Weight Distribution for Towing a 7K Trailer with a 2018 Ford F-150

Question:

hello, we purchased a new travel trailer yesterday. we have a tow bar. a F150 v8. the trailer weight is 7000. bringing it home yesterday the trailer was swaying and very squirrely. any suggestions? thanks

asked by: Sheryl C

Expert Reply:

It looks like you need a weight distribution (WD) system. We recommend using a WD system whenever the trailer weighs at least half of the weight of the tow vehicle, in your case a 2018 Ford F-150.

When looking for a WD system you want to find one with a Tongue Weight (TW) range that the Total Tongue Weight (TTW) of your towing setup falls in the middle of. To find the TTW of your towing setup you will need to add the TW of your fully loaded and ready-to-go trailer, which you can find using part # e99044. Keep in mind that a properly loaded trailer will have a TW that is 10-15% of the loaded weight of your trailer.

If your loaded trailer weighs in at 7,000 lbs then that means your TW should be 700 lbs - 1,050 lbs. For this I recommend using the Strait-Line # RP66084 which has a TW range of 600 lbs - 1,200 lbs. This includes a shank so the only other thing that you would need is a hitch ball like part # A-90 or # 19286 for a 2" or 2-5/16" hitch ball respectively.

Attached is a review video of this system as well as some helpful articles for you to reference. If you have a TTW that doesn't fall into the TW range of this system just let me know and I can help you find one that better fits your application.