Curt 1,000 Pound or Fastway 800 Pound Weight Distribution for a 7,000 Pound Travel Trailer

Question:

Bought a forest river 28foot travel trailer, dry weight is 6200 lbs with an addition 800lbs more or less added weight. The hitch weight is 636 lbs. Considering either the Curt C17500 or the Fastaway e2 FA92-00-1000. The curt is rated at 10k lbs with 1000 lb hitch and the Fastway is 8K lbs with 800 lb hitch. Any pros or cons going with a higher rated hitch since my trailer will only be in the low 7000 lb GVWR?

asked by: Alex G

Helpful Expert Reply:

First, the 636 pounds of tongue weight is the dry tongue weight and will increase once the trailer is loaded and ready to tow. Since the dry weight is 6,200 pounds and the dry tongue weight is 636 pounds that means that the tongue weight is 10.25 percent of the gross trailer weight. If the trailer weighs 7,000 pounds when loaded then the tongue weight will be in the neighborhood of 717 pounds.

For weight distribution you also have to add the weight of anything loaded behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the trailer tongue weight. So if you also have 100 pounds of gear behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle then the total tongue weight will be around 817 pounds. In that case going with a system rated for 1,000 pounds tongue weight is a good idea and the 800 pound system would not be effective.

If you go with a system that is rated much higher than needed then what can happen is the trailer will have a very stiff ride which does not make for a pleasant towing experience. Based on everything you have said though the 1,000 pound system # C17500 is your best option. I have included some links on determining tongue weight and weight distribution for you.

expert reply by: Michael H