Determining Campers Tongue Weight To Choose a Weight Distribution System  

Question:

Expert Reply:

First of all, the fact that they scolded you would tend to put me off. It sounds like they passed on a teaching opportunity. Our philosophy is to educate without judgement.

The article you read, "2 STEPS FOR FINDING THE RIGHT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION HITCH SIZE" is based on the sum of our knowledge on that particular topic gained from leaders in the industry like Reese, Curt, Equal-I-zer and Fastway. These companies have been selling weight distribution for years upon years, and we trust their input well enough that we're willing to pass it along to our customers.

The best way to determine the tongue weight of a trailer (and the way we recommend) is to measure it, and add in the weight of anything stowed in the tow vehicle behind the rear axle. A tongue weight scale like the etrailer , part # e99044 would be the easiest way, but there are certainly others mentioned in the article I've linked for you.

If it's not practical to use any of these methods, you can determine the range that the tongue weight might fall into by making an educated guess. Your lowest possible tongue weight would be 10 percent of the dry trailer weight. The maximum would be 15% of the GVWR, assuming that the trailer is loaded to the max. Somewhere in between those two figures is where the actual fully loaded and ready to tow tongue weight would fall (don't forget the weight of cargo behind the tow vehicle rear axle). You'd then need a system whose effective weight range encompasses that range. If you know that your camper has empty water tanks when you tow, and you don't carry a lot of heavy gear, then you know you'll be toward the lower end of that spectrum.

Let's take your camper, for instance. The tongue weight will very likely be somewhere in between 555 lbs and 1020 lbs, not including what's carried behind the axle of the tow vehicle. We know that it's not very likely that you'll tow a completely empty camper unless you're taking it on its maiden voyage home from the dealer. It's also unlikely that you'll tow that camper jam packed all the way up to its GVWR.

Given all that (and if you're still awake after that explanation), the 1000 lb bars would very likely work perfectly for you, and would be effective on a trailer with tongue weights ranging from about 600-700 lbs up to 1000 lbs. This being said, the best option is to load up like you normally would and get a definitive tongue weight figure.

Because campers are easily affected by crosswinds and turbulence from passing or oncoming traffic, I would urge you to use a system that has an integrated sway control component. The Fastway e2, part
# FA94-00-1000 is what I'd recommend for a camper like yours. It's effective on campers with 600-1000 lbs of tongue weight and works great for campers with mild to moderate sway. The system includes everything needed except for the trailer ball. For a 2-5/16 inch ball, # 19286 is recommended or # A-90 for a 2 inch ball.

For moderate to severe sway, the Equal-i-zer # EQ37100ET you'd looked at would be perfect.

expert reply by: Mike L

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