Determining Loaded Tongue Weight to Pick Out a Weight Distribution for a 2001 Jayco Kiwi 23-B Camper  

Question:

Helpful Expert Reply:

I was able to find the weight of your trailer dry, but you will want to contact Jayco to determine how much capacity your trailer has, because this will make a difference if your Jayco can support the weight that's been loaded into the camper. The dry weight listed for the camper is 3665lbs.

Tongue weight usually is about 10-15 percent of that weight but for the best ride quality and the best weight distribution hitch that will provide this, we will want to know what your loaded tongue weight is.

Another option would be to measure the loaded tongue weight of your trailer with a scale like the etrailer # e99044 scale under the jack foot to measure your tongue weight. If you get back to me with this number, I will be more than happy to help you select the proper weight distribution system for your needs.

You will want to make sure the trailer is disconnected from the truck when taking this measurement. I have linked a Help Article on how to determine tongue weight for your convenience.

expert reply by: Jackie C

1

Brian

4/27/2016

I brought my camper home this weekend. I used the bathroom scale method to get my tongue weight. I have calculated it to be 580 pounds. Our camper is loaded up with most of what we’ll be camping with. I know that to make the best determination, it should be loaded as we will use it when camping. Having said that, all of our bedding, utensils and what not is in our camper. The things we will add for a trip would be clothing and food for a family of five (two adults, three children). When we tow the camper, I will not have any fresh water on board, and the waste tanks will be empty. While straightening out the camper, my wife found a printed sticker in one of the cabinets. It lists the weight ratings as such: GVWR: 4950 Approximate UVW: 4141 NCC: 809 I’m sure you already know this, they define UVW as unloaded vehicle weight, and NCC as net carrying capacity. So with all that, what are your recommendations?

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Jackie C.

4/27/2016

Great! The key to picking out a weight distribution is to land your tongue weight in the middle of the range for that variation of the tanks or cargo loading. My best recommendation for a weight distribution would be the Reese Stait-Line # RP66083 because of its 400-800 lbs. tongue weight capacity and 8,000 lbs. gross towing weight. This system also includes a dual-cam sway control and an adjustable 2 inch shank. 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. To complete the weight distribution setup you will need 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 # 19286. 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 # 3035-P is a custom fit for your 2002 Ford F-150 if you have the factory 4-way or 7-way already. This harness is a plug and play adapter which will mate with the brake controller port underneath the dash of your Ford. I have linked the above mentioned parts as well as the brake controllers for your 2002 F-150 and a installation video of the Reese Strait-Line system for your convenience.

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