How to Select Weight Distribution System to Replace Valley WD Hitch

Question:

I just purchased a used travel trailer and it came with a Valley trunnion bar WD system. Everything except for the head! Do you have a head that will work with these bars?

asked by: David Z

Expert Reply:

Unfortunately Valley is out of business so we have no replacement parts for their weight distribution systems. Certain parts of such systems, like the shank part that fits into your hitch, can sometimes be interchangeable between brands but not heads and spring bars. You also have no way of knowing for sure that the system components you still have are rated correctly for that trailer.

To get the right system you will want to load your trailer up with all your supplies and gear, and fill your water and propane tanks, etc before measuring its tongue weight (TW) with a scale # e99044. It is critical to know the actual loaded trailer TW when selecting a new system. You also need to factor in the weight of any cargo in the vehicle that sits behind the rear axle, such as a loaded cooler or generator. This acts like trailer TW so it needs to be added to your actual loaded trailer measurement. With this total TW known you're ready to choose a system. The linked page displays all systems that work with electric brakes.

Click on your total TW figure to see suitable options. Ideally your total TW will fall in the middle of the operating range of the system.

For instance, if your TW is 700-800-lbs then the Equal-I-zer system # EQ37100ET is ideal since it works over a TW range from 600- to 1000-lbs. It includes a 2-5/26-inch hitch ball. Please refer to the linked video and article for more information.

expert reply by: Adam R