How to Select Weight Distribution/Sway Control to Match Trailers Actual Loaded Tongue Weight

Question:

I bought a travel trailer that weighs 3300 lb and fully loaded 4500 lb. I bought a weight distribution hitch for a thousand pound tongue weight is that too much for my truck and will it cause me problems?

asked by: Jessie

Expert Reply:

When a travel trailer is properly loaded its tongue weight (TW) will be in the range of 12 to 14% of the trailer's gross weight, which in your case is 4500-lbs. So a trailer that weighs 4500-lbs when loaded correctly should have a TW in the range of 540- to 630-lbs. We offer a handy scale to measure, part # e99044, that eliminates the guesswork.

You also need to account for the weight of any cargo in the tow vehicle that sits behind the rear axle, such as a generator or big loaded cooler. You need to factor in this cargo weight because to the weight distribution system it will seem to be additional trailer TW.

All weight distribution systems operate over a fairly wide range of trailer TW, often as much as a 500-lb range. Ideally your total TW figure will fall right near the middle of this operating range. So, if your system's spring bars are rated for UP TO 1000-lbs, they may actually be correctly rated. If your system's rating is far from your actual TW then you could experience either ineffective operation or weird handling side-effects.

As an example, the Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution/Sway Control System # EQ37100ET works over a TW range from 600- to 1000-lbs so it would be an ideal choice for a total TW of about 800-lbs. For a 600-lb TW the better choice would be, for example, the Reese Strait-Line Weight Distribution System # RP66083 which works over the range of 400- to 800-lbs of tongue weight.

The weight rating of a system comes from the specific pair of spring bars installed. You can sometimes simply swap out the spring bars for another set from the same manufacturer to give you a different weight capacity for the system. I linked our page for replacement spring bars. You need to stay within the same brand and product series for alternate bars but you may not need to replace anything else to get your system tuned properly for your actual tongue weight.

The linked article and video may be of interest. And you can submit photos and specifics on your system if you'd like further help identifying replacement parts.