Is Noise and Slightly Bent Trunnion Bars Safe for a Weight Distribution System

Published 06/26/2019

Question:

Thanks Jon! I have the RP66083 My vehicle is rated for 7000lbs, I'm guessing loaded trailer tongue weight at 400-500lbs, the trailer weighs 6,000 lbs and I rarely carry anything in the suburban. I don't know if you can see enough of the hitch and bars here but it's the only picture I have.

asked by: Aaron S

Expert Reply:

As long as your Strait-Line Weight Distribution (WD) System, like part # RP66083, isn't underrated for your towing setup and you haven't gone past the 5th chain link like you mentioned then you should be good to go. With friction sway control there is always going to be some noise because it is metal on metal and if you check out the attached photo you can see that there was a slight bend to the trunnion bars when we installed this same system.

If you can give me some more details about what your system is rated for, how much tongue weight your trailer has, how much weight you have behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle (in regards to cargo), and send me a picture of your setup so I can see the bars I will be more than happy to verify that everything is safe.

expert reply by: Jon G

click to enlarge

Aaron S.

6/26/2019

Jon G.

6/26/2019

Thank you for the picture and the information! The Reese Strait-Line # RP66083 that you own has a TW range of 400 lbs - 800 lbs. Since you don't carry cargo in the back of your Suburban you just have to make sure that the TW of your trailer stays within this range. If you were to place cargo behind the rear axle of your Suburban then that would be considered TW when it comes to a WD system. If your loaded trailer weighs in at 6,000 lbs but you only have about 400 lbs - 500 lbs of TW then you actually need to adjust the cargo inside your trailer so that you fall in-between the 10-15% range. For 6,000 lbs that range is 600 lbs - 900 lbs. If you are on the heavier end of things then I recommend upgrading your trunnion bars to part # RP66009 which changes your tongue weight range to 600 lbs - 1,200 lbs. Two of these bars are all you need for the upgrade as all of the other components are all the same.