Recommended Weight Distribution System for Rockwood Mini Lite 2109 Trailer

Question:

I have just purchased a Rockwood Mini-Lite 2109 with empty hitch weight of approximately 440lb and empty weight of approximately 4200lb. I will be towing with 2003 F-150. Trying to determine if Blue Ox Sway Pro 750 or Reese 10,000GTW/800tongue wt would work and if you would recommend one over the other Thanks

asked by: Lynn A

Helpful Expert Reply:

For your Rockwood Mini Lite 2109 trailer I actually recommend the Reese Strait-Line Weight Distribution System - 12,000/1,200 Pounds # RP66084 because it will better match your potential tongue weight and the Strait-Line systems do a much better job with sway control compared to the Blue Ox system you were also looking at.

When picking out a weight distribution system the most important factor to consider is the total tongue weight of your setup. This includes both the loaded tongue weight of the trailer along with any added cargo weight coming from behind the rear axle of your F-150. Ideally this number falls comfortably within the operating range for the system you choose.

You did mention a 440 pound empty tongue weight on the trailer but since we want to go by its loaded number I went ahead and tracked down the GVWR of your Rockwood Mini Lite 2109, which looks to be right at 5,692 pounds. This represents the most the trailer can weigh when fully loaded. We can use this to estimate a loaded tongue weight since a trailer's tongue weight should be between 10 and 15 percent of its total weight.

This puts the loaded tongue weight of your trailer at around 570 to 850 pounds. Also remember that you need to add any cargo weight behind the rear axle of the truck to this number as well. This is why the Reese Strait-Line # RP66084 mentioned above, with a tongue weight capacity range of 600 to 1,200 pounds is your best option. Both the Blue Ox SwayPro # BXW0750 (550 to 750 pound tongue weight range) and the Reese Strait-Line # RP66083 (400 to 800 pound tongue weight range) that you were looking at could be under-rated depending on how you load the trailer and truck bed.

I have attached a video demonstration on the Reese Strait-Line Weight Distribution System that you can also check out.