Is Weight Distribution Needed for Towing a Rockwood Hard Side Pop-Up Camper

Question:

I have a 2014 Honda Ridgeline sport 4,491 lbs per specs online. We purchased a hard sided pop up camper, dry weight 2,014 lb - hitch weight 222 per specs online What kind of weight distribution hitch If any do we need. I was going to purchase weigh safe with Built in scale, but it’s confusing since it talking about weight of your trailer loaded. How would I know that??? Do I need to buy a scale too? I have 2” ball. Thank you

asked by: Denise I

Helpful Expert Reply:

The first thing I would recommend is checking the owner's manual of your 2014 Honda Ridgeline Sport to see what it says about using a weight distribution hitch. In general, a WDH is recommended if your trailer weight is more than 50% of your vehicle's GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) or if you are experiencing rear sag and trailer sway. It looks like the curb weight of your Ridgeline is the 4,491 lbs you looked at, and the GVWR is 6,050 lbs.

The dry weight for your camper is the completely unloaded weight. I do not know what year or exact model you have there, but it looks like an A122S Rockwood Hard Side pop-up. These list a cargo carrying capacity, which is the maximum amount of weight you can carry in your camper. You would add this to your dry weight to find the GVWR. It looks like for this camper that would put you over 3,000 lbs so, assuming that is correct and you fully load it, a WDH would be a good idea as far as weight is concerned. This is just an estimate so you will need to find this using the model and year of your camper.

When it comes to choosing a WDH the most important factor is the tongue weight. Tongue weight is typically 10-15% of the trailer weight. We already know that the lowest is going to be 222 lbs, and the highest, assuming you load it to the max, will be around 450 lbs. More than likely, you will be somewhere in the middle of that range. If you want to know exactly, you can use the bathroom scale method, a scale like the # e99044, or like you said some Weigh Safe ball mounts have a built-in scale. I have attached a helpful article on how to measure tongue weight which outlines different methods.

Even without actually weighing it it is safe to say a WDH like the Fastway e2 Weight Distribution # FA92-00-0450 would be a good fit. This system uses 2 point sway control and is rated for tongue weights up to 450 lbs. So, unless you are exceeding the 450 lb tongue weight limit of this system it would be a great choice. You would also need a hitch ball like the # 40038 since one is not included. You can use the 2" ball you already have as long as it has a 1" diameter shank.

I have attached some review videos, along with some helpful articles on weight distribution for you to check out.