Is Curt TruTrack # C17500 Weight Distribution System Good for Car Hauler with 1000-lb Tongue Weight  

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Expert Reply:

All weight distribution (WD) systems like the Curt TruTrack # C17500 work over a tongue weight (TW) range of several hundred pounds. This particular system works with TW from 800 to 1000-lbs and ideally the total TW should fall right in the middle of the system's operating range.

A trailer's TW will usually be about 10 to 15-percent of its gross weight; this TW value tends to deliver the smoothest handling with the least trailer sway. At 8000-lbs gross trailer weight your TW could be anywhere from 800-lbs to 1200-lbs but at 10,000-lbs, your expected maximum load, TW will likely fall between 1000- and 1500-lbs. This is a large enough variance that you'll want to try to keep your TW as consistent as you can so that your chosen WD system has the right degree of stiffness to shift TW forward onto the truck's front axle but without being so stiff that it creates weird handling from the trailer.

You also need to include in your TW calculation the weight of anything in the truck that sits behind the rear axle, say a fully-loaded cooler, tool box or generator. This weight added to the loaded trailer's actual measured TW becomes the guide for selecting a WD system. Again, you want to choose a system such that your total TW falls in the middle of its operating range. For a 1000-lb+ TW you'll want a system with a higher weight capacity than the TruTrack.

For a 1200-lb total TW I suggest the Reese Strait-Line System # RP66130 which works with electric brakes (but not surge brakes) and which allows you to back up the trailer. All you need to add to this system is a shank like # RP54970 and a hitch ball like # C40086.

I have included a link to our main page for WD systems. You can click on your total TW and your type of brakes to see suitable systems. I also linked a helpful article on WD systems that may be of interest to you.

expert reply by: Adam R

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