Is Weight Distribution System Ideal for Leveling Truck That is Towing 4,300 lb Trailer

Question:

I have a 2014 Toyota Tundra SR5 Crewmax 5.7 7200 GVWR and a single axle 4288 GVWR travel trailer with a 388 lb tongue weight 3900 lb axle capacity. The rear of the Tundra sags by several inches with the trailer hooked up resulting in the trailer not sitting level and some push/pull on the road. The Tundra has a 1360 lb cargo capacity and I assume a tongue capacity of 720 lbs...10 of GVWR. Im looking for a WDH to level out the truck and distribute some weight forward. But I also dont want to push too much weight back to the trailer axles as I dont want to exceed its axle capacity especially with additional cargo in truck bed. I figure with tanks full, the trailer has 500 lbs of cargo capacity. And the truck bed could see as much 500 lbs of gear dirt bike and gear. Any suggestions for WDH? And how much of the tongue and truck bed cargo weight should I expect to be transferred to trailer axles. Would SumoSprings be a better application than a WDH?

asked by: Josh

Expert Reply:

A weight distribution system is going to be a much better option than something like SumoSprings for leveling your 2014 Toyota Tundra when towing your 4,300 lb GVWR travel trailer. SumoSprings like # SSR-610-54 are a good complement for your truck, particularly since you have weight in the bed so I do recommend them, but a weight distribution system is going to transfer the weight between the trailer and truck to level it out which the SumoSprings cannot do.

The correct weight distribution hitch will depend on your total tongue weight, which is the which is the tongue weight of your fully loaded and ready to go trailer plus the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of your Tundra. Tongue weight is typically between 10% and 15% of your trailer's GVWR so for a 4,300 lb GVWR travel trailer with 500 lbs of weight in the bed (not all of which is going to be behind the rear axle), we can estimate your total tongue weight to be somewhere in the 600 lb range.

For that I recommend the Fastway e2 Weight Distribution # FA92-00-0800.

This system has two points of sway control to ensure your trailer is stable, uses brackets which are much easier to install than systems with chains, and allows you to back up with the system on, which is not something all systems do. It is a great value as well, offering high quality for its price, compared to other systems which can be much, much more expensive.

With the Fastway you will need either the 2" Hitch Ball # EQ91-00-6080 or 2-5/16" Hitch Ball # EQ91-00-6100.

I have added links to video reviews for you as well.