-Line WD and Sway Control hitch, I will be picking up our new 297RSTS in a couple of weeks once the snow melts. I was planning on going with the Equalizer 12,000 with 4 point sway control. my tow vehicle is a 2015 RAM 2500-diesel-4x4, long bed with factory installed rear air leveling. Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

Brian

I decided on 1500 lb bars as this trailer is tongue heavy with most of the storage in front of the axles. My factory tongue weight is nearly 900 lbs without propane and battery. The Reese 1500 lb bars cover tongue weight of 1200 to 1500. My previous trailer had 800 lb bars which were really borderline so I wanted a bit of margin. Even with WDH the tongue is adding 1100 lbs to the rear axle so I know I am over 1200 lbs tongue weight. Glad I made that decision. Also like the Reese because it is not friction based but cam based that pushes the trailer back in line which the equalizer which is friction based does not do. It holds the trailer in whatever position the bars are.

Rob

[Maddog55]

Just curious why you decided on Reese 1,500 lb Strait-Line WD and Sway Control hitch, I will be picking up our new 297RSTS in a couple of weeks once the snow melts. I was planning on going with the Equalizer 12,000 with 4 point sway control. my tow vehicle is a 2015 RAM 2500-diesel-4x4, long bed with factory installed rear air leveling. Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

Brian

Brian,

I chose the 1,500 lb Strait-Line WD and Sway Control hitch based on its capability. It is a class V hitch with cams to help keep the trailer in line while towing, and the 1,500 lb tongue weight capability is inline with my tow weight requirements. I don't have any experience with the equalizer hitch other than knowing that it is a friction and not a cam based hitch. As others have mentioned, the 297RSTS is tongue weight heavy and I find that it fits my requirements rather well. So far I'm very pleased with the capability and towability of the Reese hitch.

An important point is to ensure it is installed correctly with regard to measurements and torque specifications. I had the unfortunate incident to have the dealer install the hitch. I watched in horror as it gradually became evident that they, the installers, were a bunch of amateurs. I will never make that mistake again. I had all the right tools, all they had was an impact wrench and nothing more. It pains me to recall this incident to this day.

Good luck on you new TT. We're very pleased with ours.

MD

[reeldirtydawg]

Thank you both for the valuable information. We moved up from a 25ft TT with no slides so I never used a WDH or Sway Control so a lot to learn. Have been doing some research on correct installation and adjustments based on axel weights and front/rear measurements. For me trying to account for the rear auto air-leveling system that came stock on my truck is another wrench to throw into the calculations. Will do some research on the Reese 1,500 lb Strait-Line WD and Sway Control hitch, the dealership carries both Reese and Equalizer and I cannot pick up the new 297 for a few more weeks till the snow melts at the house.

Thanks again for the quick responses, greatly appreciated.

Side question- have you weighted your 297RSTS fully loaded? Data sheet I got from dealer said UVW was roughly 8,000 and GVWR was 9,995. Was reading some threads that seems a lot of people quickly overload the 297. With roughly 2,000lbs to play with seem like a lot of weight.

[iproff1]

Just curious why you decided on Reese 1,500 lb Strait-Line WD and Sway Control hitch, I will be picking up our new 297RSTS in a couple of weeks once the snow melts. I was planning on going with the Equalizer 12,000 with 4 point sway control. my tow vehicle is a 2015 RAM 2500-diesel-4x4, long bed with factory installed rear air leveling. Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

Brian

We looked at a 297 a couple have, they have the same hitch that you are getting. He said it was great his 2500 hauled the TT straight as an arrow with no problems from cross winds or tractor trailers passing.

Get the pads to eliminate the noise

Ken

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[Maddog55]

Side question- have you weighted your 297RSTS fully loaded? Data sheet I got from dealer said UVW was roughly 8,000 and GVWR was 9,995. Was reading some threads that seems a lot of people quickly overload the 297. With roughly 2,000lbs to play with seem like a lot of weight.

Depending on upgrades, 2,000lbs may not be much to work with. I have a washer/dryer combo, Honda EU3000is generator, furniture, printer, and all the other stuff that goes with traveling full time. I did not get a base weight (regretful) but now that I'm finally ready to hit the road, I will be taking a fully loaded scale weight next week (will post once I get results).

I still have plans for LiFePO4 batteries and inverters in the near future (more weight).

[howson]

Some mods we'll be working on are Ford OEM trailer mounted trailer camera with TPMS...

Kevin,
I missed the part about the Ford camera and TPMS system. I installed the system on my 315. What stinks about Ford's system is you can't enable the camera on the trailer while towing. This thread might interest you: https://www.mygrandrv.com/fo...Truck-A-Review

-Howard

[Calbar]

Side question- have you weighted your 297RSTS fully loaded? Data sheet I got from dealer said UVW was roughly 8,000 and GVWR was 9,995. Was reading some threads that seems a lot of people quickly overload the 297. With roughly 2,000lbs to play with seem like a lot of weight.

I have weighed mine with the truck and I come in at 9400 lbs loaded. No washer or dryer and no water in the tanks but 2 batteries on the front. My dry weight from the sheet was just over 8100 lbs.

Rob

[reeldirtydawg]

Great information and thank you for the replies.

Looking forward to reading what your total weight is with everything you described loaded.

I will weight my on the way home from the dealer so I will have a true starting weight.

[Maddog55]

Great information and thank you for the replies.

Looking forward to reading what your total weight is with everything you described loaded.

I will weight my on the way home from the dealer so I will have a true starting weight.

Well, I finally got the numbers.

F250 6.7 Diesel 4x4 SRW SWB-- Specification / Scale Weight
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)-- 10,000 / 10,000
Vehicle Cuirb Weight-- 7,264 /
Max Payload -- 3,480 /
Calculated Max Payload (GVWR - Vehicle Curb Weight)-- 2,736 / 2,736
Front GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)-- 5,990 / 4,580
Rear GAWR-- 6,340 / 5,420

GD 297RSTS
GVWR-- 9,995 / 9,140
UVW-- 8,164 /
Cargo Weight-- 1,773 / 976
Calculated Cargo Weight-- 1,831 /

GCWR (GVWR of TV & TT Combined) -- 28,700 / 19,140

The first thing to notice is that the combined front and rear axle weight is right at 10,000 lbs with the TT attached. I'm right at the max limit.

The TT cargo weight is 976 lbs with 797 lbs additional cargo capacity. However any additional weighting the TT would exceed the TV GVWR. So, it looks like the TV GVWR is my limiting factor.

With the TV loaded down, the tow hitch is likely not calibrated correctly with the TT tongue (i.e. the TT tongue is likely tilted down slightly putting additional weight on the tow hitch that can be taken off by recalibrating the tow hitch receiver alignment). Maybe maybe not. I'm thinking one or two hundred pounds off the hitch receiver if it is realigned properly.

Actual CAT Scale numbers:

Steer Axle 4,580 lb
Drive Axle 5,420 lb
Trailer Axle 9,140 lb
Gross Weight 19,140 lb

The TV specification are unique for each variant of Gas/Diesel, SRW/DRW, SWB/LWB, FX4x4, trailer package, and other options.

Interesting but disappointed at the TV GVWR numbers. May recalibrate the tow hitch alignment and check the scale again.

Cheers,
MD

[howson]

Well, I finally got the numbers.

F250 6.7 Diesel 4x4 SRW SWB-- Specification / Scale Weight
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)-- 10,000 / 10,000
Vehicle Cuirb Weight-- 7,264 /
Max Payload -- 3,480 /
Calculated Max Payload (GVWR - Vehicle Curb Weight)-- 2,736 / 2,736
Front GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)-- 5,990 / 4,580
Rear GAWR-- 6,340 / 5,420

GD 297RSTS
GVWR-- 9,995 / 9,140
UVW-- 8,164 /
Cargo Weight-- 1,773 / 976
Calculated Cargo Weight-- 1,831 /

GCWR (GVWR of TV & TT Combined) -- 28,700 / 19,140

The first thing to notice is that the combined front and rear axle weight is right at 10,000 lbs with the TT attached. I'm right at the max limit.

The TT cargo weight is 976 lbs with 797 lbs additional cargo capacity. However any additional weighting the TT would exceed the TV GVWR. So, it looks like the TV GVWR is my limiting factor.

With the TV loaded down, the tow hitch is likely not calibrated correctly with the TT tongue (i.e. the TT tongue is likely tilted down slightly putting additional weight on the tow hitch that can be taken off by recalibrating the tow hitch receiver alignment). Maybe maybe not. I'm thinking one or two hundred pounds off the hitch receiver if it is realigned properly.

Actual CAT Scale numbers:

Steer Axle 4,580 lb
Drive Axle 5,420 lb
Trailer Axle 9,140 lb
Gross Weight 19,140 lb

The TV specification are unique for each variant of Gas/Diesel, SRW/DRW, SWB/LWB, FX4x4, trailer package, and other options.

Interesting but disappointed at the TV GVWR numbers. May recalibrate the tow hitch alignment and check the scale again.

Cheers,
MD

Kevin--it's probably there, but I can't figure out what the truck weighed without the 297 attached. If you have that number your tongue weight can be easily calculated. (Requires getting weighed twice, once with the trailer attached and then without the trailer.)

You also now know why I traded in my 250 for the DRW. No way I could pull a 315 with a Goldwing in the bed and stay within the truck's GVWR.

-Howard