Weight Distribution System Recommendation for 2009 Honda Odyssey Towing a 16 ft Airstream

Question:

Hi, I will be pulling a 16 ft Airstream sport with a 2009 Honda Odyssey that has a gvwr of 3500 pounds and 350 pound tongue weight. I will probably need a weight distribution hitch with sway control. Based on your site, it looks like I would the hitch by adding the load behind the Odysseys rear wheels to the trailer tongue weight, so probably 350 + 100-200 pounds putting me up at a 600 pound WDH hitch weight. from what Ive read, its not advisable to have a hitch tongue rating too much beyond the actual tongue weight. Does the 600 pound rating seem like the best choice? I was looking at the Fastway E2 trunnion and Equalizer hitches rated at 600 tongue/6000 trailer weights. Which is easier to install and adjust and in general how difficult is it to get these installed correctly? Since the main reason for going with this system is safety, I want to find out how difficult it is to get it right. Thanks so much for your input

asked by: Victor W

Expert Reply:

The best way to pick out a weight distribution system is to base it off of the loaded tongue weight of the setup when it is loaded and ready to tow. This figure also includes the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. I attached a help article on determining tongue weight for you to check out as well. You will want the loaded tongue weight of your setup to fall right in the middle of the tongue weight range of the system you use.

If your loaded tongue weight is going to be around 450-550 lbs a 600 lb tongue weight system like the # EQ37060ET would be a great choice.

You will need to verify that your vehicle and hitch have the needed capacity to tow your trailer's weight. There might be a second higher rating for the vehicle/hitch when you are using a WD system so you might check for that as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C