Weight Distribution Recommendation for Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Towing 17 foot Casita Travel Trailer
Question:
I will be towing a 17 foot 2450 lb dry casita travel trailer. I have 3.73 final drive ratio and a class 3 hitch rated at 350 TW and 3500 total weight 400lb TW and 4000 lb total with a WDS. My question is the trailer has a TW of 365 lbs, will this model of WDS work with my rig? Any information to help me make this decision will be very helpful. Thanks
asked by: Brad A
Expert Reply:
As a first step, you'll need to determine the fully loaded and ready to tow weight of the trailer.
The 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is rated to tow a maximum of 3500 lbs. Using a Weight Distribution system can increase the towing capacity of the hitch itself, but it CANNOT increase the towing capacity of the vehicle. If the fully loaded weight of your Casita TT exceeds the 3500 lb towing capacity of your vehicle, I can't recommend you tow the camper with that vehicle.
If however, the fully loaded trailer weight comes in under the towing capacity of the vehicle, I'd highly recommend using a weight distribution system. Weight distribution systems are classified by their effective tongue weight range, so you'll want to find the loaded and ready to tow tongue weight of your trailer. The # PS49582 system you mentioned is effective on trailers with 550-750 lb tongue weights, which would be rated too high for the trailer you have. A system like # PS49901 would be a better choice, as its effective on trailer tongue weights up to 550 lbs. The system includes the 2-5/16 inch trailer ball and the weight distributing shank.
