What is the Best Weight Distribution and Sway Control System for a 7,500 Pound Travel Trailer

Question:

Looking for top 2 best overall set-up for a travel trailer - about 5755 lbs empty wt, 7500 max gross weight, 835 lbs empty hitch weight. Tow vehicle is a 2011 Dodge 1500 extended cab that can haul a max of 7300. I know with this trailer I will need max out at 1500 or less to be below the 7300. This will be for my first travel trailer and want to get it right the first time. I like the idea of the all-in-one where I would not have to remove the sway control to back the trailer up.

asked by: Michael T

Expert Reply:

One thing of concern is the truck is rated for 7,300 pounds yet the gross trailer weight is 7,500 pounds. You need to stay below the 7,300 pounds whether you are using weight distribution or not. The vehicle capacities are set in stone.

When choosing a weight distribution system you will go by the tongue weight of the trailer when loaded and ready to tow plus the weight of anything loaded behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle.

For argument, lets say your trailer weighs 7,000 pounds and nothing is loaded in the bed of the truck. Given the information you have provided the tongue weight of the trailer will be in the neighborhood of 1,015 pounds (14.5 percent of the gross trailer weight). The first thing you are going to want to do is determine what the tongue weight capacity of the vehicle and hitch is when using weight distribution. The hitch should have a sticker on it with this information and for the vehicle it should be in the owners manual.

Based on the empty tongue weight of 835 pounds and the potential tongue weight at 7,000 pounds of 1,015, I recommend a system that is rated for 600 to 1,200 pounds tongue weight and that comes with dual-cam sway control which is the best type of sway control, especially for backing up.

The system that you have referenced, # RP66074, fits the bill to a Tee. It does not come with a shank so you will need to determine the correct rise or drop needed using an FAQ I have linked to determine the best shank to use. I have also linked the shanks that you could use with this system. You will also need a ball. For a 2-5/16 inch ball use # 19286.

expert reply by: Michael H