Selecting Weight Distribution/Sway Control System for Pop-Up Camper Towed by 2013 Dodge Durango  

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Expert Reply:

A camper with a dry weight of around 2000-lbs will probably not weigh more than about 2800-lbs when fully loaded. This puts it right around the weight where a weight distribution/sway control (WD/SC) system may be called for (more than half the weight of the tow vehicle). I suggest you take a trip with the trailer to see how it handles for you before you spend on a WD/SC system. A lot depends on the nature of the specific trailer - how much wind it catches and how much it impacts the handling of the Durango.

If you find that passing trucks and wind gusts cause you to feel the trailer swaying then a WD/SC system will be a great investment.

The key to selecting a system is knowing the trailer's fully loaded road-ready tongue weight (TW). Dry weight is not enough. Measure your loaded trailer using a scale like the etrailer # e99044 or by one of the methods outlined in the linked article. To this trailer weight add that of any cargo in the truck that sits behind the rear axle, since this cargo weight too will act just like trailer TW. The combined figure is what you need to choose a properly rated system, one that will give you the desired weight shift to the Durango's front axle but without causing weird handling from the trailer. The ideal circumstance is that your total TW falls right near the middle of the system's operating range.

Let's say your total TW is 420-lbs, 15% of a gross weight of 2800-lbs. (A properly-loaded trailer's TW should be around 15% of its gross weight.) For this TW a great option is the Reese Strait-Line system # RP66082. All you need to add is a hitch ball, either 2-inch # A-90 or 2-5/16-inch # A-6.

The linked article on WD/SC systems may be of interest.

expert reply by: Adam R

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