Should Weight Distribution System be Added to 2005 Ford E-350 Towing Jayco Z23B  

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Expert Reply:

Any time you have rear sag on the tow vehicle or the trailer weighs more than 50 percent of the tow vehicle's weight a weight distribution system is a really good idea. Your E-350 weighs about 5,500 pounds so both of these parameters are being met in your case.

Adding a friction sway bar will help keep the trailer in line behind the van during travel but it won't do anything to re-distribute weight or raise the rear end of the van closer to stock height with the trailer attached.

When picking out a weight distribution system the most important factor to consider is the total tongue weight of your setup. This includes both the loaded tongue weight of the trailer along with any added cargo weight coming from behind the rear axle of your E-350. Ideally this number falls comfortably within the operating range for the system you choose.

Your Jayco X23B does have a dry weight of around 4,200 pounds like you mentioned but its fully loaded weight can creep up to 5,500 pounds. We can use this number to estimate a loaded tongue weight of around 550 to 825 pounds since a trailer's tongue weight should be 10 to 15 percent of its total weight.

With this in mind I strongly recommend the Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System # EQ37100ET. This system features a tongue weight capacity range of 600 to 1,000 pounds, which will match your total tongue weight really well once you factor in cargo weight from the van. This is an excellent system that will definitely pick the rear of your van back up while also working to fight side-to-side movement with its integrated 4-Point Sway Control. Its clamp-on brackets allow for a simple no-drill installation as well.

I have attached a short video demonstration on this system so you can see exactly how it works.

expert reply by: Chris R

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