Will Weight Distribution For 800 lb Tongue Weight Help Travel Trailer Porpoising

Question:

Are the 1000 pound Pro Series 58338 spring bars (below) that I was investigating with Jason back in 2020 still unobtainable? My current tongue weight is more like 800 pounds which is over what my old 750 pound with bend bars PN 81518 were designed for. I don't utilized the bend. The main issue I'm still try to resolve is a rough Michigan paved road porpoising problem. Are there other ways to address porpoising - current setup tows beautifully on smooth roads and our heavy duty van suspension could tow with or without the spring bars? Our tow vehicle is a heavy duty MY2012 long wheelbase Chevy G van pulling a 28 foot double axle travel trailer that maxes out at 7000 pounds. I would not be opposed to switching all the hitch hardware if there was some guarantee of solving the rough road porpoising.

asked by: Paul R

Expert Reply:

So the Pro Series 58338 spring bars have been discontinued, and since you have bars that are not rated high enough, the best solution is a properly rated system. The general cause of porpoising is when there isn't enough weight distributed properly on the trailer, or the spring bars may not have enough tension. Since you have 750 lb rated spring bars and an 800 lb tongue weight, the system you have is likely not giving you enough tension so I recommend a correctly rated system for your tongue weight:

- Reese Pro Round Bar Weight Distribution with Sway Control # RE44FR

The Reese # RE44FR is rated for tongue weights between 600 lbs and 1,150 lbs, which yours is directly in the middle of. This will give you the proper tension on the spring bars, and while there isn't a guarantee there will be absolutely zero porpoising ever on a very rough roads, there will be an improvement over your current set up.

expert reply by: Kyle S