Selecting Weight Distribution System for Use with Trailer Towed by 2011 Cadillac Escalade  

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To ensure you can use a weight distribution hitch system on your 2011 Cadillac Escalade you'll just want to check the sticker on the vehicle's hitch. Look for a weight rating for weight distribution (or "WD") on the hitch's sticker. The hitch must be a 2-inch size that has a specific rating for use with WD systems.

The real matching of the WD system relates to the trailer. The WD system needs to be selected based on the actual total tongue weight (TW) of the trailer when it is fully loaded. This means full water and propane tanks, all your supplies and gear in place, etc. This total TW figure must also include the weight of any cargo in the Escalade that sits behind the rear axle, such as a big loaded cooler. The loaded trailer's TW is easy to measure; we offer a handy scale # e99044. Just add any cargo weight to that figure and you're ready to go. The linked video and article will help.

Ideally your total TW will fall in the middle of the operating range for the system you select. For example, Curt MV system # C17052 that you looked at works over a TW range from 800- to 1000-lbs so it would be perfect for a towing setup that has 900-lbs of TW. We have systems for trailer TW as low as a few hundred pounds all the way up to the thousands.

I recommend one of the systems shown on the linked page. All of these include integrated trailer sway prevention and allow you to back up the trailer. I often recommend the Equal-I-zer systems like # EQ37120ET which works well over a TW range from 800- to 1,200-lbs; this would be perfect for a 1000-lb total TW. The linked video will tell you more about this unit.

expert reply by: Adam R

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