Weight Distribution Recommendation for 3,600 lb Loaded Boat Trailer

Published 04/19/2022

Products Featured in This Question

Fastway e2 Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control - Round - 6,000 lbs GTW, 600 lbs TW

(175)

$418.52

Blue Ox TrackPro Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control - 7-Hole Shank - 6K GTW, 600 lbs TW

(202)

$759.00

Fastway e2 Weight Distribution w/ Sway Control - Trunnion - 4,500 lbs GTW, 450 lbs TW

(112)

$481.24

Question:

I have a long pontoon boat/trailer that weighs 3600 lbs with 360 lbs of tongue weight while carrying fuel but no boating gear. I need a weight distribution hitch to safely tow it behind my vehicle that is rated for 5000 lbs with 500 lbs of tongue weight. I have been looking at the FA92-00-0450 and the FA94-00-0600. With the boat sitting as stated above the 0450 should work just fine, but I could pack the boating gear in a way to meet the minimum 400 lbs of tongue weight for the 0600. Would you advise me to stick with my gut and go with the 0450 which is between what my boat/trailer weighs and my vehicle is rated for, or go with the 0600 as to not potentially run at the upper limit of what the 0450 is rated for? Any other comments or questions about my situation are welcome. Thank you.

asked by: Michael

Expert Reply:

For your application I would go with the Fastway e2 # FA94-00-0600 over the lower rated # FA92-00-0450 simply because it gives you a little bit of leeway in how you load your boat/trailer and what you're able to carry in your tow vehicle.

As long as the tongue weight of your trailer falls within the 10-15% range of the loaded weight of your trailer and you aren't overloading your tow vehicle it's perfectly safe to have a higher tongue weight. One other thing to think about is any cargo behind the rear axle of your tow vehicle counts as tongue weight when it comes to a weight distribution system. With the higher rating of the 600 e2 you're able to have some flexibility in how you load your boat/trailer and tow vehicle.

An alternative solution would be to use the Blue Ox TrackPro # BLU36FR instead which I would argue has a better quality than the e2, it has a tongue weight range of 200 lbs - 600 lbs, it uses trunnion bars so it has better ground clearance than the round bars of the 600 lb e2, and it comes with a 2" hitch ball so that's one less thing to worry about.

Attached are some review videos for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G