jpcarro11 You are probably fine on the weight bars, but if it was me I would upgrade to the 1500 pound bars.

I had emailed Reese asking if I could upgrade the spring bars to 1500# or if other components of the hitch would have to be upgraded as well. I never got a response.

Okay... your tongue weight comes in at 1300 lbs, assuming the weight of the truck by itself (first weight above) included the weight of the hitch. In other words, the "tongue weight" is the load placed on the ball, and the weight of the hitch head and ball are not a part of tongue weight. You indicate the Sherline scale weighed the tongue at 1180 lbs which is pretty darn close to the 1200 lbs load carrying capacity rating of the hitch head and ball.

If the first weight above, (just the truck) did not include the weight of the the hitch, then the weight of the hitch is included in the 1300 lbs. But it really doesn't matter, the number you are interested in is how much weight will your hitch head and ball have to carry. And depending upon whether or not the hitch was on the truck when you weighed it, that number is either 1300 lbs or 1300 lbs minus the weight of the hitch. Regardless, the 1200 lb rated hitch most likely has a maximum load carrying capacity of 1200 lbs so you are most likely slightly over or slightly under the maximum load rating.

I recommend that the WD hitch be sized to carry at least 15% of the gross trailer weight. I believe the 297RSTS gross weight is 9995 lbs. So in my opinion, the properly sized hitch head and ball should be capable of carrying 1500 lbs. (9995 x15% = 1499 lbs) The reason for this is that 15% of the gross trailer weight is generally considered to be the maximum tongue weight for good towing practices.

Do not overlook the receiver on the truck. It has a maximum load rating also. I don't know what that is for your truck, but somewhere on the receiver should be a label that gives it's load carrying capacity and it's towing capacity. This information should also be in your owner's manual. The receiver should be rated to carry at least 15% of the gross trailer weight as well.

Bottom line... if it were me, I'd be looking for all load carrying components to have a capacity of at least 1500 lbs.

Oh... as for the actual set up. I think the numbers look pretty good for weight distribution.

I hope this helps!

Bob

Thanks Bob. So the ball, ball mount, and shank don't count against the 1200#...makes sense. But as you noted, I'm already there at the limit.

The receiver is rated for 1500 lbs.

I had asked the salesman a couple times if Reese 1500# would be more appropriate. It seemed obvious I would easily reach and likely exceed 1200 lbs. Salesman stuck to his "we don't recommend it" line. Insisted it would be too stiff. Yeah, maybe too stiff for the drive home from the dealership with an empty RV.

1500# bars are a couple hundred bucks for a pair. We're doing our first outing this coming week. Will spring (sorry) for the 1500# bars when we return.

John

Just to be clear, if it were me, I would make sure that all hitch components (shank, hitch head, ball, spring bars) are rated to carry at least 1500 lbs. I am not familiar with the Reese Straight-line and I could not find that load carrying rating on their web site. It may be marked on the components or included in the instructions.

I hope this helps.

Bob

jpcarro11 Hi, we use a blue ox hitch and it is my understanding that there is no difference in the hitch or ball (2 5/16) between the various weight ratings, the spring bars determine the weight capacity I believe. The Reese hitches could well be different, beware. I have found that over sized spring bars allow more adjustability for load and do not create a harsh ride when under loaded due to not being flexed as much. If everything is good on weights for the receiver I feel that up to a point, more is better.

Dave

RJAPCOK I understand the need for clarity. The ball and shank components are not an issue. The hitch head (or ball mount) is where I would want to know if there are differences between the 1200# and 1500# kits.

A review of "replacement parts" at Reese for the Reese Strait-Line 1200# (kit part# 66022) vs the 1500# (kit part# 66131) shows different part numbers for the hitch head, and of course the spring bars. The 1200# kit uses hitch head part# 58167 and spring bars part# 66009. The 1500# kit uses hitch head part# 62167 and spring bars part# 58369.

So according to Reese's site info, the 1500# kit comes with a different "heavy-duty" hitch head. To add to the confusion, Reese lists the 1700# kit with the same hitch head part# 58167 as the 1200# kit. A phone call to Reese is required at this point.

eTrailer sells the standard hitch head part# 58167, but not the heavy-duty 62167. Where I have seen the heavy-duty hitch head part# 62167 for sale, the part#'s 58167 and 62167 are used interchangeably in the product description. The Q&A at eTrailer surrounding the standard 58167 hitch head indicates (supposedly from Reese sources) that it's good for kits up to 1700#.

So a personal decision is needed whether to stay with the standard hitch head that came with my 1200# kit and buy 1500# bars, or purchase a full 1500# kit with the expectation of a heavy-duty hitch head to be included.

FYI, according to Reese's site, the dual-cam sway-control components (part# 26002) are the same for both 1200# and 1500#. All other "replacement parts" appear to be the same between these kits.

Please do your own due diligence if you're contemplating the same WDS upgrade.

Regards, John

looks like you have a good handle on the technical specs for all the components, and I think your comment about a phone call to Reese is spot on!

Good Luck!

Bob

I would call Reese tech support. I have done this a number of times just to be sure and they are very helpful. Just as a note when I bought my 297RSTS the dealer stated 1200 lb bars too. Said 1500 would be too stiff. I call Reese and the 1200 lb bars are good for load up to but not exceeding 1200 lbs toungue wieght. He told me I could use 1200 lb bars between 800 to 1200 lbs but not over 1200 lbs. He recommended 1500 lb bars which are good between 1000 to 1500 lbs but not 0ver 1500 lbs. They are not too stiff.

Call Reese tech support and get the info right from the product designers. I would not go with 1200 lb bars on my 297. I would also ask Reese about the heads too.

Rob

FWIW, I've been running the Reese straight line hitch for 20 years. In fact, I bought their 1,000lb trunnion hitch long before the 'straight line hitch' was released. When they came out with the dual cams I bought those as an add on.
I used it through 3 trailers, each progressively bigger than the previous one.
(in full disclosure, my new RV came with an equil-i-zer which I now use.)

First, if Reese says don't do something, then trust them. If they say go up in bars then do it. (that's my disclaimer.)
But, I ran 1k bars with a tongue weight just under 1K (plus a little) and I really like the setup. (plus a little means about 1,100 since I added 2 really big batteries to my nearly 1K tongue weight)
I ran this setup on my last trailer for maybe 50,000 miles? maybe closer to 40k....

I'm pretty positive that on a few rough roads I've doubled my tongue wight with the bouncing, and I guarantee I've stressed the bars on sharp corners and while backing. After many years and many miles I guess I'm saying it's a great hitch, but 100lbs isn't going to break it. Take your trip and see how it performs. If you're seriously concerned about that weight, store something to the rear of your coach to offset it a little. Then, if you think it bounces too much and you're not comfortable cranking it tight, go ahead and upgrade. But don't be afraid to run it at it's max weight.

I'm sorry I can't comment on the hitch head because mine is older and back then there was only one.

Thanks RJAPCOK, Calbar, Scott.n.Tira. I did get thru to Reese tech support. They confirmed hitch-head part# 58167 is compatible with the Strait-Line kits for 1200#, 1500#, and 1700#. And all other components in these kits are compatible. The part# 62167 hitch-head listed under replacement parts for the 1500# is a Draw-Tite part number, and the Reese tech confirmed it's the same as the 58167.

Our first outing with the 1200# bars was ok, but a bit bouncy at times (Delaware Rt 1 at 65mph). I've since purchased the 1500# bars and made a test run. This removed some of the bounciness, but not all. The ride did feel more secure and the 1500# bars did not feel too stiff.

Thanks for all the input!

Glad it worked out for you. I don't think you can ever get rid of some bounce. They are spring bars so there will always be some re-bound.

Rob

I'm also a 297RSTS owner. My hitch weight runs 1,300 to 1,400 pounds depending on loading. I used 1,500# Blue Ox bars for quite some time, but my headlights were always pointing too high and the steering felt squirrely. I upgraded to Blue Ox 2,000# bars and the difference was amazing. But even so, I get a little bounce and probably always will.

Jim