Measurements Needed To Determine Best Weight Distribution System For Towing

Published 04/03/2015

Question:

I was considering buying Curt 17301 weight distribution hitch. It says it has a 2inch . My trailer has a top of hitch height of 13 1/2 inches and the top of my receiver is at 16 inches. Is the 2 inch from the top of the ball or the top of the hitch without the ball. According to the Curt website I should have a target ball height of 16 5/8 inches. I have seen two videos from your website and they measure the trailer from two places, one shows to measure from the bottom of the hitch and the other shows to measure from the top of the trailer hitch. Do I need more information to make a good decision? thanks,

asked by: Michael D

Expert Reply:

For a correct measurement you need to measure the distance from the ground to the top of the receiver opening on your vehicle.

You then need to measure the height from the ground to the bottom of your coupler on your trailer when the trailer is level and on level ground.

You want to keep the system as level as possible and can use an adjustable shank to be able to tow your trailer level.

If your trailer weighs more than 50 percent of the weight of your towing vehicle it is always a good idea to use weight distribution. Adding sway control helps keep the trailer stabile on the road when you have high winds or large trucks passing by.

The most important thing to know when selecting the right weight distribution system is your tongue weight. The tongue weight is the tongue weight of your trailer when it is fully-loaded and ready-to-tow added to the weight of any cargo you place behind the rear axle of the towing vehicle.

The Curt Trunnion Style Weight Distribution System, part # 17301 is designed for trailers weighing up to 8,000 lbs and for tongue weights up to 800 lbs. This system comes with an adjustable 2 inch shank that has a maximum rise of 6 inches and a minimum drop of 2 inches from the top of the receiver. I have attached a helpful article about weight distribution and measuring the need for a shank with a rise or drop you can check out.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L