I Have A 20241 Rock Creek Pathfinder And There Is Still Sag With My Weight Distribution System, Why?

Updated 06/24/2025 | Published 06/14/2025

Question:

Hello, l have 2024 Rock Creek Pathfinder and am towing a trailer max weight 5100lbs with a 550lb tongue weight. With my weight distribution set up, my back end is sagging by 3, so...not good. Is my factory installed hitch not sufficient? Or could it be my draw bar/ ball height? Are my trunnion bars i sufficient or is my suspension not strong enough? l know thats probably not enough detailed info, so please let me know if you need more. Thank you.

asked by: Melissa B

Expert Reply:

Hey Melissa,

There could be a couple things that are causing that. Just based off of my experience with factory hitches, there is a chance it is not rated for your 550lb tongue weight. This is common with factory hitches they tend to be rated lower than aftermarket ones. I looked up your vehicle and the factory hitch is rated for 6,000 and 600lbs so its almost right at the max capacity.

What weight distribution system do you have? It could be possible the system you have is not the right system for your vehicle and what you are towing. Let me know what you have and I can dig in and see if there may be a better option for you.

If the hitch and weight distribution system check out that you have what is right for your vehicle, additional suspension upgrades will fix that issue. Let me know what weight distribution system you have and I will see if we need to take a look at some suspension upgrades for your Pathfinder.

expert reply by: Nick S

Melissa B.

6/20/2025

What l have is a hand me down hitch and trunnion bar set. The only info on the hitch is a sticker that says the tongue weight is determined by a pull pin position,1000 or 1200lbs with a Husky 2 5/16 ball V-5 rated and 10000lbs.The trunnion bars are Reese with a sticker that says V-5 rating....10000lb max gross trailer weight, 600 max hitch weight.

Nick S.

6/21/2025

@MelissaB It sounds like you may have a system that is rated for to high of a weight capacity. If your trailer is not heavy enough for the system, it is not going to do what it is intended for. You would want something that is closer to the weight of your trailer like # RE34FR.

Melissa B.

6/22/2025

@NickS So even with a heavier duty system, l would still get 3" of rear end sag? l need to find something local, so should l be looking for a system that would handle a tongue weight maxing around 800lbs? Would that be too much, because l don't think 600lbs would leave me enough leeway.

Nick S.

6/24/2025

@MelissaB You either want to look for a system rated for no more than 800lbs, or a rear suspension upgrade for your vehicle. A system rated for too high of a capacity is not going to do what a weight distribution system is supposed to, we always try to get as close to the trailer tongue weight as possible. So a system rated for your specific setup is going to do the best job.