How to Determine if I Have the Correct Weight Distribution System

Question:

I have a 2014 F1 50 FX four and I am telling 1013 working play VRF21. Fully loaded I believe the trailer is about 7500 pounds. The weight distribution hitch I am using it and is an antique Reese I got from my grandfather. He used it to tow his 25f ultralight maybe 3500 pound trailer. I have it adjusted with the ball head furthest from the tow vehicle/ max angle and spring bars at minimum five chain-links to have them level. This is the best I can do to get the front of my truck to only raise a quarter inch and the rear only s a half inch. Any other way I tried adjusting it just raises the front and lowers the rear more.

asked by: Steve L

Expert Reply:

Since there is such a drastic difference between the weight of your Grandfather's trailer and your trailer I really don't think that the Reese Weight Distribution (WD) system that you are currently using is rated high enough. You could maybe try using 4 chain links instead of 5, but if it was rated high enough you should be seeing a level setup once it is installed.

You will want to make sure that your WD system has a Tongue Weight (TW) range that the Total Tongue Weight (TTW) of your setup falls in the middle of. You can find your TTW by adding the TW of your fully loaded and ready-to-go trailer along with the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of your 2014 Ford F-150, like a cooler. Keep in mind that a properly loaded trailer will have a TW that is 10-15% the weight of the loaded trailer.

If the total weight of your trailer when fully loaded is 7,500 lbs then that means the TW of your trailer alone should be between 750 lbs - 1,125 lbs. You will want to check the TW range of your current Reese WD system to see if it is compatible with your trailer or not.

If it is not I recommend getting a new WD system that is properly rated for your towing setup. The Reese Strait-Line WD systems are my favorite to recommend because they use anti-sway cams that prevent trailer sway as opposed to correcting it after it has already started. For your setup I recommend part # RP66130 with has a TW range of 800 lbs - 1,500 lbs; this should be the correct range but you will want to double check.

This system doesn't come with a shank or a hitch ball so for those you will want to go with part # RP54970 for the shank and part # C40030 for the hitch ball.