How to Determine Proper Tongue Weight Rating of Used Trailer

Question:

Hi, I cant seem to find the TW of the camper we purchased used. It is a 1994 or 1996 Forest River Cherokee. We need to get a sway control bar and I dont know which size to get. We purchased it from Craigslist and the seller had very little info. The truck towing it is a 2018 Chevy Silverado 2500. Any advice?

asked by: Catrina

Expert Reply:

I can definitely help you determine what the tongue weight (TW) is for your Forest River Cherokee but without the exact year and model number there isn't a way that I would be able to verify what your TW should be.

On the A-Frame of your camper there should be a plate or sticker that has some information on it. The piece of information you are looking for is the GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). The GVWR is the max amount that the trailer can weigh when it is fully loaded. Once you know what this is you just need to make sure that your TW falls within a 10-15% range of the loaded weight of your trailer. You can use a TW scale like part # e99044 to verify the TW of your trailer. The great thing about this product is that it's small enough that you can bring it with you to ensure that you properly load your trailer where you take it.

Let's say you have a GVWR of 10,000 lbs. This means that your loaded TW should be 1,000 lbs - 1,500 lbs and you would need to choose a weight distribution (WD) system that falls within that range plus the weight of any cargo you have behind the rear axle of your 2018 Chevy Silverado 2500.

Attached is a link to our selection of WD systems that have integrated sway control. If you can get me the GVWR for your trailer I can make a recommendation for your towing setup.

expert reply by: Jon G