How to Select Correctly Tuned Weight Distribution System for 19-foot Travel Trailer  

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A weight distribution (WD) hitch set-up can be used on more than one vehicle since it is intended to be selected based on the trailer's actual fully-loaded tongue weight (TW). You want to check your two vehicle hitches to ensure that both indicate on their safety stickers that they are rated for use with WD systems. Not all hitches can be used with WD. Also, you naturally want to ensure that the two vehicles themselves are both rated appropriately for the maximum trailer weight you will ask them to pull.

The easiest way to determine the loaded trailer TW is a scale, part # e99044, but other methods are outlined in the linked article. To this measured TW you need to add the weight of anything in the tow vehicle that sits behind the rear axle, say a loaded cooler for example, since this too will act like TW. This total combined TW is what you need to select a properly-rated system. Ideally the total TW will fall in the middle of the system's operating range.

A properly-loaded trailer's TW will usually be about 15% of its gross weight. So let's say for our example that the total trailer weight is 5000-lbs. This translates to a TW of about 750-lbs. We'll assume you have a 100-lb cooler in the back of the vehicle too. Use the linked page to see our WD systems with built-in trailer sway control. Click on the 800-lb figure to see suitable systems for this total TW.

An excellent choice is the Reese Strait-Line # RP66084 which works over a TW range of 600- to 1200-lbs (making it ideal for 800 to 850-lbs TW). It features a built-in sway prevention system that allows you to back up the trailer without having to disconnect anything. All you need to add is a hitch ball of the size required by your trailer, either 2-inch ball # A-90 or 2-5/16-inch ball # 19286.
This system will give far better performance than the Pro Series 49902.

If you find that the trailer weight varies too much for one system when you're using the other vehicle you can re-tune the system by swapping out the spring bars to ones rated correctly. All the other parts of the system can be re-used. Say you find you also need a system that works for TW of 500 to 600-lbs. Just substitute two lighter spring bars # RP22225 to re-tune the system for the lighter TW.

The entry-level ProSeries 49902 has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The combination of # PS49582, # 19286, and # 83660 will be the same thing and work over a TW range of 550- to 750-lbs but its simple friction bar sway control must be disengaged every time you reverse the trailer. It will also not provide the same sway control performance found in the Strait-Line.

expert reply by: Adam R

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