Recommended Weight Distribution System for 3500-lb Trailer and 1998 Isuzu Trooper

Question:

Hi, I have a 1998 Isuzu Trooper with a 5,000 lb tow capacity and 500lb tongue weight limit. I tow a Travel Lite Idea i18 trailer which weighs about 3.500lbs. What products would you recommend for weight distribution / sway control?

asked by: David

Expert Reply:

Weight distribution/sway control (WD/SC) set-ups are needed in several circumstances, such as when the trailer's weight is more than half of the tow vehicle weight. This is surely the case for your trailer and vehicle combination so a WD/SC system will definitely improve your trailering experience by taking away some of the vehicle rear-end sag and trailer sway.

The key to choosing the correct system is knowing the total effective tongue weight (TW) of the setup. This total TW is the combination of the fully-loaded trailer's TW (with water, supplies, etc all loaded up) plus the weight of anything in the vehicle that sits behind the ear axle, such as a loaded cooler or generator. Anything behind the rear axle acts like trailer TW so it needs to be accounted for. We offer a handy TW scale, part # e99044, but other methods to determine TW are outlined in the linked article.

I linked our main page for WD/SC systems. Click on your total TW figure to see suitable systems. Chances are your TW will be around 600-lbs. In this case I recommend the Strait-Line # RP66083 which works for a TW range of 400-800-lbs. Your TW should fall right in the middle of the system's operating range. All you need to add is a hitch ball like # A-90 or # 19286.

expert reply by: Adam R