Question regarding hitch for 210 WBS

[Camper Roy]

We bought a year old X-210 WBS which came with a pro series weight distribution hitch - 550 with sway control. I towed the trailer home without
any issues. Based on the potential TT load we could have, I assume the
gross weight could be around 5500 lbs. I am concerned with the tongue
weight since it would exceed the capability of the current hitch. It appears I should have a minimum of 750 lb. tongue weight capability for the weight distributing hitch system on the 210 TT. Any thoughts from current or previous 210 owners would be appreciated.

[webslave]

When I had my 210WBS, I weighed in right around 6,000 lbs loaded for 3 months on the road. If you don't pack as much (go for shorter trips), then 5500 to 5800 would be a realistic number for that trailer. In theory, you could wind up with a tongue weight of better than 780 lbs without even trying hard. Mine routinely weighed in at 795 to 825 lbs (I have a Sherline scale).

My recommendation would be to go to a heavier weight distribution hitch with commensurately heavier bars; in the 1,000 lb category. I'm partial to the Equal-i-zer brand hitch, however, there are other hitches out there that do an equally fine job. I liked the Equal-i-zer for the ease of hooking up and unhitching and I don't like the chained bars of some of the "other" brands. I know of a person that actually broke their foot disconnecting their "chained" system by standing with their foot under the bar...not the brightest thing, but, going for maximum "leverage" results in standing closer to the unit than prudent. The Equal-i-zer uses a different "L" bracket type mounting system. I towed that trailer with a 2008 Jeep Hemi Commander with the Equal-i-zer and 1K bars and it was a sweet tow and no issue of whether I was ever "over" the rating of the hitch.

Not that this has anything to do with your original question, but, in the realm of hitches (bars of any type for sway control), I heartily recommend a power tongue jack if you don't already have one. The convenience of being able to easily lift the tongue and the tow vehicle's rear end to make the attachment of the bars easier can't be overstated for such a small investment.

[M&M]

Hi Camper Roy,
We also have a 210WBS. We had the same issue of how heavy a hitch to buy. The issue basically got settled when a 600-6000 Equal-i-zer Hitch came up on Craig’s List at a good price and we decided to try it. We might not be loading as heavy as you plan to load, but it seems to work well for us. As I understand it, Equal-i-zer uses the same basic hitch to achieve the various load ratings, and only varies the stiffness of the spring bars. Thus, I am not worried about hitch failure if it is overloaded, which it does not seem to be. As I understand it, there are some advantages to lighter rated spring bars if you can use them in that they place less stress on the trailer frame, and ride a little better. The weight to be carried in the rear of the tow vehicle also impacts how much load capacity the hitch needs. Good luck!

[Camper Roy]

Thanks for the replies.... I took our trailer to a local business that had a truck scale where I could weight the 210. I was surprised that it was only
4340 lbs. We had loaded most of the stuff we are going to take camping. The trailer also had about 1/2 of the fresh water tank filled which I plan on dumping before we go camping in a couple of weeks. We should be around 4500 lbs when we load up for our camping trip. I may weigh the trailer again when we return from our trip.