How Can I Adjust My Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution System w/ Sway Control to Improve FLAR?

Updated 09/29/2025 | Published 09/14/2025

Question:

I finally got around to taking my Airstream to the CAT scales and much to my surprise my 12K Reese Steadi-Flex was only moving 180 lbs. off of my rear axle. This is with the ball moved as far back toward the trailer as the adjustment slots allow. Considering my tongue weight is 950 lbs. i expected much more in weight transfer. The trailer is also perfectly level. Any ideas how to improve my FLAR further?

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Hello John,

It’s great that you took your Airstream to the CAT scales, that’s the best way to really see what’s going on with your setup for your Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution System w/ Sway Control # RP66560.

The first thing I’d look at is your hitch head tilt. On the Reese system, this is the main way you increase leverage on the spring bars. Tilting the head back toward the trailer adds more pre-load to the bars, which transfers more weight forward. Even though you’ve already moved the ball back in the adjustment slots, if your head is still pretty upright you may just need to add more tilt washers to get stronger engagement. Along with that, make sure your bar tension is dialed in, sometimes shortening the chain links (if yours has chains) helps, but usually the head tilt has to come first to give you room for adjustment.

Another piece of the puzzle is bar rating. With a 950-pound tongue, you’re on the lower end for the 1,200-pound bars that come with the 12K system. They’ll work, but because they’re stiffer, they don’t deflect as much at your load. If your tongue weight stays in that 900–1,000 range, you might actually get better distribution from the 1,000-pound bars that come with the 10K kit.

When you re-scale, it’s worth doing three passes: first with just the truck, then with the trailer hooked up but no weight distribution engaged, and finally with the weight distribution bars in place. That way you can really see how much weight is being taken off the rear axle and how close the front axle is to its unhitched baseline. And finally, double-check your hitch height setup, because the trailer should sit level after you’ve applied the weight distribution, not before, if it’s set too high or too low, it can eat up your adjustment room before the bars can really do their job.

So in short, your setup is probably just not developing enough leverage yet. A little more head tilt and possibly bars better matched to your tongue weight should make a noticeable difference. After you make the adjustments, please let me know what your new numbers are =)

expert reply by: Kate F

Reese Steadi-Flex Weight Distribution System w/ Sway Control
(click to enlarge)

Kate F.

9/29/2025

Hey John, Did you have a chance to adjust the head tilt on your Reese Steadi-Flex and try the different bar ratings? I'm curious to know if those changes helped improve your weight distribution. Your experience could really help others looking to optimize their setup.