Experienced RVers please advise!
I think you are doing the right thing to get the weight distributing hitch anyway. You didn't say whether your Suburban was a half ton or three quarter ton model. The half ton will come up in the front with the trailer and no weight distribution hitch. Before you hook up the trailer put the Suburban on level ground. Measure the distance from the bottom of the front bumper to the ground. Then measure the distance from the bottom of the back bumper to the ground. Now hook up the trailer and see how much the front end of the vehicle raises and the back end drops. With the trailer still attached to the vehicle jack it back up until the Suburban is level again. Now hook up your torsion chains or whatever your hitch uses to distribute the weight.
Let the trailer back down on the hitch and measure the front bumper distance again. If it is hooked up properly you should be within about an inch of unhitched level. The hitch should have instructions on how to do this.
I would also purchase the sway control. A simple friction type control will work just fine. You will be amazed at how much semi-trucks can push you when they pass or you pass them. The sway control will reduce some of that push.
Since your trailer is not new I would suggest taking it to a dealer or rv service and having the brakes checked. When trailers sit in one spot for long periods of time the inside of the brake drums rust and turn into sand paper. They can wear the brake shoes out rather quickly and build up enough heat to cause the brake shoes to deteriate. Better safe than sorry on this one. I had a one ton crew cab and a 32 ft travel trailer. The brake manufacturer had put out some defective brake shoes and my trailer got some of them. I was going down a short incline when they quit working. I got it stopped but it scared the crap out of me.
Has your husband ever backed a trailer of this size. A little trick I learned from an old trucker. Take the trailer to an empty parking lot on a weekend, set up some empty milk bottles (or whatever) in the approximate size of an rv lot. Put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and try to back it. If the back of the trailer goes right steer to the left, and vise versa. The backend of the trailer will go in whatever direction you move your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. Then you can learn to do it with your hands in the normal position on the steering wheel.
My wife and I also purchased two of the little "family" radios so that we could communicate while I was backing in. She would get out of the truck and watch for me while I backed in to make sure I didn't go back to far, get to close to the hook ups or block the slide out by being to close to a tree, etc. Worked really good.
Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of RVing.
