Weight Distribution System to Improve Handling of 3500-lb Pop-Up Camper Trailer Towed by Yukon XL  

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Your 3500-lb pop-up camper trailer is well within the towing capacity of the 2015 GMC Yukon XL but when a trailer is more than half the weight of the tow vehicle, which is the case for your set-up, there can be handling issues.

The best remedy is to use a weight distribution/sway control (WD/SC) system that does two important things for your towing experience. First, these systems are able to shift some of the trailer's tongue weight (TW) forward, back to the Yukon's front axle. This forward weight shift improves overall ride by more evenly distributing the trailer's load over both axles on the vehicle. Both steering and braking performance are improved as a result.

The other thing a WD/SC system can do is prevent/control trailer sway. The more a trailer sways the more it will tend to tug at the hitch ball and transfer that energy to the tow vehicle. Keeping the trailer's path more controlled with a WD/SC system can reduce that tug-of-war feeling. The other way to minimize trailer sway is to ensure it is loaded correctly so that you maintain a tongue weight (TW) that is in the range of 12- to 14-percent of the trailer's gross weight (GVWR). If a trailer has too little tongue weight it will tend to sway more and certainly you will feel this as you drive, a bit of the tail wagging the dog.

WD/SC systems are not vehicle specific but they do need to be selected to match the TW of the fully-loaded trailer, with all your usual gear and supplies loaded, full propane and water tanks, etc. You also need to include the weight of any heavy cargo in the Yukon that sits behind its rear axle, say a big loaded cooler or generator, since that will add to the trailer's effective TW. It is easy to measure the trailer TW using scale # e99044.

Once you have your total TW figure you can choose a system. The linked page will let you select your total TW to then see suitable systems. All systems work well over a specific TW range; ideally your total figure will fall in the middle of that range. A properly-loaded 3500-lb trailer should have a TW in the range of 425-lbs to 500-lbs. If you click on the 500-lb rating you will see systems like the Equal-I-zer # EQ37060ET which works effectively over a range of 200- to 600-lbs. This would be an ideal match.

The Equal-I-zer systems use spring bar brackets that are only about 2-inches wide which makes them much easier to place on many trailer frames where space can be tight (due to propane tanks or other gear). This system is all-inclusive; it even comes with a 2-inch hitch ball. The only other item you might consider is the thin-walled socket # EQ70-00-4800 that makes it easier to install the hitch ball.

expert reply by: Adam R

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