Recommended Weight Distribution System for 2011 Toyota Sienna Towing Jayco Heritage Yosemite Pop-Up  

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Expert Reply:

First, make sure you have a class III hitch that's rated for weight distribution. The hitch should have a sticker on it listing a towing and a weight distribution capacity. Also make sure your owner's manual doesn't list any prohibitions about using weight distribution.

The first step in choosing a weight distribution system is identifying the tongue weight of the trailer when it's fully loaded and ready to tow. To that figure, you'd add the weight of anything (people, cargo, etc) stored behind the rear axle in the bed of the truck. The combined total of these two weights represents the total tongue weight (TTW) of your trailer. Your TTW would ideally be near the middle of the effective range of the system you choose. A weight distribution system will eliminate the sag caused by the trailer tongue weight compressing the rear van suspension by using leverage provided by the spring bars to transfer a portion of that tongue weight to the front axle of the vehicle. I'll link you to a help article that further explains how weight distribution works, and an article that specifically explains how to determine your tongue weight.

The Pro Series system you mentioned, # 49570 uses round bars which usually don't work well on vehicles with limited ground clearance like your Sienna. A trunnion bar system with integrated sway control like the Reese Steadi-Flex, part # RP66558 would be my recommendation if your trailer's tongue weight falls between 400-600 lbs, which is likely.

The system includes the weight distributing shank, but the ball with the 1-1/4 inch diameter shank is sold separately. For a 2 inch ball, use part # A-90 or # 19286 for a 2-5/16 inch ball.

expert reply by: Mike L

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