Weight Distribution Recommendation for a 27 Foot Travel Trailer on a 2015 Toyota Tundra Crew Max

Question

Question:

Hello, I have a 2015 Toyota Tundra Crew Max with a tongue weight of 900 lbs, capacity and tow weight of 9800 lbs. I have purchased a new 27 ft travel trailer that has a tongue weight of 620 lbs and dry weight of 6100 lbs. Gross weight of the trailer when loaded is 8200 lbs. I live in Colorado and will be driving to Des Moines, IA to pick up the trailer and obviously need a weight distributing hitch. The dealer has a Reese cant give me the model # heavy duty with dual cam sway with a GTW of 1200 lbs. Everything Ive read thus far says get as close to my trucks tongue weight w/o over-doing it. I found this Curt model on your website and trying to figure out if this is sufficient and/or if the dealer is putting me into the wrong sized hitch? Can you also tell me the difference between friction weight and a Reese w/ dual cam sway? Advantages/Disadvantages? Also, if what Ive isnt the right match, do you have a recommended setup that includes sway control and everything I need - including the ball, etc.? Note: I just read that this model doesnt allow you to backup? Is that really true? Ill need a hitch that allows me to back into campsites! Ive read where I should try to match the tongue weight of the truck as close to the weight of the distributing hitch. Since this one is rated for 1200 lbs., is it too big for my configuration? I also see where there is a range from 600 to 1200 lbs for this hitch and was wondering if it is adjustable and hence why it is provided in a range.

asked by: Mark

0

Expert Reply:

I can help you get set up with all the right equipment for towing a travel trailer with your 2015 Toyota Tundra Crew Max.

A weight distribution system is recommended if the gross vehicle weight (GVW) of the trailer is more than 50 percent of the GVW of your vehicle. A weight distribution system will distribute some of the tongue weight to the front axle of the tow vehicle. This will help with sag and allow your setup to brake and handle better. When picking out a weight distribution you want to do it based on the loaded tongue weight, which also includes the weight of the cargo behind the rear axle. Typically it is 10-15 percent of your Gross Trailer Weight (GTW). For your 8,200lbs. travel trailer that would be anywhere from 820 - 1,230lbs. of tongue weight.

My best recommendation for a weight distribution would be the Reese Stait-Line # RP66130 because of its 800-1,500 lbs. tongue weight capacity and 15,000 lbs. gross towing weight. This system also includes a dual-cam sway control. The adjustable shank for a 2 inch hitch receiver is # RP54970 and # RP54977 for 2-1/2 inch hitches. I've linked our FAQ help article on Weight Distributions as well as one on finding Tongue Weight for you to reference.

The Reese Strait-Line prevents sway before it starts. It uses a dual cam sway control which is the most effective on the market, because it applies constant pressure to realign your trailer behind your tow vehicle. It is lighter than many of the other systems and has a more effective sway control than other systems like the Equal-I-zer. Equal-I-zer uses a friction sway control system that inhibits sway with the use of friction from the bars that will activate only when the bar rubs the interior of the bracket when the unit moves.

The Curt system # C17062 you were looking at only has a tongue weight of 800-1,000lbs so fully loaded this isn't a good fit for your setup and it doesn't allow for backing up like you want.

The final pieces you will need to start towing your trailer with your weight distribution is a ball for the weight distribution. Your coupler size will determine what ball you need but for this weight distribution the shank of the ball is required to have a diameter of 1-1/4 inches like the 2 inch ball # A-90 or the 2-5/16 inches ball # BWHB94050.

If you don't already have an integrated brake controller your vehicle will need one. When pulling a trailer with brakes you will need to have a brake controller to actuate the brakes. I like the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 # 90195 because it is a proportional brake controller which means it senses how the tow vehicle is slowing or stopping and applies the trailer's brakes with the same intensity. It also has a full display screen instead of codes that need deciphering. The vehicle specific wiring harness # 3031-P is a custom fit for your 2015 Toyota Tundra if you have the factory 7-way already. This harness is a plug and play adapter which will mate with the brake controller port underneath the dash of your Tundra.

The tongue weight might be a little light for this system before it's loaded which could cause a stiff ride. To prevent this you can either disconnect the spring bars or add a little weight in the back of your truck.

As I mentioned above I've linked several Help Articles along with an install video for you to check out. If you have anymore questions, I'd be more than happy to help you further.