Camco Eaz-Lift TR3 Trunnion Weight Distribution Hitch, 1,000 lb TW

If you tow a travel trailer and the back end of your truck squats every time you hitch up, the Camco Eaz-Lift TR3 fixes that. It's a trunnion-bar weight distribution hitch that takes the load sitting on your truck's rear axle and spreads it forward onto the front axle and back onto the trailer's axles. The result is a level truck, headlights pointed where they should be, and a rig that steers and brakes close to the way it did empty. This is the 1,000-pound version, rated for up to 1,000 pounds of tongue weight and a 10,000-pound gross trailer weight.

What sets the TR3 apart is the built-in dynamic sway control. It's not a separate friction bar you bolt on as an afterthought. The sway resistance is engineered right into the head, so the hitch is fighting sway the moment you pull out of the driveway. That matters most in the situations you can't plan for. A gust of crosswind on an open highway. The wall of air when a semi blows past. A downhill grade with a bit of a curve in it. The trailer stays tracking behind you instead of wagging the truck around.

We tell people the real test is the first tow with it versus without. With no distribution hitch, a heavy trailer pushes the truck around at speed and the steering goes light. Set the TR3 up right and the front tires stay planted, the truck sits level, and you stop white-knuckling the wheel every time the road turns. That's the whole point of spending the money on a proper hitch.

The TR3 uses trunnion spring bars instead of round bars. They seat into the head from the side, which gives you more ground clearance underneath, so you're less likely to drag on a steep driveway apron or a campground entrance. They're quiet, too. No constant clunk and creak from metal working against metal every time you roll over a seam in the pavement.

This kit comes ready to work. You get the hitch head, the trunnion bars, the shank, and a 2-5/16-inch hitch ball, so you're not hunting for a ball at the parts counter after it shows up. Setup is straightforward if you've done it before and manageable the first time if you take it slow. You'll set the shank height and tilt so the head sits at the right angle, hook the spring bars up to the trailer's brackets, and dial in the tension until your truck and trailer sit level. Measure your truck's fender heights loaded and unloaded. That's how you know you've got the distribution set right.

The 2-5/16-inch ball matches a 2-5/16-inch coupler, so double-check that's the size on your trailer before you tow. Most travel trailers in this weight class use it, but it's worth a two-second look.

This is the hitch for half-ton and three-quarter-ton trucks pulling mid-size to large travel trailers, the kind of camper in the 25 to 32 foot range where you're carrying real tongue weight but staying under that 10,000-pound trailer number. If your loaded tongue weight runs past 1,000 pounds, or your trailer is heavier than 10,000 pounds gross, you want to step up to a higher-rated setup instead. And weigh your actual tongue weight before you buy. A lot of folks guess, and guessing is how you end up with the wrong bars under your rig.

Keep the pivot points greased and the sway control stays smooth and quiet for the long haul. Give the ball and the bar sockets a wipe and a fresh coat of grease at the start of every camping season. Do that and the TR3 is the kind of gear you bolt on once and stop thinking about, which is exactly what you want out of a weight distribution hitch. It just makes the tow better, every mile.