How to Determine Best Weight Distribution Weight Rating for 10,500 lb Trailer

Question:

I have a 2019 ram 2500 with the cummins diesel engine. The door sticker says payload capacity is 2241. I am towing a 39 ft. bumper pull travel trailer with bunk house. Manufacturer says loaded the trailer is at 10.5K with a 1050 tongue weight. I have a weigh safe hitch i use for other, smaller towing jobs, but when i connected the trailer using the weigh safe hitch to see tongue weight, it showed around 1200-1300, with a few items in the storage space. Not sure how accurate those scales on the hitch are. When you talk to multiple people, you get multiple opinions. What would you recommend to me for installation to eliminate the sag. I use the Equalizer 14k WDH as well.

asked by: Karl N

Expert Reply:

Trailer manufacturers list the loaded tongue weight for a trailer as being 10% of the loaded weight of the trailer, which is why you see 1,050 lbs for a GVWR of 10,500 lbs for your trailer. In reality you can make the tongue weight whatever you want by adjusting the cargo in your trailer forwards and backwards, but the ideal tongue weight is 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight - this will give you best towing performance and stability.

If you have your trailer loaded up to 10,500 lbs then your tongue weight needs to be in the range of 1,050 lbs - 1,575 lbs so if you're reading 1,200 lbs - 1,300 lbs then your trailer tongue weight is just fine.

The kicker is when we get to the weight distribution systems because they count both the tongue weight of the trailer PLUS any cargo located behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle as "tongue weight". So your 14K Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System # EQ37140ET is a great fit if your tongue weight is that 1.2K - 1.3K and you don't have more than 100-220 lbs of cargo behind the rear axle of your 2019 Ram 2500.

If you do find that your loaded tongue weight plus the weight of cargo behind your rear axle exceeds the 1.4K tongue weight rating of your Equal-i-zer system then you need to upgrade to the 16K option as part # EQ64FR to accommodate your heavier weight.

Check your weights and be sure to follow the installation instructions for your Equal-i-zer system if you still have sag. Let me know if you're still having issues and I'd be more than happy to help you get everything figured out!

expert reply by: Jon G