Weight Distribution Recommendation for 1997 Ford F-150 Towing 27-foot Coachmen Capri Travel Trailer

Question:

Im new to towing a trailer and looking for some advise on the best weight distribution system that is effective and economical. I have a 97 Ford F 150 4.6l with the 3.55 rear 4x4. I will be pulling a 2005 Coachmen Capri Ruby Edition 27 feet long. Empty weight of trailer is 4300. Dry tongue weight is 500. The hitch on my truck is rated for 850 gtw with WDS and towing weight is rated 8500 with WDS. I am looking for a WDS with sway control that allows you to back up. I dont want to have to remove the system every time I have to back up. I see there are many options in the$500-$600 range. I would appreciate your suggestions. I already plan to purchase the Tekonsha P3 brake controller for the truck as it comes with the wiring harness for the truck. Thank you.

asked by: Michael F

Expert Reply:

We can help you select a weight distribution/sway control system for your 2005 Coachmen Capri Ruby Edition travel trailer that has electric brakes. Thanks for providing all the important details about your set-up.

The key to selecting a WD system is to know your trailer's actual fully-loaded tongue weight (TW). You will want to load the trailer just as you would for a road trip - water, propane, supplies, etc all loaded up - and measure the actual TW with a scale like # e99044. You also need to add of anything that will sit in the truck bed behind the rear axle, such as a toolbox or loaded cooler. It is important to match your actual TW to the WD system to ensure it has enough stiffness to move some TW forward onto the truck's front axle but without being so stiff that it creates weird handling from the trailer. Ideally your total TW figure will fall right in the middle of the WD system's operating range. The linked page will show you all systems that prevent sway and that are compatible with electric brakes.

Let's say for example that your actual total TW turns out to be 600-lbs. In this case a great choice is the Reese Strait-Line # RP66083 which prevents sway from even starting in the first place. If your TW is 800 to 900-lbs then a better choice is # RP66084. For either all you need to add is a hitch ball like 2-inch # A-90 or 2-5/16-inch # 19286.

These are both trunnion style systems that offer better ground clearance than a round bar style such as the Pro Series # PS49583. This economical Pro-Series system works for TW ranging from 750 to 1000-lbs and it requires a 2-5/16-inch ball like # 83660. Since your trailer is over 26-feet in length we suggest adding a second friction control unit like # 83660 to this set-up. Note that with this type of system you must disconnect the friction sway control units before backing up. If you use a Strait-Line you do not have to do anything to back up the trailer. The linked article may help you consider the benefits of trading up to a Strait-Line trunnion system. In my opinion in the long run you will find the extra dollars spent to go with a Strait-Line system to be quite worthwhile. This is arguably the best product on the market.

The Prodigy P2 brake controller # 90885 is a superb choice. This reliable proven controller includes a mix of user-friendly features that make towing a lot easier and safer. You can use harness # 3035-P to connect it to your F-150's under-dash port.