Is Using an Overrated Weight Distribution System Okay

Published 05/22/2018

Products Featured in This Question

Blue Ox SwayPro Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control for 2-1/2" Hitch - 20K GTW, 2K TW

(473)

$926.07

Blue Ox SwayPro Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control for 2" Hitch - 10,000 lbs GTW, 1,000 lbs TW

(473)

$969.00

Blue Ox SwayPro Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control - Clamp On - 15,000 lbs GTW, 1,500 lbs TW

(473)

$762.05

Equal-i-zer Weight Dist Shank - 2-1/2" Hitch - 10" Rise/6" Drop

(260)

$181.94

Question:

My truck has a 2.5 inch receiver and my camper weight is 8,800 lbs. Id like to get a Blue OX Sway Pro but the only one with 2.5 inch receiver is rated for 20,000 lbs. Would be bad to install a WDH rated for 2x what Im hauling? I know I can use an adapter sleeve but Im not a big fan of that approach. Thank you!

asked by: Hank

Expert Reply:

Using a Weight Distribution (WD) system that is rated too high or too low is never a good thing. Too high and your ride will be very stiff but too low and you won't see any benefit from it. Luckily we have a solution for you that does not require an adapter sleeve.

Almost all of the WD shanks that we have are compatible with other WD systems because the 2" width and 1-1/4" on center mounting hole dimensions are the same for the WD heads. I recommend the Equal-i-zer shank # EQ90-02-4900 which fits a 2-1/2" receiver and is compatible with any of the SwayPro systems.

When looking for the correct WD system you need one with a Tongue Weight (TW) range that the Total Tongue Weight (TTW) of your towing setup falls in the middle of. To find the TTW of your towing setup you will need to add the TW of your fully loaded and ready-to-go trailer along with the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle. Keep in mind that a properly loaded trailer will have a TW that is 10-15% of the loaded weight of your trailer.

If your loaded trailer weighs 8,800 lbs that means your TW should be 880 lbs - 1,320 lbs. For this application you can either use part # BXW1506 which has a TW range of 1,000 lbs - 1,500 lbs or the part # BXW1000 which has a TW range of 750 lbs - 1,000 lbs. The great thing about the SwayPro systems is that the arms are interchangeable so if you change how much you are carrying or get a different trailer you can just purchase different arms instead of a whole new system.

Both of these WD systems come with a 2" shank so you can either sell it to help offset the price or keep it in case you end up using a pickup with a 2" receiver at some point in time.