Weight Distribution System Needed for a 2008 Fleetwood E2 Camper Trailer

Question:

Dear E-trailer, I have a 2008 Fleetwood E2 tent trailer with a double beam front a-frame. As annotated in the attached photo I have a welded on custom bracket for a power tongue wheels necessary for parking at my house. I am interested in a WD hitch so I can more safely carry a motorbike.on the front of the trailer deck. My TV is a VW Touareg TDI 2014 with 616 Lbs or 770 lbs max tongue weight. The front deck of my trailer is for hauling toys and Id like to haul my 320 lbs dual sport motorcycle however with this on the deck I have calculated and measured that my tongue weight is quite a bit higher than the stock trailer of about 420 lbs. I surmised that up to 2/3s of the motorcycles weight could be transferred to the hitch, although it is positioned closer to half way between the axle and hitches maybe an additional 160-210 lbs on the tongue. This could bring my hitch weight to 580-630 lbs. technically over VWs tow rating of 616 lbs tongue/7700 lbs trailer. Previous Touareg models were capable to tow 10 of the 7700 tow rating or 770 lbs on the tongue. Yes I am a VW die-hard. While I am not really all that concerned about the specifics of the ratings here I am concerned that I get more rear end squat and and increase in the front wheel gap when I load up with the motorbike and this is not ideal for safety etc as I am sure you know more than me. Its seems reasonable to use a WD hitch to mitigate this lets ignore VWs ideas on the matter. There are two issues: my trailers double beam a-frame and my custom wheel jack bracket. Are you aware of any suitable weight distribution hitches that could work for me? Preferably clamp on but as a last resort, welded on or bolted on? please see my annotated photo showing the position of the tongue wheel bracket.

asked by: David C

Expert Reply:

Thank you for the picture and the details to your situation.

I would definitely check the tongue weight (TW) of your 2014 Volkswagen Touareg TDI to make sure that you are not exceeding the rating of your vehicle or your trailer hitch. You can determine the loaded TW of your trailer using the scale like part # e99044 or one of the methods highlighted in the attached helpful article.

I was able to find a weight distribution (WD) system that may work for your unique trailer situation. If you use the Strait-Line # RP66083, which has a TW range of 400 lbs - 800 lbs, with the Chain Hangers # RP58305 you may be able to mount the hangers on the further side of your bracket for your power tongue wheel. The chain hangers need to be mounted so that the center is about 31" from the center of the hitch ball to the center of the chain hangers. These measure 5" wide so as long as you have 5" between the edge of your frame and the bracket for your power tongue wheel you should be good to go!

You will need a hitch ball like part # 19286 for a 2-5/16" coupler or part # A-90 for a 2" coupler. I would also double check that the bracket for your safety chains does not sit in the way of the bars for a weight distribution system.