Recommendation for a Weigh Distribution System for a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Trailer

Question:

I am looking to tow a 18ft steel open deck car trailer, the trailer and car will weigh just about 5,500 lbs. Per the owners manual, any trailer weight over 3,500 lbs requires a WD hitch and for a 5.7 Hemi 4x4 the max tongue weight is 740 lbs. I am interested in the Fastway e2 WD w/ Sway control. The filtering on your website when I round up my TW to 800 chooses the 1,000 lb model FA94-00-1000 but when I round down to 700 TW the 800 lb model FA94-00-0800 is ed. The question is which one is best for my application and are there any other pitfalls I may encounter with this setup.

asked by: Chris C

Expert Reply:

When trying to decide on a proper weight distribution (WD) system for your towing rig, you will need to know the total tongue weight (TTW) of your set-up. The total tongue weight will be a fully loaded ready to tow trailer, plus any weight located behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle.

As an example, if your vehicle weighs 5,500 lbs and trailer weighs say 1,000 lbs, then your gross trailer weight will be 6,500 lbs. Tongue weight is 10-15 percent of the gross trailer weight. In this scenario, you would be looking at 650 to 975 lbs. Then with these numbers you would want to find a WD system that would fall in between this tongue weight range.

If your total tongue weight turns out to be between 400 to 800 lbs, then the Fastway e2 Weight Distribution System, # FA94-00-0800, would work well for you towing rig.

If by chance, your tongue weight is higher than 800 lbs, then the Fastway e2 WD system, # FA94-00-1000, would work better for you.

With either WD hitch, a trailer hitch ball with an 1-1/4 inch shank will be also needed. I recommend # A-90 if you need a 2 inch trailer ball and # 19286 if you need a 2-5/16 inch trailer ball.