You guys are making some very good headway. I think the key is somehow making a distinction between mass (why I've thrown in the term "gravitational mass") and load bearing (for all practical purposes,
"weight"). We know that a WD hitch does nothing with the mass from which the load originates, but has a significant effect on how the load is borne.
I don't believe the manufacturers are wrong, since they are talking about weight, which as we know from Newton's gravitational law, is simply mass acted on by gravity. You can't really have a weight unless it is reacted to, so the two are uncompromisingly intertwined. If you equate weight to a load and not just a mass, then Ron is unintentionally contradicting himself, as he clearly illustrated how the loads are changed. I believe what he really meant to clarify was that the gravitational mass over the tongue is not changed by a WD system.
Ken, I really like your wordsmithing to get rid of the words "distributed" and/or "transferred".
"Weight distributing hitches apply leverage between the towing vehicle and trailer causing the tongue weight to be carried by all axles of the tow vehicle and trailer. This allows trailers with greater tongue weights to be towed and results in a more level ride which reduces stress on the rear of the tow vehicle and provides greater steering and brake control."
If we want to change tongue
weight to tongue
load as Tom suggests, we should do it in both places to stay consistent and prevent confusion.
